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Handhelds Nintendo Games

Just In Time for the Holidays, Nintendo Wii U Gets Its US Release 174

Posted by timothy from the newfangled-and-shiny dept.
YokimaSun writes "Nintendo has today fired the first salvo in the next-gen console wars with the U.S. release of their Wii U console, which is massively more powerful than the Nintendo Wii and also the PS3/Xbox 360 (so they claim). Yet again Nintendo has done a world first and released a gamepad which is also a tablet and should provide us with games that stretch the boundaries even more. Wii games are compatible with the console, as is the Wii remote. The Wii U comes in 2 SKUs: a 32GB Deluxe package, and an 8GB Basics pack. The games lineup is a strong one, with games such as New Super Mario Bros U, Arkham City Armoured Edition, Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, Sonic AllStars Racing, Nintendo Land, Tank Tank Tank, ScribbleNauts Unlimited, Epic Mickey 2 The Power of Two, ESPN Sports Connection, DarkSiders 2, Rabbids Land, Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Wipeout 3 and Just Dance 4 all available on launch day."
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Just In Time for the Holidays, Nintendo Wii U Gets Its US Release More

Just In Time for the Holidays, Nintendo Wii U Gets Its US Release

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  • Just in time for the holidays. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Are you implying it a coincidence? It was certainly targeted at the holidays.

  • I hope it does well (Score:5, Insightful)

    by damn_registrars ( 1103043 ) <damn.registrars@gmail.com> on Sunday November 18, 2012 @12:06AM (#42016887) Homepage Journal
    Some people have been suggesting that Nintendo might pull out of the hardware (at least non-portable console) market entirely if the Wii U doesn't go over well. I am one who would very much not want to see that. Hopefully this console goes over well, even if it doesn't make the grand entrance that we saw with the original Wii.

    And yes, I do still play my original Wii. I even bought a new game for it this week.

    • What do you mean you still play your Wii? Wii is a current gen console. At least, it was yesterday.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Wii is barely a current gen console. It's a gamecube with a motion controller and white case.

        • Re:Still!? Really!? (Score:5, Funny)

          by Man On Pink Corner ( 1089867 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @01:29AM (#42017151)

          I thought it was two GameCubes, duct-taped together? Now I'm confused.

        • And yet it won the console race.

          • As if selling the most console units to the most people actually matters to anyone except shareholders.

            Do you have shares? Thanks for the disclosure.

            Personally, I loved the N64, couldn't be bothered getting a Gamecube and didn't enjoy playing games in SD anymore by the time the Wii came out. Now sure, lots of people did, and still put up with it, but it looks like dirt on a big screen.

        • I was going to write almost exactly the same thing, I'm glad you got modded up for it.

          Now, I believe the EA games comment was "two gamecubes held together with tape" but lol anyway.

      • My Wii has been stored in a closet for 2 years. It sits on top of my PS2 next to my Gamecube. The Wii U is a current gen console. The Wii is last gen and has been for awhile now.

    • I talked with an investment firm holding a large chunk of Nintendo stock. It was pointed out to me that Nintendo is holding a HUGE amount of cash right now, similar to Apple's strategy. Basically, Nintendo isn't going anywhere, most likely, as they have the resources to weather just about any storm from the looks of it. Doesn't mean they wouldn't make the move out of hardware, but rest assured Nintendo isn't going anywhere, at least for a while.

    • I don't see why Nintendo would move out of hardware considering it tends to revolutionize the gaming world with its hardware. From the D-Pad on the NES to motion control on the Wii, touchscreens on the DS, etc.

      • Of your examples, only one has stuck around for any length of time and that is d-pad. The motion control has remained firmly a niche thing. While other companies have played with it, by and large it is something that is used only as a gimmick, and in very few titles (outside of the Wii where it is mandatory more or less). Revolutionary it is not.

        As for touch screens, you seriously think the DS has driven that? Not even. That would be smartphones all the way. For the most part the touch screen stuff on the D

        • You are a fool. Sony got all their hardware and software development experience by developing for both the Saturn and the N64, and then pulled out and made their own. If they failed, they were tethered to Nintendo and Sega and would make a lot of money; if they succeeded, they would have their own hardware platform and a strong in-house game development branch with lots of experience right out of the gate. They engineered perfect penetration into the market with the right lube and the right sized organ.

    • And yes, I do still play my original Wii. I even bought a new game for it this week.

      Yes I still play my old Turbo Grafx 16, SNES, Saturn, 3DO, Jaguar and Dreamcast.

    • My first thought looking at that thing is the controllers look too big (heavy) and expensive, that it was another Game Boy VR.

      Idk about the sales numbers but I hope I'm wrong. We definitely need more than just 2 console makers, one of whom also spearheads PCs.

      • Re:I hope it does well (Score:5, Interesting)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <slashdot.worf@net> on Sunday November 18, 2012 @04:11AM (#42017659)

        My first thought looking at that thing is the controllers look too big (heavy) and expensive, that it was another Game Boy VR.

        The tablet controller is expensive, apparently (but every Wii U comes with one, and most games seem to have adopted a tablet controller for player 1, wii+nunchuk for player 2 with player 2 getting the vast majority of the TV (a tiny corner is for player one, who can use the tablet's screen).

        The biggest thing though - is the lack of latency on the tablet screen. You'd think there would be some latency, but there isn't. Just fast and snappy.

        It's also very light - it's not a huge heavy thing (I think the batteries would be the heaviest part) but it otherwise feels very usable. Nicely balanced and well-designed to feel good. If your arms get tired holding it while playing, I think it's time to step away from the screen and get some exercise.

        • The tablet controller is expensive, apparently (but every Wii U comes with one, and most games seem to have adopted a tablet controller for player 1, wii+nunchuk for player 2 with player 2 getting the vast majority of the TV

          Last I heard, you would only be able to use one tablet controller with the system at a time. Has this changed? Ironically for people who want to avoid buying multiple tablets, this is actually the prime reason I'm not interested, asymmetric gaming is a gimmick.

      • We definitely need more than just 2 console makers, one of whom also spearheads PCs.

        You mean Microsoft, Sony, and reportedly Valve [slashdot.org]?

    • I suspect that even rivals like Sony and Microsoft are hoping that the WiiNew does well, otherwise they'd need to rethink their whole console strategy. If Nintendo fails, then it might mean that dedicated consoles are giving way to tablets and enhanced TVs coupled with an online gaming service.

  • Have they announced the Three Stooges game package (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 18, 2012 @12:12AM (#42016905)

    That would be called "WhyU"?

  • Now is the part I like, how long does it take for the console to get cracked, and by what methods they are able to do it. Probably more exciting then anything else, to some of us.

  • Last hurrah (Score:4, Informative)

    by GeneralTurgidson ( 2464452 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @12:21AM (#42016931)
    Nintendo, you would make money hand over fist if you became multiplatform and did HD remakes for everything. Seriously, swimming in a lake of green.
    • ...Except for the fact that Nintendo routinely revolutionizes the hardware of gaming, not just the software. The NES brought the D-Pad, the GameBoy basically created decent portable gaming, the Wii was imitated by the 2 other consoles.

      Nintendo's success is not just because of software, but hardware has a lot to do with it.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by LocalH ( 28506 )

      They're already making money hand over fist.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I don't think people understand how Nintendo makes their money. There is a reason you can't get Mario for the PS3 and it's not so Nintendo can sell you hardware with no margins. It's because, if you can only get Mario on Nintendo hardware, you might just buy other games for Nintendo hardware. Nintendo gets a cut of those sales through licensing.

        I'd love for Nintendo to get out of the console business. I can't believe they are still doing this stupid "SD card expansion" BS with the Wii-U. I'd love to see "Pl

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by LocalH ( 28506 )

          Nintendo's the only company from the old school that's still around making hardware. I'd say they're doing something right. Not everything, but enough to succeed.

          Also, I agree about the exclusive franchises. Back in the early days of Nintendo video games, this was not the case - all of the most popular early Nintendo arcade games got ported to numerous systems. Donkey Kong, DK Jr, Mario Bros, even Popeye. Once Nintendo found true success in the home market with Super Mario Bros, they abandoned that strategy

          • When a non-fanboi wants to choose a games console these days, there are a number of things to consider - hardware, online services, multimedia capabilities, etc. One of the most important things is exclusive game franchises. Each platform has it's own collection of games you can't play anywhere else. Nintendo has a healthy selection of these that have been going for decades and, for the most part, they still keep them feeling fresh - that's Nintendo's unacknowledged talent.

        • Looking at Nintendo hardware of the past, I think they are unlike other consoles. Since it's less powerful, they probably cut even near the beginning of the life of the console and then start making more and more money during it's lifetime as component prices drop.

          Although I don't disagree with your point about branching out, it would perhaps expand their audience. But one counterpoint is that with shipping a console, they can always decide to try to make another sucessful franchise of the pack-in game th

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Cinder6 ( 894572 )

            Nintendo hardware isn't historically less powerful than its rivals upon release. The NES was the most powerful thing around until the SMS came out, the SNES was more powerful than the Genesis, the N64 beat the pants off the PS1 and Saturn, and the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2 (but not the Xbox). On the console front, the Wii is the only time that Nintendo intentionally made something weaker than the competition. The Wii U, right now, is the most powerful thing out there (on consoles), but it w

            • I don't know about the latest portables, but in the past Nintendo's offerings were always stronger than the competitors where it counts on the portable front: battery life.

        • You do realise you can use any USB hard drive you want. If you want 1TB of space then go for it and shop around for the best priced drive you can find unlike xbox which wants you to buy an overpriced hard drive

  • Link goes to a blog, possible ad traffic tactic? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 18, 2012 @12:53AM (#42017027)

    Why is the link pointing to a blog and not the nintendo site?

    Please correct it.

  • Game controller that also plays games? Yeah, they already did that with the Dreamcast.

    Look how well it worked out for them, too.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Yes, but that equated to going from stunning graphics on the tv to the equivalent of a Tiger LCD handheld. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

    • Re:SEGA: Been There, Done That (Score:4, Informative)

      by Darkness404 ( 1287218 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @01:11AM (#42017085)
      I'd hardly put the VMU (essentially a memory card with a screen) in the same class as the WiiU controller. Also, the Dreamcast failed because of a lack of really good games, especially exclusive games. Other than Shenmue, Sonic Adventure 1/2 (the only good 3-D sonic games), Code Veronica, Crazy Taxi and a couple of quirky games (I think one was called Seaman?) there wasn't much going for the Dreamcast.

      The Saturn failed for much the same reasons, there weren't any good games for it, Sonic which had sold like hotcakes on the Genesis/Mega Drive had no real game on the Saturn aside from various spin-offs and remakes. It would be like Nintendo releasing a console without Mario or Zelda, or the Xbox without Halo.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Cinder6 ( 894572 )

        It's also important to note that, thanks to Sega's terrible business tactics leading up to the Dreamcast, Sega probably would have had to leave the console business even if the Dreamcast was a runaway hit.

      • > there wasn't much going for the Dreamcast.

        You missed Soul Caliber 1 & 2, Worms, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and Jet Set Radio.

    • Re:SEGA: Been There, Done That (Score:4, Interesting)

      by __aaqvdr516 ( 975138 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @01:11AM (#42017087)

      The Dreamcast didn't fail because of the controller. It failed after Sega rapidly put out Sega CD, the 32X followed quickly by the Saturn. They did all this despite some fierce competition with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony.

      Nintendo has had some bad design choices in the past. I don't think this controller is one of those bad design choices. Time will tell.

      • The Dreamcast didn't fail because of the controller. It failed after Sega rapidly put out Sega CD, the 32X followed quickly by the Saturn. ...Time will tell.

        I find an eerie parallel with Memory Alpha's [memory-alpha.org] content I read just about an hour ago tonight. It's about the fall of Star Trek from Rick Berman:

        I again asked them for a little breathing room, that maybe it wasn't a good idea to slap a new show on the air in what was going to be the third season of Deep Space Nine

        ...

        With the end of Voyager's seventh season, Berman was once again approached to create a new series - one to air in the fall of 2001, mere months after the final broadcast of Voyager.

    • I owned the Dreamcast and actually loved it. Quite a few really fun games for it. That said, their VMUs were tremendously underutilized. Granted, they were nothing like a tablet but they could have been much more. It wasn't never going to be the VMU that would make or break the Dreamcast, though. It's a much different situation compared to the Wii U

    • Not really. That's in no way remotely similar.

  • Universal Remote (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ZombieBraintrust ( 1685608 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @01:04AM (#42017059)
    I am considering buying it just to use the tablet thing as my universal remote. I was looking at the Logitech Harmony ILink as to turn my Android phone into a remote but the reviews are not very good. Will wait for reviews on the Wii U. I want to see some Youtube vids of the remote functionality before I buy. Not impressed with the launch games.

    • Just bite the bullet and get a Harmony One or (if you need to control devices outside line-of-site) the Harmony 900.

      I have two (for different media centers) and bought my dad one as well. Haven't had to reprogram any of them since the initial installation more than a year ago.

      You don't appreciate physical buttons on your remote until you lose them all.

      • Re:Universal Remote (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ZombieBraintrust ( 1685608 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @09:28AM (#42018459)

        Just bite the bullet and get a Harmony One or (if you need to control devices outside line-of-site) the Harmony 900.

        I have two (for different media centers) and bought my dad one as well. Haven't had to reprogram any of them since the initial installation more than a year ago.

        You don't appreciate physical buttons on your remote until you lose them all.

        Wow look at the prices on those things. $199 for the Harmony One, and $349 for the Harmony 900. Those are new console prices for controllers with less features than new console controllers. I wonder if Logitech is hobbling its IPad and Android apps on purpose. So it can keep selling these overpriced pieces of plastic.

        • Wow look at the prices on those things. $199 for the Harmony One, and $349 for the Harmony 900. [...] overpriced pieces of plastic.

          I have (and really like) a Harmony One. About 5 years ago, I still worked in the Custom A/V business, building and selling expensive systems for home theaters.

          Even then we had the choice between physical button devices and touch-screen devices. Given how much better physical devices were, we'd only sell a touch-screen device if the owner was more concerned about showing off ra

          • A $9.99 remote has just as many real buttons as a Harmony 900. You can purchase a laptop for $349. (unsubsidized) Your basically paying $150-$250 for software.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by teg ( 97890 )

        Just bite the bullet and get a Harmony One or (if you need to control devices outside line-of-site) the Harmony 900.

        I have two (for different media centers) and bought my dad one as well. Haven't had to reprogram any of them since the initial installation more than a year ago.

        You don't appreciate physical buttons on your remote until you lose them all.

        I loved the Harmony One, and I've got a Harmony Touch [logitech.com] now - but they did not work at all with the Nintendo Wii. To work with the PS3, you need an extra device [logitech.com] for converting IR to bluetooth.

        The Harmony is great at setting up the other devices that are part of the activity, though - typically a TV and a receiver.

    • I'd wait until there's more information about the protocols involved. It's almost certain that the video being displayed on the tablet is being broadcast via radio from the console --- which means it's entirely feasible that the tablet is dumb as rocks and isn't programmable; and that all the logic is actually happening on the console.

      If that were the case, the only way you'd be able to repurpose the tablet would be to clone the no-doubt proprietary radio link that the console used, which is probably goin

      • I am not sure if your replying to the wrong thread or not. I am not considering hacking the Wii U tablet. Universal Remote functionality is part of its advertised features. I believe they are branding it TVii
        • Ah, I didn't gather you just wanted the standard functionality. Even so --- can you use the tablet as a remote without having a console? If it's just a dumb terminal it may require the console running to do anything.

    • In my personal experience, using a tablet or phone as a remote over using an actual, dedicated universal remote is one of those things that's better in theory than in practice. This is primarily due to these remotes having a tendency to walk away from the entertainment room, the relatively poor battery life (hours vs days), and the lack of intelligent help & context switching (compared to a Harmony). I can't speak for "ILink", but Logitech has their actual Harmony remotes down to a science. I never u

      • I think the Wii U will solve the first two issues. I don't see the Wii tablet walking too far away from the Wii. While the battery on the Wii U is poor (3 hours gameplay) It would be tethered to the console most of the time.

        From what I read the "ILink" downloads your setup every time the app starts. So if your internet is down or if the Harmony website is down then the remote won't work. The Harmony website went down a few times. (Once during a Superbowl)
        • From what I read, we have a world of moronic drooling couch douchebags who haven't figured out that a TV has channels, volume, and an on/off state. The only thing you could possibly want is TV guide and adjustment of color fidelity. Other non-tuner devices--DVR, media (DVD etc) player, VOD (including Netflix)--require a content browser (select from a list, search for title, scene select) and video control features (play, pause, rewind, stop). Hence smart remotes, for dumb people who need 9 million featur

  • Don't forget the eShop launch titles! (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    There's 5 additional titles available via download from the Wii U eShop at launch: Little Inferno, Trine 2: Director's Cut, Chasing Aurora, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, and Nano Assault NEO.

  • Missing Games? (Score:4, Funny)

    by storkus ( 179708 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @01:39AM (#42017195)

    The games lineup is a strong one, with games such as New Super Mario Bros U, Arkham City Armoured Edition, Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, Sonic AllStars Racing, Nintendo Land, Tank Tank Tank, ScribbleNauts Unlimited, Epic Mickey 2 The Power of Two, ESPN Sports Connection, DarkSiders 2, Rabbids Land, Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Wipeout 3 and Just Dance 4 all available on launch day.

    What, no Hero's Duty, Sugar Rush Speedway, or Fix-It Felix, Jr?

  • Um....... (Score:3)

    by Hsien-Ko ( 1090623 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @02:12AM (#42017289)
    Isn't there a better source for this news than some third-party Dreamcast enthusiast site? I swear this is submitted to drive that site's attention.

  • 32 gb deluxe? (Score:3)

    by JimboFBX ( 1097277 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @02:17AM (#42017299)

    With flash memory dirt cheap and hdd even cheaper I'd say I'm surprised they went skimpy on the storage except it's nintendo so I'm not surprised at all. With consoles as old as they are is it really that hard to imagine not having one concession?

    • With flash memory dirt cheap and hdd even cheaper

      For one thing, HDD is another moving part, which means more repairs. For another, I've gathered from other comments to this story that people who want the HDD can buy a PC HDD and plug it in, unlike a certain competitor's console that demands a proprietary HDD.

  • You might very well be disappointed. I have a few friends who work in retail at several B&M stores(walmart, bestbuy, EB), and if what they told me is true half or more of their preorder customers will not be getting their preorders because Nintendo didn't ship enough of these boxes out. Whether that holds true everywhere I can't say, but their rep said that a second shipment won't arrive for another 7-18 days.

  • The games lineup is a strong one, with games such as New Super Mario Bros U, Arkham City Armoured Edition, Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, Sonic AllStars Racing, Nintendo Land, Tank Tank Tank, ScribbleNauts Unlimited, Epic Mickey 2 The Power of Two, ESPN Sports Connection, DarkSiders 2, Rabbids Land, Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Wipeout 3 and Just Dance 4 all available on launch day.

    This is NOT [ign.com] the Wipeout you are looking for [wikipedia.org]. What a pity.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Mario - not that great (Score:3, Insightful)

    by clickclickdrone ( 964164 ) on Sunday November 18, 2012 @08:06AM (#42018215)
    I suspect all the Mario love is a generational thing. For me, he peaked at Donkey Kong. I grew up with the Apple II/Atari 800/TRS 80/Pet etc so really didn't get that interested in Nintendo at all, that entire NES period passed me by. I did have a Dreamcast, which was me getting back into games then jumped to the 360.
    My son had a Wii so I downloaded Mario 64 to see what all the fuss was about as I remembered that being a landmark game and frankly, really couldn't see why people thought it was so great. Maybe you just had to be there at the time.

    • Mario 64 is one heck of a platformer - for it's time. Just like Super Mario Bros 3 is a heck of a platformer for the NES, but today it's kinda sorta a bit dated.

      However, playing it on an emulator is not quite the same, since you won't have quite as tight controls (controls are off by around 100ms or so). On the N64 the balance of the game is just right IMO, well designed puzzles, new-ish moves like backflips and longjumps, and epic moments like when you meet Bowser for the second time and he makes the groun

  • I am torn. I want the delux edition, but I want it in white.

    Getting the white edition as is makes no financial sense, since once you have added all the extras, including a base game, in the delux edition you are $100 over the price of the black version. Once there is stock I may end up grudgingly getting the black version. I can understand why thy did this, since it is clear which is which, but that doesn't men I like it.

    Rant over

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