Wii-U thoughts so far

[GSZX1337]

...though I doubt it'll see Wii level sales.

I agree, the Wii's success was a fluke that Nintendo will not likely repeat as the "casual" market is far more diversified now than it was back in the mid-2000s.

[Zing]

Does anyone's TV have issues with Wii games having a thick (like 1 inch) black boarder around the whole thing when playing them on the Wii U? I don't know why it happens, but it bugs me out, I can fix it by changing the Wii U's resolution to 480P, but as my TV does not have a on the fly overscan button, it is a pain.

This is normal. The Wii actually ran with this same amount of underscan. When you run in 1080p on a 1:1 display, it will show the underscan. When you run it at 480p, it is no longer handled at 1:1 by your TV and overscanned.

Unless your TV has a picture size adjustment, you just have to deal with it. I play in a dim room on a TV with a black bezel, so I don't notice unless I look for it.


I just started playing Pikmin 3, and it is very surprising how fun the mission modes are with two players. It totally redeems the lack of coop story mode. I'm also going back through Donkey Kong Country Returns in preparation for February. I'm at around 70% complete in Lego City, but probably going to stop there. I finished every stage but

champion's run

in Super Mario 3D World. I started ZombiU, but my daughter gets creeped out just from hearing the sounds late at night, so I shelved it for a bit.

So far, every Wii U game I have tried is fun and makes the system well worth it. Funny to think back to my opinion a year ago.

[RCBH928]

...though I doubt it'll see Wii level sales.

I agree, the Wii's success was a fluke that Nintendo will not likely repeat as the "casual" market is far more diversified now than it was back in the mid-2000s.

I think the Wii-U sales will pickup after releases like Mario Kart and Mario Bros, and maybe even lower prices , but how much of a pickup that I do not know. I am predicting that it will go back to selling the usual amount of 20-35m units.

3DS success still surprises me, its around only $100 less than the Wii U. And only $50 less than a ps3. I think Nintendo has a markup of 80% . The games are expensive too, I just checked Amazon and they are around $35 range . Max Payn 3, Batman AC, GTA 4 on the ps3 are all around $12 in comparison.

[alienjesus]

...though I doubt it'll see Wii level sales.

I agree, the Wii's success was a fluke that Nintendo will not likely repeat as the "casual" market is far more diversified now than it was back in the mid-2000s.

I think the Wii-U sales will pickup after releases like Mario Kart and Mario Bros, and maybe even lower prices , but how much of a pickup that I do not know. I am predicting that it will go back to selling the usual amount of 20-35m units.

3DS success still surprises me, its around only $100 less than the Wii U. And only $50 less than a ps3. I think Nintendo has a markup of 80% . The games are expensive too, I just checked Amazon and they are around $35 range . Max Payn 3, Batman AC, GTA 4 on the ps3 are all around $12 in comparison.

Those PS3 games came out years and years ago, and were more expensive than $35 when they did. You're comparing apples to oranges.

[RCBH928]

Not really New Super Mario Bros. is same year release as Batman Arkham City and it costs at least 30% more on Amazon. Mario Kart 7 is older than Max Payne 3, but it costs 4x more. Saint Row 4 is this year's release and is still cheaper than Zelda OCT on 3ds which was released in 2011, which is a remake from 1998 game.

[isiolia]

Nintendo has always been like that with some of their franchises, it's not unique to the 3DS (or Nintendo really, Blizzard does much the same thing on the PC).

[Zing]

First party games rarely have price drops. They don't need them!

That said, there have been many opportunities to get Nintendo published games on discount. Sales varying from buy-two-get-one-free to 20% off to $15 off. It's been a great month to stock up on Wii U and 3DS games.

[jay_red]

Not really New Super Mario Bros. is same year release as Batman Arkham City and it costs at least 30% more on Amazon. Mario Kart 7 is older than Max Payne 3, but it costs 4x more. Saint Row 4 is this year's release and is still cheaper than Zelda OCT on 3ds which was released in 2011, which is a remake from 1998 game.

This is always the case for nintendo first party games, not just the 3ds. Hell, I was at Best Buy the other day, and saw Mario 64 DS for 29.99 still. And its not just new games, used first party Nintendo games always hold a higher value.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

No reason to lower the price if they keep selling either. Nintendo plays the long game.

[RCBH928]

Well , keeping your prices up means you will make more money but Nintendo is having a special case here just like Apple. They are selling higher than competition and sales do not seem to be stopping, so if that is working for them, by all means continue what you are doing.

Also seeing prices not drop, encourages me to buy games new instead of knowing it will be 70% off within 6 months.

For me personally though, I still prefer buying Triple A titles on 360/PS3 for half the price of Nintendo first party games. I also just learned that prices on retail items are set by the manufacturer, I always imagined retailers bought the stock and priced them higher or lower as they see fit.