What, no thread about the official Wii U release date and prices?

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wco81

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It's the first of the next-gen consoles!

Console gaming is dead?


Well, it's doubtful the Wii U is going to repeat the success of its predecessor. But it will carve out a niche, as people will pay for Mario, Metroid, etc.

It doesn't help that the global economy is sluggish this year.

I think though that the Xbox and Playstation successors will also have difficulty replicating the success of the current or previous generations.

Even next year when the MS and Sony consoles launch, if mobile devices continue to grow as it has the past few years, tablet sales alone will dwarf console sales. Beyond core gamers, a lot of the more casual console gamers from this generation may be content with their phones or tablets for general entertainment (as well as access to social networks) and "good enough" gaming to bother with consoles.

Every Christmas season after the next gen launches, a lot of parents who gave their children consoles will consider buying these $200 and $300 tablets instead. Besides playing games, there is educational and other entertainment software not available on consoles.
 
I don't think Sony or MS will have any problems selling their next generation consoles as long as they are clearly, obviously vastly superior to the current offerings.

It can't be the difference between 720p and 1080p. -There's a reason why BluRay still struggles and people think that streaming HD content is good enough.

It has to be a larger leap than that. But it's certainly a leap that is possible when you look at the PC market and realize these consoles only have to scale to 1080p, not the insane resolutions that PC enthusiasts are running on their multi-monitor set-ups.

Innovation and interactivity did get pushed forward this generation thanks to Nintendo, but never underestimate OOOOOH! SHINY!
 
I've reserved my Wuu since months back. I'll go with a white deluxe version if possible, but it seems the colors are reserved for each version. Personally I prefer white - dust doesn't show up as easily! - but I'll manage if I have to.

I also wish the price was cheaper. For €350 (approximation) I better not get a triple-core broadway, but rather something significantly more jazzed up.
 
I hope the TVii service works as advertised. I could ditch my $20/month PVR.

Its not any standalone service just a interface that connects to DVRs

Wii was 249 with the hottest game ever made. Wii U is 349 with Nintendoland. Old consoles have superior lineup after holidays and GTAV not coming day and date would be huge disaster for the most expensive console on the market. the core market ecosystem on the console wouldnt get off the ground before its too late to establish one
 
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It's the first of the next-gen consoles!

Console gaming is dead?
That's a bit of a stretch. Most here are PS360 owners who already have HD core gaming. Wii U isn't offering a visual upgrade, so the only reason to shell out £200+ is to have games with the Wuupad, which hasn't been pushed strongly for core gamers. Least not enough that I care for it yet. And with the next-gen XB and PS coming, that's where the attention from the HD core gamer is surely going to lie. There or PC.

I think though that the Xbox and Playstation successors will also have difficulty replicating the success of the current or previous generations.

Even next year when the MS and Sony consoles launch, if mobile devices continue to grow as it has the past few years, tablet sales alone will dwarf console sales. Beyond core gamers, a lot of the more casual console gamers from this generation may be content with their phones or tablets for general entertainment (as well as access to social networks) and "good enough" gaming to bother with consoles.
I'm sceptical about that. I don't think tablet gaming is a valid substitute for console gaming, until they get decent TV connection and controls as commonplace. This gen has been the biggest yet for consoles despite a few years of mobile and tablet competition. Sociable living room gaming has been a growth industry with console gaming (despite a reluctance for devs to support split screen. Grrr), which the mobiles can't provide. Core gaming with HD graphics on a big screen can't be directly replaced with a small-screen. I appreciate that mobile devices will compete for buyers' dollars, but I don't think they'll eat into the console market (unless with console-like connectivity).

Every Christmas season after the next gen launches, a lot of parents who gave their children consoles will consider buying these $200 and $300 tablets instead. Besides playing games, there is educational and other entertainment software not available on consoles.
If Little Jonny Call-of-Duty wants a new HD console, he'll get one.

As for Wii U, I have no idea how it's going to do at launch. The price is low for a new console, but I don't know how well it is reaching the masses. It hasn't anything like the buzz of Wii or Kinect AFAIK. The gamer population seems particularly miffed at the specs, so large scale adoption by the core gamer seems unlikely unless we see a few truly killer apps. It also doesn't look like a natural upgrade path for Wii owners. £109 for a second controller means that functionality is unlikely to ever be developed, so it's a one-Wuupad controller system, without couch-coop sharing screens. That's where something like MS's SmartGlass may prove more popular, as everyone with a smart phone could play touch-screen+same-TV games. The idea of a local-coop action RPG where you can manage your inventory on a handset without interrupting the other players is a good example and one most people could join without any added expense. All-on-all, I'm curious but not excited, and I don't think Wii U will be any indicator for any other console (as such alternate product comparisons rarely are - when has one console reliably been a good reference for another?).
 
Well my first thoughts after the announcement is that the controller is indeed expansive.

I also find really weird that one one hand Nintendo plans to sell the WiiU to Wii owners ( they stated so) but they did not have refresh that make use of previous accessories.
An update WiiFit, Wii sport may not have hurt, either way they are not that confident that Wii owners are to upgrade.
It's a strange paradox if you ask me. Nintendo as we say in France has its butt between two chairs...
They act as if they have no confidence in that even to happen (wii owneers to transition to WiiU) and they imo don't have what it takes for core gamers.

I think it's going to be ugly.
 
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. Core gaming with HD graphics on a big screen can't be directly replaced with a small-screen. I appreciate that mobile devices will compete for buyers' dollars, but I don't think they'll eat into the console market (unless with console-like connectivity).

Not to derail too much, but even with connectivity, how would they compete? Even if tablets came equipped with hdmi and bluetooth controllers, are they really going to be powerful enough any time soon to actually push that many pixels to large HDTVs?

I doubt it. We're talking now about how the WiiU is underpowered and there's still fear that Sony and MS next offerings are also going to be underpowered. The main fear, from what I've reading on here, isn't necessarily cost/price. The main fear is size and heat dissipation, I don't see tablets competing in this arena any time soon.

As you say, Shifty, they might take some "gaming hours" away from consoles if you can have HDTV connectivity. But I doubt it would be of significance.

MS smartglass should be the model, tablets should be accessories.. optional input devices. Not CPU/GPU's.

I think Nintendo was probably going in the right direction with the tablet controller with the WiiU, but I think they missed the boat by combining the two and selling their own. Smartglass has a much better chance of actually implementing what I think was probably Nintendo's core idea.
 
I'm kind of forcing myself to be a little bit interested but it's hard to be. There's just nothing about the WiiU that I find appealing that I can't get elsewhere.

Though Bayonetta 2 being a WiiU exclusive almost makes me pay a little more notice. If they have a number of interesting exclusives that would be something at least.
 
I don't think mobile devices have to completely replicate the console gaming experience to divert attention and money from consoles.

"Good enough" gaming and a lot of other entertainment options that consoles don't offer or don't do as well, for fraction of the price, may be enough for a lot of would-be console buyers.

Or even some people buy consoles but don't use it as much or buy as many games, because a mobile device is always nearby, turns on right away.
 
Not to derail too much, but even with connectivity, how would they compete? Even if tablets came equipped with hdmi and bluetooth controllers, are they really going to be powerful enough any time soon to actually push that many pixels to large HDTVs?

I doubt it. We're talking now about how the WiiU is underpowered and there's still fear that Sony and MS next offerings are also going to be underpowered.

As you say, Shifty, they might take some "gaming hours" away from consoles if you can have HDTV connectivity. But I doubt it would be of significance.
Gaming covers a multitude of sins. I find myself playing less and less big AAA games because of time, but I still like good quality time killers played at distance on a TV. So the current 200 million console owners covers people wantig to play hard core AAA games, and people who bought their console to play one or two party games, and everything in between. Tablets will be able to cover a portion of that, and with their added functionality will be an suitable substitute for a console for those gamers. They won't have the casual, social experience like Kinect or Wii, and tablets won't have that sort of game innovation either I don't think. So consoles will have plenty of room yet to sell and they aren't yet deceased, but the following generation has a big question mark over it IMO.

I'm sure there's a whole other thread or three on this subject though? Keeping it in context of Wii U, whatever the enthusiasm is or isn't here can't be extrapolated to the state of the industry. Wii U is taking a particular approach to the console market that's going to generate its own response.
 
Didnt reggie say the wii-U price will be a surprise?
Everyone though it would be $250-350
So no the price haasnt been a surprise
 
Nintendo has announced its Wii U game console will be released on November 18th in the US and November 30th in Europe. The console will come in two flavors; the 8GB Wii U Basic for $299.99 and the 32GB Wii U Deluxe for $349.99. Basic Set includes: Wii U Console (White), 1 x GamePad, 1 x HDMI cable, 1 x Wii U sensor bar, 8GB of storage, Price: $299.99

Deluxe Set includes: Wii U Console (Black), 1 x GamePad, 2 x AC adapters, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Wii U sensor bar, 32GB of storage, 1 x GamePad Charging Cradle, Stands for GamePad and console, Nintendo Land, Price: $349.99
 
I would have preferred that the gamepad charged from a dedicated charging port off of the wuu itself or a boosted USB connection. Wall warts and power cords crawling all over the place are just untidy and hellishly unsightly.
 
I am surprised by their gamepad price tho.

I'm not. If normal wireless controller sell for $50 its no surprise that WuuPad sells for at least double that. Though there were others that were in denial the entire time insisting it wouldn't be over $60.
 
Nintendo themselves said some time before this year's E3 (when they revealed dual gamepads) that the pad would be expensive, and that they therefore did not plan on selling it as an accessory. So I don't understand why people would go around claiming it'd be fairly cheap. Someone would have to be a pretty bloomin' fanboy to believe something like that. (Of course, this being the internets, one should just assume such people exist, and in great numbers too... :rolleyes:)

Anyway, just looking at all the hardware gone into it shows it's going to have a hefty price.
 
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