Wii-U thoughts so far

[Opa Opa]

was there any console in history that started slow (as in boring) then picked up and became success?

.....PS2?

More recently: 3DS.

[Violent By Design]

You guys remember the PS2 very differently from me then.

For one, people couldn't even find PS2's in stores for up to a year. The demand for them was off the charts.

The PS2 wasn't boring if for the sole reason that it was the most superior thing anyone had seen graphically in the console industry. Sure, the Wii-U is the strongest thing out now, but no one has seen a game that couldn't be played on the other consoles. PS2 was a notable upgrade over the Dreamcast, and during this time the n64 and PSX were still relevant, making the PS2 look truly like the future in comparison. The Wii-U is projected to fall off like the Wii did graphically.


The PS2 like the Wii-U had backward compatibility, but unlike the Wii the PSX still had support. One of the reasons I got the PS2 was to play PSX games (many of which were still being released during that time frame such as Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross etc).



The PS2 at launch had some cool games like Tekken Tag, Timesplitters, SSX and Ridge Racer V - which all were exclusive to my knowledge.

By 2001 (Sony's second year in the American markets), the PS2 had already had a lot of the titles that had defined it. Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy 10, Gran Turismo 3 A Spec, Silent Hill 2, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, Ico, Jak and Daxter and of course - Grand Theft Auto 3.

There's really no comparison. Just the hype for some of those games to come out was enough for people to wait a year, but by its sophomore year (in the States), the PS2 was becoming the first real console to make video gaming truly mainstream. I haven't seen much of a reason to think the Wii-U will have a comparable library by the end of next year.

[AppleQueso]

PS2 was a notable upgrade over the Dreamcast, and during this time the n64 and PSX were still relevant, making the PS2 look truly like the future in comparison..

I don't know, I recall many an argument over which one was better. Dead or Alive 2 on DC looked every bit as good as those Ps2 launch titles for example, if not better.

I think what people mean though is that the Ps2 took a bit to build up steam with its library. After the launch hype, people were kinda left hanging until it really kicked into high gear a little while later. Either way, nobody is saying that the Wii U is going to achieve Ps2 level success, we're just saying that the Ps2 had a bit of a dry spell with regards to its library right when it launched.

[Jmenglan]

You guys remember the PS2 very differently from me then.

I remember playing X-Squad, Fantavision, and Summoner...shudders.

[ZeroAX]

I guess the major difference is that the PS2 was not technologically obsolete right as it came out of the gate, and that its awesome games were up and coming, so you at least had previews to keep you excited.

[Violent By Design]

I don't know, I recall many an argument over which one was better. Dead or Alive 2 on DC looked every bit as good as those Ps2 launch titles for example, if not better.

Dreamcast games could hold their own against PS2 at that time, but everyone knew the huge difference between them nearly off the bat. It wasn't much of a question on whether the PS2 would dwarf the Dreamcast.

Now, it's not to say that the Wii U is not more powerful than the current consoles, it is well known that it is. But like I said, the PS2's competitors at that time was the PSX and N64 as well, so PS2 graphics really did look like the future of gaming. I mean Gran Turismo 3 came out only a year after it's American release more or less, and it was way above anything anyone had ever seen before.

I guess the major difference is that the PS2 was not technologically obsolete right as it came out of the gate, and that its awesome games were up and coming, so you at least had previews to keep you excited.

Indeed, this was more or less the core of my point.

[Thierry Henry]

The PS2 wasn't boring if for the sole reason that it was the most superior thing anyone had seen graphically in the console industry.

Going from the N64 to the DC was a big jump in terms of a graphics capabilities. Going from the DC to the PS2, not much to write home about.
The PS2 only had "good looking" games later in it's lifespan.

[ZenErik]

My Dreamcast still looks a lot sharper than my PS2 because of VGA. On an SD TV the difference probably isn't as pronounced. I don't think the PS2 looks any better for games made within a few years of the DC's availability. We could have seen better looking DC games if it had lasted. But we do not have much later DC to go on besides shmups.

[AppleQueso]

My Dreamcast still looks a lot sharper than my PS2 because of VGA. On an SD TV the difference probably isn't as pronounced. I don't think the PS2 looks any better for games made within a few years of the DC's availability. We could have seen better looking DC games if it had lasted. But we do not have much later DC to go on besides shmups.

This, I don't think DC ever got a chance to reach the point where developers were really pushing the hardware.

[isiolia]

I think what people mean though is that the Ps2 took a bit to build up steam with its library. After the launch hype, people were kinda left hanging until it really kicked into high gear a little while later. Either way, nobody is saying that the Wii U is going to achieve Ps2 level success, we're just saying that the Ps2 had a bit of a dry spell with regards to its library right when it launched.

Most of my time working at Software Etc would be "PS2 launch era" - literally of my first days working was the midnight launch for it. The library did have a bit of a dry spell with regard for games actually on the shelf, but I think the huge thing the PS2 had going for it was that system sellers were well known.
GT3, MGS2, FFX, and so on weren't out, but we all knew the PS2 was getting them. It had EA sports too, at launch. Those + DVD playback were why we had a wait list a couple hundred people long for months before supply caught up with demand.

I think it wasn't so much a graphics thing versus the DC, but again franchise titles and DVD playback. Outside of nice arcade ports/Sega titles, the system mostly had enhanced Playstation titles and games nobody had heard of. The PS2 held the promise of sequels to the games they already liked.

We saw glimpses of how well the PS2 could do fairly fast too - MGS2 demo with ZoE for example.