Comments on: The Wii U Is Coming: Why Buy the Wii Now?

By: Kevin Wolfenden

Kevin Wolfenden — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:38:00 +0000

which company popularized Touch Screen controls for gaming? Oh yes that was Nintendo.

People told them then it wouldn’t work for gaming. Dual screens and a touch screen at that will never make games more playable. now 7 years on the DS is the MOST successful console (not just handheld) of all time!

By: JWeinCom

JWeinCom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:05:00 +0000

“hey’re also getting a device that, most would
agree, offers no online-gaming support, a second-rate motion-gaming
experience, and overall value that falls short compared to its
more-capable alternatives.”

I would most cetainly not agree with this statement. The idea that Wii offers no online gaming support is flat out false. Because, you know… it has online gaming support. So that’s wrong right off the bat.

As for a second rate motion-gaming exprience that’s more of an opinion, but I still disagree. The Kinect has a very small handful of motion controlled games, and the Move even less. The Kinect is completely incompatible with hardcore gaming, save voice controls, and the Move has a ridiculously small library, and is only mildly more accurate than Wii with motion plus. Zelda Skyward Sword, Medievil Moves, or Gunstringer. Choice seems clear to me…

“In addition, Wii buyers are getting a device that lacks the deep library found in other consoles”A deeper library for who? For core gamers? Yeah, maybe. For newer gamers? No. For kids? No. For casual gamers? No. It seems the author really doesn’t understand the market very well. There is a reason that the Wii has sold well and continues to sell so well. It appeals to a market that Microsoft and Sony have both struggled to break into.But on to the main point. Simple common sense will show you that anyone buying a Wii today is not the person who needs the latest and greatest console. If someone is buying a Wii now, five years after the Wii came out, they’re clearly not the kind of person who will buy the Wii U on day one. They’re probably the kind of person who will buy the Wii, catch up on the back catalog of 20 dollar games, and then perhaps buy the WIi U after a couple of price drops. Makes perfect sense to me.

By: JWeinCom

JWeinCom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:05:00 +0000

By: JWeinCom

JWeinCom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:05:00 +0000

By: Soccer_chica1996

Soccer_chica1996 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:50:00 +0000

Yes, I’m a proud owner of Nintendo systems and am very happy with them. But this is how it goes, Nintendo Game Cube-> Wii -> and now Wii U. What’s next Nintendo? We are the ones who advanced your technology after we helped you after WWII. Maybe I am a teenager, maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I think I have a pretty good idea.

By: Wilsonwyatt14

Wilsonwyatt14 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:42:00 +0000

Y’all listen to my girl now…im going to spell it out for you guys…NINTENDO IS JUST A WAY FOR THE JAPANESE AND THE ASIANS TO MAKE EASY MONEY…it foreign counties and foreigners that drive our economy in to the dirt!

By: Soccer_chica1996

Soccer_chica1996 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:35:00 +0000

So, this is the latest thing Nintendo has to offer. The Wii has been out for 5 years now and now Nintendo needs another way to make more money. So what do they come up with, a ‘high tech’ wii remote. Yes, that is what it is in a “to the point” review. So they say it’s more ‘family friendly’. Honestly, what mother is going to run out there and buy this for they’re kids. Kids these days are already mindless because all they do is sit infront of their PC or TV and play games. This is just going to make them more mindless. I’m a teenager myelf and yes, occasionally will play some video games and comging from a teenager, I say this is just another high tech gaming device that parents won’t want to buy for their kids. Pointless, yes. Fun, maybe. Family friendly, seriously, it’s a video game. What video game is going to bring a family together. Go out and take a family trip, something that you will remember and have memories from. The Wii U is just another thing to hold kids over until Nintendo comes out with something new and then what was the point in owning a Wii U, when if you have a Wii, keep that and spend your money on something more worth while.

By: Wilsonwyatt14

Wilsonwyatt14 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:10:00 +0000

Hey I have a question…what are you guys gun a do when the wii u starts sucking ass becuz consumers are complaining that the oh so wonderful iPad like controller is have calibration issues. What about when we all go out to buy this wii u and toss our old wii’s to the side and say oh well that about $200 down the drain. Then it’ll be oh hey the new wii whatever is out well just toss our $500 wii u’s off to the side. It’s like wow that money. Could have gone to pay a mortgage or pay a bill or shit even go to a charity for abused animals.

By: Truth&Freedom

Truth&Freedom — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:03:00 +0000

It’s about quality games my man, not graphics and whatnot. If you like Mario, zelda, and unique gaming experiences then go for Wii. Probably lots of people who have a Wii own a PS3 or Xbox also. How dumb? Must have ran out of ideas on what to write.

By: Johnnyboy

Johnnyboy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:23:00 +0000

Why are you so stupid?
That’s really all I have to say.
If you can read the story above and not see that this guy has and abysmal understanding of what obsolescence is, what a good gaming library can be defined as, and absolutely no understanding of how companies create their next generation consoles. It’s not like the Wii U was made up in one day, it’s been in the works for years, arguably over a decade. Look up initial plans for the Wii and you’ll see that this has been a long time coming.

By: Spiffytool02

Spiffytool02 — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:04:00 +0000

First my 9 year olds are not “fanboyz” the Nintendo Franchise has games that kids their age love. Young kids do not care about frame rates, number of polygons unified Video Chip Set etc….$ 149 will not get you a Xbox 360 or PS3 in New Bare Bones Box. I got two games from Nintendo in the box and two the others included by Walmart. I got an extra set of controllers and a bunch of other items with shipping and tax for $189 out the door. I understand some games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 suck on the Wii and some like SKYRIM are not offered. Not a big deal. My 13 year old was using the PS2 I had in College and it just died. If I had known it was going to die before I bought the Wii I would have prob. spent extra for the PS3 or Xbox360. My girlfriend still has a Wii,Game Cube, and SNES. I got my first Atari 2600 in 1979 in Germany. You want to talk about poor frame rates, bad graphics, and iffy user interface…..I had a blast. I have owned Atari 2600, NES, SNES,Atari Jaguar 64, Nintendo 64, PS1,PS2, Dream Cast, and frame rates, number of polygones, shading blah blah technical spec.’s do not make a game fun to play automatically. Xbox360 and PS3 can not hope to compete in the fun kid game market that Nintendo has. The last Anime convention I went to had just as many people playing in competion over the age of 24 on the Wii as on the Xbox and PS3 for prizes. No almost none under 24 entered any of the competitions for the Xbox360 or PS3. I do not think it was just the price of the consoles either. I think the game play and the games offered made all the difference. Smash Bros on Wii was the most popular game based on the number of people that signed up for the competion for prizes. So four games two of them are $47 games and the other two are about $29 games and for under $200 to my door. On top of that I went to Game Stop and picked up 4 new games for the Wii not used but slightly older titles at Game Stop 2for $14 each, 2 for $7 and they where top rated games when released. So the Wii, two sets of controller’s, 8 brand new games $214.

Nintendo has been around longer then any other OEM in continuous production and with more games total then all the other’s put together. They have never had to sell their consoles at a lose which is not something Microsoft or Sony can say. I do not think anyone milked a console longer then Sony with the PS2. Did you know that 80% of the female gaming market is held by Nintendo? I think Xbox has 11% of the female gaming market.

The PS3 looks fantastic on paper but in real life game play the much cheaper for a long time Xbox 360 outperformed it in a number of ways in the real world when playing games that where Mature and available on both consoles. So looking great on paper and being highe priced does not always make for better game play.

Finally when you look at total units sold and the number of warranty issues Nintendo has a fantastic track record and Microsoft has the worst track record.

Like Calculus some people just do not understand people well and what drive people it is not white paper specifications, having the latest greatest system or the latest game. It is about having fun and easy interaction that is fun.Also I went from making 6 figure income before bonus to only part time work that is sporadic. The ex went from corporate job to washing dish’s and cooking. Both of us have 4 year college degree’s. So $214 bought a lot of gaming fun and allowed us to put something nice to replace the now dead PS2 that was mine in college. That is what is driving Wii sales but I would not expect anyone that is single or that is doing fine money wise to understand the above it comes with time and going from comfortable to dirt poor over night.

Oh and for my 13 year Old I am going to buy a $70 video card to upgrade my PC which I already own so he can play COD MW3 on it as well as SKYRIM and other mature games. A Video card under $100 when combined with my Quad Core AMD will grossly outperform the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

PS3 and Xbox 360 are both long in the tooth but they cannot afford to be first to market with their new console which is why they are waiting to see what actually hits the market in the form of the Wii U so they can slightly exceeding in on paper. In fact Xbox360 and PS3 where obviously threatened by the Wii’s game play or they would not have built their own motion type controllers and the Kinetics system. When you copy your competition it means you are being threatened by it since doing so show they had a valid idea to begin with that you did not think of yourself. Xbox and PS3 cannot sell on game play and interaction alone their ” Fan base” is based on one up-manship and white paper specification and having the latest greatest console to drive sales. That and their is a lot of peer validation in those communities as well.

The Wii U will have enough bang to attract those hard core gamers not attracted to the Wii currently and it will keep the loyal buyer’s because it will be backwards compatabile with the Wii games and controls.If you already own a Wii and you mod it you have access to literally thousands of Arcade titles, DVD use, back ups, loading from SD card and a bunch of other functionality. That is a ton of bang for your buck for $149 shipped to your door or picked up from Walmart.

I have to say if I did not build my own PC’s and 3000 Volt VaccumTube Amplifiers and such and needed to play games as an adult I would pick the Xbox360 Slim Redesign with Kinetics. Why? Well the titles I would play most often simply look better and play better on it then they do on Wii or PS3. But really not admitting that the Xbox360 and PS3 are obsolete just as much as the Wii and still caring a higher market price new is just ignorant bias. When you consider that the PS3 origanaly released for just under $700 and now you can get one that is better then the first version for $249 and the Xbox original is not even with us anymore is telling.

I think some people need to get out more and look at the entire gaming market in terms of entertainment not just the small number of hard core gamer’s that drive the media and web sites catering to them. You are looking at a tiny piece of the pie and trying to take what that demographic likes and what drives it and apply it to everyone that has a concole. That would be like looking at what drives people that buy either $80K luxury car’s or Million Dollar Sports Car’s and traying to apply those demographic motivators to the rest of the auto industry in general. It just does not work like that.

Sincerely,

Jon

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:47:00 +0000

couldnt agree more. love my snes and wii. dont have the cube anymore and dont really miss it. but i do miss my n64.

By: Jerred Weingarten

Jerred Weingarten — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:45:00 +0000

I think children and light gaming are the reason for Wii purchase. That isn’t a bad thing. One could argue their is not reason for Chutes and Ladders once Dungeons and Dragons came out with minis and gameboards. Perhaps there is not reason for Uno once Magic was developed. But both of those idea are redicules. My mom has a Wii, where I have a PS3 and 360. While it is easy to see which systems are more advanced, the technological level of the system doesn’t make it better. Some people avoid the more powerful system because they are also more “hardcore”. I’ve thought of getting a Wii, just because I have a son the platform has many games his level.

By: YouKnowWho

YouKnowWho — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:12:00 +0000

dude your a dumb ass people who play wii are a totally different class of gamers than xbox and playstation players. many play all of them but those that are specific to one are very different. xbox and playstation users are mostly shootering action games all basicly the same game with a different GUI. The wii users are people who just like mind games or puzzly things. as much as i agree its stupid for people to be buying a wii when the wii u is so close its just stupid to say how much the wii is out weighted because its totally different people who play them and people who play all kudos to you.

By: prysmcloud

prysmcloud — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:09:00 +0000

The point of playing any game is to enjoy it—or so I’ve been under the impression my entire life. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the modern trend of gaming (and technology in general) is more focused on ‘beating out’ the competition. Basically, I fear that too many gamers today play to flaunt their ‘achievements’ and technology. What happened to playing a game because you liked it?

I still play my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, it’s over two decades old. Yes, it still works. Yes, the games are still enjoyable. Do I care it’s not HD, or online compatible, or has no trophies? No. Because it’s fun. Do I care that it’s been replaced by Nintendo 64 (which I also own and still play), GameCube (which I also own and still play), the Wii (which I will eventually buy), and soon to be the Wii U? No. Because it stands up on its own as a console, and its games stand up on their own as games. They’re fun, it’s fun, and that doesn’t change depending on what other people are buying or what might come out next year.

The ‘life cycle’ of a console (or any piece of technology) is NOT the same as the ‘value’ of it. People have a ‘life cycle,’ too—but that doesn’t mean we lose our value as we age. Think about it. Any console or game worth playing should be lasting. And if it is, it doesn’t matter WHEN you buy it: it will always be enjoyable.

By: Dealwithit

Dealwithit — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:37:00 +0000

“ a second-rate motion-gaming experience” How the f is it second rate its the original the inovator wii motion plus is 1 to 1 movement. Jealous. Sony is an exact replica with exception to the BALLS on your controller but hey if youre into that sort of thing. Sony hasnt implemented alot of motion control games and at least xbox made there own device. Nintendo leads sony follows xbox breaks from the pack. Deal with it.

By: seo service provider

seo service provider — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:57:00 +0000

nice article

By: George Martey

George Martey — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:35:00 +0000

nice

By: Anber500

Anber500 — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:52:00 +0000

Many of you miss the point. When the Wii came out, my
Daughter was just born. Now she is turning five and she’s showing some interest
in games. I’m a regular gamer and like my “Gears of War”, “L.A
Noire”, “GTA”, “Skyrim” but none of those are suitable
to play while my kids are awake.

The point is this: I’m not going to buy the latest tech for my kids because they’re
to young to care. If I buy a Wii now, I can pick up some great games at a good
price for my kids.

Console manufacturers know this and they are exploiting that
market.

By: Shabaab Kamal

Shabaab Kamal — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:51:00 +0000

This is definitely an article from a distinctly technophilic perspective. Granted, we’re on a gadget blog so that’s to be expected, but I think it also shows a distinct lack of understanding of NON technophilic perspectives. For people who aren’t particularly into video games, the Wii is still riding the wave of mystique and gimmick that it created at its announcement and launch. The people who are buying Wiis are not the ones who are going to care much about considerably larger libraries or stronger online support; they’re probably buying it for younger kids, or are simply going to be satisfied with the Wii’s first party line-up because they aren’t going to be playing too many games in the first place.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that while all of the facts in the article are RIGHT, it also comes off as a bit judgmental and superior towards the people who simply don’t prioritize those facts. The Wii is cheap, has a cool gimmick that people still enjoy, and has enough games for the majority of casual gamers. I think the people who prioritize THOSE facts should be respected, not looked down upon.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:16:00 +0000

Yeah, he’s being a bit harsh on the Wii and possibly a little snobbish. But then again, weren’t we all at one point?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:16:00 +0000

I play some old games (Like Starcraft 1 and Warcraft 3) occasionally, and broke out Super Mario Galaxy 1 the other day too. (Though I did play for only like an hour because those stupid purple coins are infuriating.Well, I made SOME progress at least…) The strange part about Super Mario Galaxy 1 isn’t that I got it out: it’s that I saw it on a display in the store last week or so. They’ve had SMG2 out for quite a while, and they had SMG1 on display. Anyone else find that a bit strange?

Though, there are always cases of “Newer doesn’t mean better.” For instance, I will probably always keep my Wii, until I can replicate some of that save data on the Wii U (or maybe when the Wii 3 or 4 comes out), because I doubt it’ll let me move that over. (You can’t move Brawl and GH data right now anyway, the likelihood of them moving it just for Wii U is extremely unlikely). Hey, I’ve still got a PS2 and no PS3, and honestly, I’m fine about that. I’d probably ruin a PS3 very quickly, because I have a tendency to leave something up overnight because I like where I have it paused or I can’t get back there too easily (or I just don’t want to wait for it to load up again), and last I heard (perhaps this has changed and I just missed it), PS3s overheat if you leave them on for 24h straight. That and that whole Sony hacking incident also adds to my reluctancy a lot.

Anyway, the Wii will always have a special place as something revolutionary. It was so good that Sony did a sort of replica with the PlayStation Move. The Wii U’s controller I expect will boggle some people, but that “play on the miniscreen” will be fascinating for a few years to come. Nintendo was the first with the multiple-screen idea I think (DS), so they do have some experience with it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

By: jimlab

jimlab — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:56:00 +0000

Nope. Not more dumb than buying a PS2 after the release of a PS3 and continuing to use it five years later. We’ll do the same with our Wii as well. Some consoles and computers continue to be fun long after you invest in them.
Now my colleague did give me her old original Xbox with about 20 games about a month ago – that has remained on the shelf. The games really do look obsolete and are hard to play. Could it be that console age and tech are not the defining factors here? Maybe price and quality mean more?

By: teh moo cowz!!! :D

teh moo cowz!!! :D — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:30:00 +0000

me kan haz?

By: ds

ds — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:21:00 +0000

it is cheap and entertaining.
young kids don’t care about graphics.

By: GBolt

GBolt — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Your points are all very valid, but I don’t think parents will ever care. That, and the “Wii” is more family-friendly in their minds (whereas the other consoles will corrupt their children).

By: Ernesto Perez142

Ernesto Perez142 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:25:00 +0000

The Wii-U was confirmed to not have backward compatibility with Gamecube media or peripherals,but I do hope the Gamecube will appear as a selection on a possible Virtual Console service on the Wii-U since the 360 is able to download Xbox games from its counterpart of the Wii’s Virtual Console.

By: Santasotherelf

Santasotherelf — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Does the author know that zelda came out last month? people were buying wiis JUST FOR THAT GAME.
in addition, the WiiU will no doubt be 300+ dollars at launch, and not go down in price for years… can you honestly say that the casual gamer is going to find more worth in a product double the price, with half the appeal? (WiiU’s current lineup clearly favors the core gamer)
“a device that performed well initially, but
couldn’t hold up over the long-term. And now, Nintendo is scrambling to
replace the console so its hardware business doesn’t suffer.”
because its not completely normal for a 5 year old console to bow out for a successor, sony was lying when they said the ps3 would last 9 years, they will release a console as soon as nintendo does, and microsoft right after.

By: Emmanuelflitanov

Emmanuelflitanov — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:38:00 +0000

why bother grow up its just gaming systems sorry to say this it does not matter

By: Bobobob1230

Bobobob1230 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:35:00 +0000

you got a 360- if you want a serious RPG, well maybe it’s not what you’re thinking but get something like Borderlands, Fallout, Bioshock, Skyrim… Mass Effect… i don’t know if those qualify as what youre thinking of rpg but they’re pretty good

By: solomon_rex

solomon_rex — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000

Despite its age, I looked hard at this because I have a small child. But if you’ve ever been a ‘traditional’ or hardcore gamer and you’re not a Nintendo fan, it’s a tough sell. Mario and Zelda and Metroid game are brilliant, no doubt. But no serious racing title, no good shooters, no good RPGs. I got a 360 and Kinect, and while I’ll miss serious RPGs, they’re a dying breed anyway, and moving to iOS from the looks of it. Maybe I’ll pick it up next year. A lot of people have both, and why not? The Wii has lots of exclusives, and Kinect needs lots of empty space and a larger library. Never mind that the Wii’s games are already dirt cheap, the best time to buy a system is just before it’s successor is released, massive sales abound.

By: David

David — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:27:00 +0000

Chess doesn’t use the latest technology, but people have been playing that for a while too.

By: Jbird

Jbird — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:35:00 +0000

Bit – as a Wii owner I agree with many of your points… except the Sony Move control. You obviously have never used the system or have any knowledge of how it works. Completely different technology which is more accurate and responsive than Wii controls.

By: MJ

MJ — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

@Bit While I agree with most of your points there is a pretty large homebrew scene on the PS3. The PS3 can emulate almost everything that the Wii can. Plus some things that it can’t, like PSP games for instance. In my opinion both consoles have their merits.

By: Fathertom1238

Fathertom1238 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Chill out dude. It’s just a fun way to relax.

By: Edmullins

Edmullins — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:46:00 +0000

While the Wii may ‘lack the deep library found in other consoles’, if you’re picking one up this late in it’s lifecycle then you can simply sort through it’s back catalogue and pick out the dozens of really great games that did come out, assuming you can still find them. Both the Wii and it’s games are so cheap nowadays it’s hardly a huge investment, and the wiimotes will be useful to have when the WiiU comes out.

By: Xero

Xero — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:44:00 +0000

Although I may be speaking for a minority, I have not heard of GameCube support for the Wii U yet. I still play those from time to time. My GameCube is not in the best of shape these days as it may or may not read the disc. The Wii will read the disc. I’d still like to play my older games.

By: Revous

Revous — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:42:00 +0000

i picked up my wii last week for one thing only and that Skyward Sword

By: Adam M Henry

Adam M Henry — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:29:00 +0000

Umm a couple you call 4 years a couple?

By: Satori Satya

Satori Satya — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:26:00 +0000

Before you continue embarrassing yourself, the Wii U that you’re describing is actually THE CONTROLLER!

The Wii U is NOT a tablet. The Wii U is a console that uses a controller-tablet to interact with the games.

Get it now?

Sheesh…