Nintendo Wii U

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

Threads merged, although I feel a new title for the thread will be needed. If there's one in particular you want, send me a PM and I'll make the change.

I sent a PM, but I guess we can wait for the Nintendo conference before a thread name change. Maybe Nintendo will unveil the consoles name at the conference.


Edit: The new Nintendo system will be called the Nintendo 'Weinerpoop'. Look at this post to see for yourself: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...postcount=7513

The text in the post says it isn't a photoshop: "Messing around on Google, it's obvious where Nintendo is hiding the Cafe info on their Wario World dev site:
(picture is NOT Photoshopped...if you do the same search make sure you click on "repeat the search with the omitted results included" after you do the initial search)"


MEGATON!

[Sides]

Holy crap, one would think panasonic or sony would have come up with the WiiU concept.
I expect a lot of second hand wii popping up at stores, without controllers, since they are used with the new consoles, which is nice.
The name makes sense, but i personally don't like it.

Power7 OoOE CPU? Don't know if it is true, and how reliable engadget.com is. But if true is it would be a true next gen, depending on the gpu. IIRC ps360 cpu/ppu is based on the power5/powerpc970 series.

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by Sides

Holy crap, one would think panasonic or sony would have come up with the WiiU concept.
I expect a lot of second hand wii popping up at stores, without controllers, since they are used with the new consoles, which is nice.
The name makes sense, but i personally don't like it.

Power7 OoOE CPU? Don't know if it is true, and how reliable engadget.com is. But if true is it would be a true next gen, depending on the gpu. IIRC ps360 cpu/ppu is based on the power5/powerpc970 series.

Hopefully that is true. Also, people think the GPU is based on a modified Radeon HD 4850.

Another rumor about the system is it will have a disc drive with discs that hold up to 25 GB. That is more than enough, as we've seen XBox 360 manage with DVDs. Another rumor is that it will come with 8 GB of memory on board (flash memory). I know, that isn't enough, however, what has been confirmed is that the system will allow for hookups to USB hard drives! External hard drives can be used. I don't know if it is USB 3.0, though. Hopefully it is.

[ForteAnly]

I am a little torn for the new console. I like it but I am not completely sold on it yet. I love the graphics and innovation but hopefully the new control is not just a mere gimmick and we get another Wii. I am glad that 3rd party support seems to be strong with the new console but hopefully it stays like that after launch. I wanted some Nintendo game demos for the Wii U but we have to wait a little I guess. The Zelda demo looked awesome though.

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by ForteAnly

I am a little torn for the new console. I like it but I am not completely sold on it yet. I love the graphics and innovation but hopefully the new control is not just a mere gimmick and we get another Wii. I am glad that 3rd party support seems to be strong with the new console but hopefully it stays like that after launch. I wanted some Nintendo game demos for the Wii U but we have to wait a little I guess. The Zelda demo looked awesome though.

Well, about the new controller, it isn't quite like the Wiimote. The Wiimote made it challenging for many games because it wasn't a traditional controller. This Wii U controller is something new and different, and yet at the same time, it is a traditional controller, like the Dual Shock 3 and XBox 360 controller. It just happens to have a huge ass screen on it. And it looks uncomfortable, but my fears of that are being put to rest. I've read three different people now say that the controller is comfortable, despite that it looks like it may not be comfortable.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Well, about the new controller, it isn't quite like the Wiimote. The Wiimote made it challenging for many games because it wasn't a traditional controller. This Wii U controller is something new and different, and yet at the same time, it is a traditional controller, like the Dual Shock 3 and XBox 360 controller. It just happens to have a huge ass screen on it. And it looks uncomfortable, but my fears of that are being put to rest. I've read three different people now say that the controller is comfortable, despite that it looks like it may not be comfortable.

The only issue that might happen is weight. But if it isn't as heavy as it looks, I think it would be comfortable to use.

And my previous theory that the built-in screen can be use for inventory and menu display might be right. This is something that DS had encouraged; to have one main screen dedicated to graphics, while the 2nd screen dedicated to things like maps and managing your character statistics.

[Urzu 7]

The system will have USB 2.0 ports. No word on any USB 3.0 port/s.

It is nice that you can use an external hard drive for this system, although it'd be nice if the system had at least one USB 3.0 port.

Would USB 2.0 be good enough? Could you play games from your hard drive with USB 2.0? What did the PS2 hard drive use for a connection?

[Sides]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

The system will have USB 2.0 ports. No word on any USB 3.0 port/s.

It is nice that you can use an external hard drive for this system, although it'd be nice if the system had at least one USB 3.0 port.

Would USB 2.0 be good enough? Could you play games from your hard drive with USB 2.0? What did the PS2 hard drive use for a connection?

Don't most usb3.0 chipsets have overheating issues? This can be solved with a heatsink, but that would require extra space and money.
PS2 has/had usb1.1 port and i.link (firewire).
Current gen consoles have usb2.0, and iirc the 360 allows you to install games on USB drives, depending on the drives performance. USB port are just an interface, the speed depends on the connected hardware, like speed of flash-memory or HDD.

AMD makes a statement.
So a modern gpu, hmm could be either from the 5xxx or 6xxx series or custom hybrid. The gpu will have to support multi-display, if the WiiU support more than 1 screen controller, than the R700 series would be out, unless it is modified, with current tech.

[Angelic Cross]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

The only issue that might happen is weight. But if it isn't as heavy as it looks, I think it would be comfortable to use.

Hands-on impressions so far have been, to quote Gizmodo "this feels like a plastic mockup."

To be more exact:

Originally Posted by Gizmodo

The controller is light. Not in a way that's like, "Oh, I'm glad it's not too heavy," but more "this feels like a plastic mockup." It's almost unbelievable there's a working touchscreen and full wireless powers inside. The lightness is what makes it work though, what makes this massive controller feel incredibly comfortable and totally natural. The ergonomics are nigh perfect.

That's been the impressions of the Wii U controller. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about concerning weight.

Also, I'm laughing at the "having two screens is stupid and useless for gaming and will cause Wii U to fail" complaints on some other forums. Yeah, cause the DS totally crashed and burned, right?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Angelic Cross

That's been the impressions of the Wii U controller. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about concerning weight.

That sounds good.

Another advantage of decreased weight, is that it would be less fragile when dropped. I see that Nintendo had thought about the ergonomics properly.

[Hiroi Sekai]

My one major fear of this right now is that only one of the new controllers can be used at a time. Every demo they had on the floor today used a single Wii U controller, along with several Wii Remotes, but never 2 or more.

I'm no spec expert, so I'm not sure if the Wii U's capabilities will allow them to do this. Let me tell you something though; they NEED to be able to connect more than one at a time. Each player has their own screen. No screen peeking. Multiplayer free-roaming, and everything else to make this spectacular needs this function.

Maybe I'm just fearing over nothing. Your thoughts?

[Angelic Cross]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

That sounds good.

Another advantage of decreased weight, is that it would be less fragile when dropped. I see that Nintendo had thought about the ergonomics properly.

My only problem with the controller is the + and - buttons' placement. But since this is just the prototype, I'm expecting those to be moved to the sides of the touchscreen where the thumbs can reach.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by papermario13689

My one major fear of this right now is that only one of the new controllers can be used at a time. Every demo they had on the floor today used a single Wii U controller, along with several Wii Remotes, but never 2 or more.

I'm no spec expert, so I'm not sure if the Wii U's capabilities will allow them to do this. Let me tell you something though; they NEED to be able to connect more than one at a time. Each player has their own screen. No screen peeking. Multiplayer free-roaming, and everything else to make this spectacular needs this function.

Maybe I'm just fearing over nothing. Your thoughts?

Considering their GBA-Gamecube connectivity feature way back in the early 2000s allowed for multiple GBAs to be used with the GC, I wouldn't be surprised if the ideas and features they had for it back then were realized here. I'd say it's pretty likely we'll see multiple Wii U controllers.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

My one major fear of this right now is that only one of the new controllers can be used at a time. Every demo they had on the floor today used a single Wii U controller, along with several Wii Remotes, but never 2 or more.

I'm no spec expert, so I'm not sure if the Wii U's capabilities will allow them to do this. Let me tell you something though; they NEED to be able to connect more than one at a time. Each player has their own screen. No screen peeking. Multiplayer free-roaming, and everything else to make this spectacular needs this function.

Maybe I'm just fearing over nothing. Your thoughts?

It seems unlikely that Wii U would only allow 1 controller. Nintendo would at least permit two, if only because they can force gamers to buy the 2nd controller. It's a good money earner.

However, once thing that is consistent is that wireless signals can get into trouble in a room full of wifi devices. Like when they couldn't demonstrate Zelda properly in a conference because all the reporters were twittering and jamming the air waves. Though more likely they might not have multi-player U set up yet, or just because they haven't made enough samples for everyone.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Angelic Cross

My only problem with the controller is the + and - buttons' placement. But since this is just the prototype, I'm expecting those to be moved to the sides of the touchscreen where the thumbs can reach.

To be honest, I don't think they'll move those. The + button is only used for pausing, while the - button doesn't really do anything that requires halting gameplay to push. Even on Wii games this applied, so the only time you'd be down there is to temporarily stop gameplay anyways.

Of course I could be wrong, but the same thing applied to the 3DS' design. Start and Home aren't often used in the games as an action button.

[Angelic Cross]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

To be honest, I don't think they'll move those. The + button is only used for pausing, while the - button doesn't really do anything that requires halting gameplay to push. Even on Wii games this applied, so the only time you'd be down there is to temporarily stop gameplay anyways.

Of course I could be wrong, but the same thing applied to the 3DS' design. Start and Home aren't often used in the games as an action button.

Nintendo tends to be good with ergonomics, plus there's still plenty of space on the sides. It's not hard to imagine they'd move the buttons, even if they're rarely used just to make pressing them easier and more comfortable.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Angelic Cross

Nintendo tends to be good with ergonomics, plus there's still plenty of space on the sides. It's not hard to imagine they'd move the buttons, even if they're rarely used just to make pressing them easier and more comfortable.

That's very true, don't let it be I who disapproves of your concepts. Whatever it comes down to, Nintendo doesn't let me down, so I'll be quite happy, methinks.

[Angelic Cross]

Huh, I just went through the Iwata Asks for Wii U. The "Good Ideas" section states that Wii U is aiming for the whole "screens only you can see" idea, so it doesn't look like they're intending for the console to only use one of the new controller.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Angelic Cross

Huh, I just went through the Iwata Asks for Wii U. The "Good Ideas" section states that Wii U is aiming for the whole "screens only you can see" idea, so it doesn't look like they're intending for the console to only use one of the new controller.

One great advantage the controller screen offers is for genuine versus gameplay. If only they allow separate audio, it would allow two players in the same room to go on deathmatch with one another without using the annoying split-screen.

In fact, any game where you compete with someone in the same room could use this feature. Split-screen is a compromise that really shouldn't exist if we get an alternative.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

One great advantage the controller screen offers is for genuine versus gameplay. If only they allow separate audio, it would allow two players in the same room to go on deathmatch with one another without using the annoying split-screen.

In fact, any game where you compete with someone in the same room could use this feature. Split-screen is a compromise that really shouldn't exist if we get an alternative.

There's headphone jacks on the tops of the controllers. They thought of everything!

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

There's headphone jacks on the tops of the controllers. They thought of everything!

The Iwata Asks also mentioned the scenario of being able to keep playing even after other family members decided to watch TV. This is almost certainly a regular occurrence in any household where there is only one TV to share.

Hell, I might be tempted to get a Wii U just for this. I live in an apartment right now and sharing lounge room space with two other people. If I can play console games without leaving my bedroom or get my own TV, it is best for me.