28 replies to this topic

[cimerians]

"You will pay us for this..."

Damn thats ugly. Looks like the size of a book. I get tired looking at it. I wonder how much it weigh's? Anyone know specs\features on it? Not sure I can hold a book for 3 hours with constantly clicking it. Its like they joined a giant DS with the Wii and this is its offspring.

I'm willing to give it a whirl though eventually. It will make looking down at your croch constantly for your inventory and maps pretty strange but hey why not? Imagine a permanent map of Metroid in your lap. No more menus.

I wonder how long the hacks get to it. Make the controller a portable console or something (or a giant DS)

[GKC]

I plan on picking it up as well. With the market probably eventually goingto all DLC this will probably be the last generation I buy (and with the rumors of the next Xbox not playing used games this will probably be the last modern console I buy). I don't know how I feel about the size of the controller. I've played a few games on my iPad which seems roughly about the same size but that was in 5-10 minute intervals. It wasn't bad for the short burst gaming but even then i was telling myself how much I wished I was using a controller.

[TwinChargers]

Maybe its just me, but isn't it going to be awkward playing many types of games with both the analog sticks above the d-pad and the AB-XY buttons?

[Reaperman]

I don't see why it's not just a dockable portable console. That sounds like a much better idea than streaming from a base unit.

I'll make the assumption that nintendo does a good job with the performance aspects of this (even though the ps3 didn't with psp remote play), but even then it seems like a large chunk of functionality that it could easily have wouldn't exist.

Also, PSP could do it over the internet, can nintendo?

[Mendon]

Maybe its just me or the perspective of that picture, but the controller looks as big as the console!

Everything I've read in various "hands-on" articles says the controller is light, feels good, and has great response. They also say the transition from playing the game on a TV to playing it on the controller is smooth and works very, very well.

As I posted in another thread or three, I'm not convinced of buying any new consoles at this point in time as I have so much to still play already. But my mind isn't closed on a purchase and I'll keep my eye on what the new console actually brings to gaming and the software available for it.

Mendon

[wood_jl]

I think that controller is laughable. It's like playing with your PSP as a controller. Why???

As well, $100 controllers being dropped, thrown, and broken will not be popular. The Wii made it on lack of expense. This obviously won't.

It better be so cool it knocks the crap out of your ass, into the toilet, and the toilet flushes itself. Who knows, it may be that good, but many are skeptical, esp. of the price.

[onlysublime]

wood_jl, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:51 PM, said:

I think that controller is laughable. It's like playing with your PSP as a controller. Why???

As well, $100 controllers being dropped, thrown, and broken will not be popular. The Wii made it on lack of expense.

lack of expense??? do we own the same system? I have multiple wiimotes, nunchuks, and motionplus attachments. They weren't cheap!

[pce_collector]

GKC, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:51 AM, said:

I plan on picking it up as well. With the market probably eventually goingto all DLC this will probably be the last generation I buy (and with the rumors of the next Xbox not playing used games this will probably be the last modern console I buy). I don't know how I feel about the size of the controller. I've played a few games on my iPad which seems roughly about the same size but that was in 5-10 minute intervals. It wasn't bad for the short burst gaming but even then i was telling myself how much I wished I was using a controller.

I'm guessing that this will feel like gaming on the iPad. It just seems too bulky and awkward for long gameplay sessions.

[Chuck D. Head]

cimerians, on Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:21 AM, said:

Imagine a permanent map of Metroid in your lap. No more menus.

I think that is going to be the killer app for me, too! They haven't even hinted at a Metroid game, have they? Yet, Retro doesn't have anything official on the docket and hired a crap-ton of devs a few months back, so maybe. Maybe someone could come out with a decent Turok game for that thing.

[Atariboy]

cimerians, on Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:21 AM, said:

Damn thats ugly. Looks like the size of a book. I get tired looking at it. I wonder how much it weigh's? Anyone know specs\features on it? Not sure I can hold a book for 3 hours with constantly clicking it. Its like they joined a giant DS with the Wii and this is its offspring.

It's supposed to be very light. It looks big compared to what we're used to, but so does the 1st generation DS if you opened it up and sat it next to the Wii.

Remember that it's a regular controller but with a screen that will be used to stream video sent to it from the console. It isn't going to need all the guts we've used to with something like a PSP and a DS since it isn't intended to operate away from the console.

onlysublime, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:58 PM, said:

wood_jl, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:51 PM, said:

I think that controller is laughable. It's like playing with your PSP as a controller. Why???

As well, $100 controllers being dropped, thrown, and broken will not be popular. The Wii made it on lack of expense.

lack of expense??? do we own the same system? I have multiple wiimotes, nunchuks, and motionplus attachments. They weren't cheap!

Not to mention that the bulk of the software worth playing on the thing stayed at $50 for years on end. On the competition, you could easily just stay a few months behind the times and never pay more than $20-$30 for a great game.

That wasn't possible on the Wii until very recently.

Reaperman, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:04 AM, said:

I don't see why it's not just a dockable portable console. That sounds like a much better idea than streaming from a base unit.

They already have a portable.

TwinChargers, on Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:58 AM, said:

Maybe its just me, but isn't it going to be awkward playing many types of games with both the analog sticks above the d-pad and the AB-XY buttons?

Games that use both analog sticks don't ever seem to rely on the d-pad and face buttons anyways, so I don't see it as an issue. Nothing unconventional about the left analog being above the d-pad (Microsoft and Nintendo have done just that over the years). And the placement of the right analog looks like it would be more comfortable to me, although it does look odd being above the face buttons.

Edited by Atariboy, Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:22 AM.

[bomberpunk]

i read that the wii u is still going to be using the motion-control-plus wiimotes for a bulk of its launch phase, minus the gimmick games that they are relying on to boost sales.

[AtariLeaf]

What is the price expected to be? I don't expect to be an early adopter by any means (Only time I was, was with the TG-16) but am still intriged by the system. I love my Wii, its gotten me to enjoy modern gaming again and yes, I'm one of those *gasp* casual gamers so those kind of titles appeal to me

[Atariboy]

I haven't even seen any guesses. But I think you can bet on a minimum of $250. And I'd be surprised to see it higher than $300. Those are my bets going off past Nintendo history and the current price points of things like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 (which this sounds roughly comparable to technology wise other than that controller).

bomberpunk, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:36 AM, said:

i read that the wii u is still going to be using the motion-control-plus wiimotes for a bulk of its launch phase, minus the gimmick games that they are relying on to boost sales.

Aren't the gimmick games going to be the ones relying on the motion capabilities of the standard Wii controls? Beyond the integrated touch screen, the WiiU controller looks pretty standard to me. 4 face buttons, a d-pad, dual analog sticks, and shoulder buttons. Nothing gimmicky about that.

I imagine we will see plenty of games throughout the life of the system that support the Wii controllers. Sounds as if players 2-4 in multiplayer games will use them. And I'm sure Wii Sports fare and the like will continue to rely on the standard Wii controllers (Although this hybrid gamepad/tablet thing has motion capabilities).

I'm betting the WiiU includes a Wiimote and Nunchuck out of the box so they can continue to fully embrace motion gaming.

[onlysublime]

the problem is not necessarily the price or the form factor (though both could use work). it's that you can only have one (unless there's been a change that I didn't hear about). to go from a system that touted local multiplayer to a system that only allows 1 Wii U controller at a time is crazy.

[Atariboy]

I actually like how the controller and console look and hope they don't change it. I'm glad to hear they're considering changing the name though. I initially thought maintaining the Wii branding was smart, even if I hated the name (Which I do). But in light of all the criticism of the name choice of the 3DS (Many believe it sounds like a revision rather than a new platform), maybe the Nintendo name itself is all they need. Hope the new name if it's renamed doesn't stink like the current name and we will see the Wii brand die out.

As for the controllers, Nintendo made it sound like it was subject to change at last years E3 and was open to the possibility of allowing two WiiU controllers to be used at once. I don't think there's any hope of using 3 or 4 of them though.

I don't see it as much of a problem if only player 1 has a touch screen available for local multiplayer. Standard Wii controllers can do everything else that the WiiU controller can do, although it limits being able to take full advantage of the touch screen for local multiplayer.

It's disappointing but if the price of one of these things being upwards of $100 is correct, I think most will gladly accept using their existing Wii accessories to fill out multiplayer games.

Edited by Atariboy, Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:19 PM.

[MagitekAngel]

That controller frankly looks smaller than I was expecting in the photo. Iwata's got it comfortably in one hand. You can't get five fingers comfortably around an iPad like that. I'm not too worried about the thing being comfortable, if that's the sticking point. On the other hand, I'll probably lose my shit on a regular basis trying to keep that screen clean.

[GKC]

MagitekAngel, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:05 PM, said:

That controller frankly looks smaller than I was expecting in the photo. Iwata's got it comfortably in one hand. You can't get five fingers comfortably around an iPad like that. I'm not too worried about the thing being comfortable, if that's the sticking point. On the other hand, I'll probably lose my shit on a regular basis trying to keep that screen clean.

I was thinking the same thing after I made my iPad comparison. I don't know how big Iwata is but I doubt he's got bigger hands than me and there is zero chance I could do that with my iPad. It will take time getting use to I'm sure. Maybe less time for those already using an iPad to play some games.

[Shawn Sr.]

The more I learn about the Wii 2 the more I don't want to buy it. I really hope I'm dead wrong and it's just as awesome as the first Wii but I'm not getting the whole "gotta have it" feeing which had me standing in line at 4am on launch day to get a Wii. Looks like it's back to the 2600 again for me.

Edited by Shawn Sr., Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:06 PM.

[sidcrazy]

Looks like a portable game system to me. That isn't such a bad thing is it?

But regardless its difficult to tell how a controller will ultimately work until you get it in your hands. I am sure they will have some type of demo unit set up at retailers, so I don't see why so much worry over it.

[bomberpunk]

Atariboy, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:47 PM, said:

bomberpunk, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:36 AM, said:

i read that the wii u is still going to be using the motion-control-plus wiimotes for a bulk of its launch phase, minus the gimmick games that they are relying on to boost sales.

Aren't the gimmick games going to be the ones relying on the motion capabilities of the standard Wii controls? Beyond the integrated touch screen...

i wouldn't call the staple of the previous 6-year old console the gimmick anymore. that title is going to go to the screen on the giant controller.

[Atariboy]

sidcrazy, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:25 PM, said:

Looks like a portable game system to me. That isn't such a bad thing is it?

The screen on the controller just displays what the console streams it. You have to stay a few feet away from the system at all times and the controller can't act independent of the console.

So it's not a portable game system. It's a regular console that just happens to incorporate a touch screen on the controller.

bomberpunk, on Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:26 PM, said:

i wouldn't call the staple of the previous 6-year old console the gimmick anymore. that title is going to go to the screen on the giant controller.

Like I said, the controller isn't much different from what we've been using the past 15 years on every modern console (Face buttons, shoulder buttons, d-pad, dual analog sticks, and even the onboard accelerometers aren't something new thanks to the SixAxis/DS3). An optional touch screen that doesn't even have to be used or maybe just utilized for things like maps and inventory screens doesn't suddenly turn games that utilize the controller into gimmicks.

Not every WiiU game that doesn't use Wii controllers for player 1 is going to have touch screen control during gameplay. I suspect in fact that relatively few will. And if the staple of the previous console isn't a gimmick anymore, I don't see why touch screen control is. It has been established even longer on the DS than motion control on the Wii.

[AtariLeaf]

Atariboy, on Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:40 AM, said:

Like I said, the controller isn't much different from what we've been using the past 15 years on every modern console (Face buttons, shoulder buttons, d-pad, dual analog sticks, and even the onboard accelerometers aren't something new thanks to the SixAxis/DS3). An optional touch screen that doesn't even have to be used or maybe just utilized for things like maps and inventory screens doesn't suddenly turn games that utilize the controller into gimmicks.

Just like the Wii has the "classic controllers" for playing the old fashioned way, you'd think something similar would be in play here for games that don't need the touch screen, just a basic controller.

[Reaperman]

It's without doubt the most complex first-party video game controller ever created.
That said, any bets on what percentage of its titles use this technological wonder for 'shake it and blow into the microphone' games?

[Atariboy]

AtariLeaf, on Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:26 AM, said:

Atariboy, on Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:40 AM, said:

An optional touch screen that doesn't even have to be used

Just like the Wii has the "classic controllers" for playing the old fashioned way, you'd think something similar would be in play here for games that don't need the touch screen, just a basic controller.

Why do you want an optional controller without a touch screen? It seems as if it would be easy enough to ignore when you're not needing the touch screen. I know it looks heavy, but reports suggest that it's more than comfortable. To me, it makes about as much sense as wishing there was a single screen DS available for those games that just relied on the d-pad and the top screen.

And with support for Wii controllers, I assume that includes Classic Controller support as well. So you should still have a 100% conventional controller available to use in the Wii and WiiU releases that support it.

Reaperman, on Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:42 AM, said:

It's without doubt the most complex first-party video game controller ever created.
That said, any bets on what percentage of its titles use this technological wonder for 'shake it and blow into the microphone' games?

They seem to have moved on from the early days of the DS and Wii where they'd shoehorn the touch screen and motion control in anywhere they could, even if it was vastly inferior to traditional control inputs.

So I'm hoping touch screen and motion controls are largely kept to the games where they actually add to the experience now that people have become accustomed to them and they've somewhat ceased being novelties. This controller has full conventional capabilities so I don't see why they won't be taking advantage of them when appropriate.

Edited by Atariboy, Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:28 AM.

[Lord Thag]

You know, I think the day has finally come where I'm writing off Nintendo. I have loved their systems for years, and while the new consoles all had some good(ish) first party games, at the end of the day, there have been far, FAR fewer great titles on their consoles than their competitors. The Wii, for me at any rate (outside about seven or eight games) was a joke. I think they have lost their way.

I really hope that they get back on track, but this 'wiiPad' controller gimmick thing looks like a disaster, the 3ds is on life support, and they do not seem to have a real plan for dealing with innovation, the online space, the emergence of smartphones as gaming devices, or anything else really. Even their first party titles are starting to feel very stale to me. They are still good, but it's just the same thing over and over. When was the last time they invented a new franchise that was really good?

I do hope I'm wrong. I'd really like to love a Nintendo console again, but I think I'm done. 95% of the good games I've played this last generation were on the 360 or ps3.

Damn shame, that.