Is the wii u worth the money?

[Gio]

Should I wait or get it now for $349.99

[chubbySamurai845]

Hi, the WiiU's been a lot of fun to mess around with and experience. In my spare time it's been with me every where I go: to bed, to the bathroom. It's really a neat experience.

I'll be back to write more, but I want to leave with a couple interesting observations I made.

The first was when my buddy and I were playing Nintendoland. The overall feel of one player having his sole focus, eyes and everything, on the gamepad and the other using solely the TV is that of a LAN connection. The actual comment was that it felt like we were playing online multiplayer on 2 consoles in one room. It was like having 2 consoles in 1, and the $350 I spent suddenly seemed like a greater value.



In order to play Wii games on WiiU, one must first access the Wii Channel. Accessing the Wii Channel takes the user to a near exact replica of the original Wii "Channel" system menu. Even the now-classic Wii Shop channel is there.


The web browser takes a huge step forward in terms of quality and comes already installed (it's not its own channel like on Wii). I haven't tested too many sites out, but most "tube" sites work, although I haven't gotten any live streams to work (perhaps to prevent competition with the Nintendo Video Chat feature). With Facebook, I was able to use the mobile version of the site pretty well, but the standard PC version wasn't available.

The main "Channel" system menu is just like the Wii's, with added features like the web browser also available (not as channels). It comes with Hulu, Netflix, and Youtube channels, but as of now the Youtube channel (the only one I tried) isn't yet online. Other channels include the Disc Channel (main game channel), Wii Channel, Mii Maker, Daily Log, Wii U Chat, Parental Controls, Health and Safety, System Menu, and also a profile settings tab.

Like PS3 and 360, WiiU now incorporates user accounts, so before a user accesses any games or menus they must first select their account.

The Gamepad is the star of the show, and has all the features one would expect from a pseudo-handheld. Aside from the button layout and dual-sticks, it's basically the bottom half of a 3DS with a much bigger screen. By that, I mean it has a mic, speakers, stylus slot, volume slide, camera, headphone jack, touch screen, gyro senser. On top of all that, it rumbles.

I make the comparison to 3DS, because that's where I first experienced gyro controls (Face Raiders, AR Cards game), and Nintendland is experienced the same way on the gamepad. Turning/looking left or right can be accomplished by using the right analog stick, but randy gamers with plenty of room to roam may also view left/right by rotating their head/body/arms around 360 degrees. The same is true for the vertical axis.


When the gamepad begins to lag, a screen appears announcing the issue and it can take from 1 - 10 seconds for it to resolve. If it doesn't resolve, a second screen appears requesting you reposition yourself. During a game, everything stops and picks up where it left off, so it's not like you are vulnerable during the resync process. In my honest opinion, there is no buffering notifications or anything like that, but I think there's is a little of that happening unannounced behind the scenes. I also think that explains why switching between certain apps and games takes longer than expected -- I think data is being shipped to the gamepad. This is just a complete guess on my part.

One last note about the fidelity: yes, it does stop the action, but it was infrequent enough for it to be an issue with me, and I happily look forward to playing WiiU from those areas of my house.


The second observation was made after I transferred the Mii's. I was sitting in the Studio and had everything still laying out in front of me: 3DS, Wii Remote, WiiU Gamepad. I had the Gamepad sitting upright in it's stand, and keep in mind that the TV that the WiiU console was connected to is in the living room behind a closed door, and, for impact, was actually turned off at the time. In fact, the whole Mii transfer process took place without the TV being on.

So, anyway, I was sitting there playing New Super Mario U, was messing around with the options and found how to switch the controls between the Gamepad or Wii Remote. Since I still had the Wii Remote there I switched control over to the Wii Remote, set the Gamepad up in it's cradle and used it simply as a monitor while the TV and console were in the other room. It was a discovery I appreciate as one only Nintendo could deliver, as they have done for me since I was a kid. Nintendo Holidays Rock!