Wii-U thoughts so far

[RCBH928]

I think what mjmjr25 is trying to say is that the Wii still looks good to him. Mario Galaxy is visually impressive.

I noticed something and that is your eyes see things better or worse based on what you give it as a comparison. I had an SDTV and while I could tell the 360 graphics was better, the Wii didn't bother me. I thought it looked awesome. Once I got an HDTV and saw the difference between PS3 HD and Wii 480i(component), the Wii looks like just muddy graphics.

I played a VHS on an HDTV and I thought "This is unwatchable", after sometime I didn't even notice it. Just like when you turn on an older console and think "those graphics are bad" but later you eyes adapt to it.

Eh, I dunno. The cheaper PS3s are regularly $200-$250 and that's about half of the PS4's price. They'll probably be $150-$200 range by this time next year, and I expect Sony will sell them down to about the $100 price point.

I don't know if it would be a wise business decision for Sony to sell a PS3 at that price. They probably make 0 profit on it, and they will keep people playing the used games they already sold and not profit from their after market sales. If they just cut out the ps3, people will just have to buy the new ps4 and buy the newly released games.

Remember, Sony produces/sells their consoles for a long time. The Wii is officially out of production.

For a console that sold a 100m , I think that is a very quick out of market strategy. PS2 was close to that number when ps3 was out, but it lived for a very long period.

Yeah if you can't tell the diff, then yeah I suppose you might see less distinction between Wii and PS3. But, even in Goldeneye, you should see this:

I didn't know there was so much difference between PS3 and Wii. The Wii looks 2 generations older

Pure numbers, you're completely right calling Nintendo the king. Their numbers for console + handheld absolutely decimate anyone else's. The DS has sold almost as many units as the PS2, and the Game Boy/Game Boy Color has beaten the PSX, giving them #2 and #3 if you combine handheld and console into the same list.

I wouldn't count hand-helds as part of the console fight. If we include hand-helds, then we should include iphone/ipads/and androids phones. They are hand-helds and they play videogames.

Plus, Nintendo never had any competition in the hand-held market. The only real competition was the PSP. The PS Vita numbers are just sad.

[alienjesus]

I wouldn't count hand-helds as part of the console fight. If we include hand-helds, then we should include iphone/ipads/and androids phones. They are hand-helds and they play videogames.

Plus, Nintendo never had any competition in the hand-held market. The only real competition was the PSP. The PS Vita numbers are just sad.

I completely disagree. Handheld video game consoles, like home video game consoles, are designed with the primary purpose of playing video games. If anything, they're MORE designed for this purpose than home consoles, as they often lack as many of the surplus multimedia features the home console market includes these days.

Mobile phones and tablets play games, but that isn't their primary purpose. If you include smartphones and tablets when discussing portable game system numbers, you should include PCs sold when discussing console numbers sold. They're (generally) static home systems that can play video games too right?

Plus, to argue that portable games system numbers shouldn't be included when discussing console sales because 'Nintendo has no real competition' is hilariously laughable. Nintendo have had plenty of competition, they've just decimated it, in the same way the PS2 decimated the rival systems in that generation of console gaming.

For what it's worth, the PSP sold much closer to the number of DS systems (although it was still a mile off) than either the XBox or the Gamecube sold compared to the PS2

Let's not include PS2 sales numbers, they had no real competition.

[dsheinem]

"Better graphics" is such a relative term anyway. I'd argue that Ys Book I & II on Turbo CD looks superior to anything I've seen on XBox One because I personally prefer colorful hand-drawn / anime / pixel art graphics to "realistic" stuff. It's all about aesthetic preferences. Likewise, I think the Wii U has the "best looking" games so far this gen.

There's a difference between "aesthetic preferences" and graphical capabilities. You may prefer how the graphics of the 2600 make games look more abstract whereas the graphics of the NES make things more realistic (and take away the role of imagination!), but that doesn't mean the 2600 has "better graphics" by any way that the term has traditionally been understood in the history of the games industry. Having better graphics means a smoother, more detailed, more "eye-popping" experience (more interesting and novel effects), etc. It is a measure of being able to harness the most impressive visuals out of increasingly advanced hardware. In review after review across the history of gaming, "better graphics" refers to this - not aesthetic or art choices in the sense you are suggesting. So it really isn't that "relative" of a term.

Why do you think the Wii U has the "best looking" games? Is it because you prefer an art style Nintendo uses? That's fine and I can dig that…but that doesn't mean they have the best graphics though.

How many games were released on all 3 platforms? I'd be genuinely interested in consensus reviews.

In truth there aren't a ton of cross-platform games that aren't sports and music stuff. The other thing to keep in mind is that usually ratings for graphics are scored compared to other games on the platform (how well does it compare to a similar game on this console)? In terms of raw power (what kinds of graphics and effects are possible), the PS3/360 were far ahead of the Wii (this isn't "fanboy speak", it is basic engineering), so reviews often didn't "score" the Wii graphics against the PS3/360 graphics. It would be like comparing the graphics of Virtua Fighter 2 on Genesis to those on the Saturn: it wouldn't be a fair comparison. It would be fair to compare them to similar games on their own or similar systems, though.

I'm not gonna dig up a bunch, but here is a review that is typical for genres where graphics are regularly discussed in reviews.

COD: MW3
Metacritic scores - Wii: 70, PS3: 88, 360: 88
selections from the Wii reviews:

Nintendo World Report:

Modern Warfare 3 on Wii won't ever astound with its graphics or win over anyone already intent on playing it on another console. It is by no means the definitive version. Despite its various limitations, however, it is a solid approximation of the kind of content that continues to deliver year after year

IGN:

Visuals aren't everything, but when the graphics make it hard to pick out targets or they make the game perform poorly when it was designed to run super-silky, they become problematic. Imagine a Michael Bay movie without the explosions? It wouldn't be exciting, and neither are the major moments in the MW3 Wii campaign.

[casterofdreams]

$150-200 range? I think i got mine for 159, though I will admit that was at a pawn shop >_>

I picked up my 500GB model from buy.com's ebay store for $229 new with GTA V the week after release. Best deal for a console I ever got!

[darsparx]

Well technically I got it for 194 with assassins creed and batman arkham asylum but who's counting....ac is more than worth it(along freebies I already had stored up) but haven't tried the batman....yet

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I've always been able to tell the difference betweed HD and SD pictures, especially when watching anime. Even poorly animated shows are obviously better on BD.

I sit close to my TV, since I am nearsighted. I can't tell ten feet away, but I can't read the credits either at that distance. Either way, sitting at the proper viewing distance from your monitor is more important than picture resolution. If the difference between a semirealistic face on PS3 and a potato with eyeballa on wii isn't clear, you may want to move up.

[dsheinem]

Well, it's a guess, but if it's on par with the PSX multitaps that were $50 when they first came out, or the SNES multitaps which were $40~ish stand-alone or $69 as a pack in w/Super Bomberman, then in today's dollars, $70 would be about the equivalent.

I mean, Wiimote +'s are still $40 new. I have to think this is going to come in higher than one controller. I hope i'm wrong...

$20

http://kotaku.com/wii-u-gamecube-contro ... 1588733203

Nintendo GameCube controller for Super Smash Bros.: Many Super Smash Bros. fans grew up playing Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube system, and some will always prefer that system's controller. The Nintendo GameCube controller also could be used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. To honor that devoted loyalty to a classic way to play, Nintendo is introducing an adapter that lets up to four original Nintendo GameCube or WaveBird controllers work with Wii U. The adapter will be available at a suggested retail price of $19.99. Nintendo is also launching a retro Nintendo GameCube controller with Super Smash Bros. markings at a suggested retail price of $29.99. Additionally, Nintendo is offering a special bundle that includes Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, one special Nintendo GameCube controller and one adapter at a suggested retail price of $99.99. All of these items are scheduled to launch the same day as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U this holiday season

[Exhuminator]

Just watched the Nintendo E3 Direct Edition. Overall, the Wii U is definitely getting some great games in 2015. However I didn't really see any surprises, just more footage of already known games. Okay, there is a new Zelda game of course but the footage didn't tell you much about it. No new F-Zero, Star Fox, or Metroid news though... at least Toad is getting his own game. Also Mario Maker is a real thing if you care. Anyway after seeing the video, I'm sure I will buy a Wii U someday, and about 12 games for it.

[sevin0seven]

http://kotaku.com/wii-u-gamecube-contro ... 1588733203

To honor that devoted loyalty to a classic way to play, Nintendo is introducing an adapter that lets up to four original Nintendo GameCube or WaveBird controllers work with Wii U. The adapter will be available at a suggested retail price of $19.99.

[FerretGamer]

Devil's Third is exclusive to Wii U (Itagaki's new game)

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/10/devil ... _truncated

Just watched the Nintendo E3 Direct Edition. Overall, the Wii U is definitely getting some great games in 2015. However I didn't really see any surprises, just more footage of already known games. Okay, there is a new Zelda game of course but the footage didn't tell you much about it. No new F-Zero, Star Fox, or Metroid news though... at least Toad is getting his own game. Also Mario Maker is a real thing if you care. Anyway after seeing the video, I'm sure I will buy a Wii U someday, and about 12 games for it.

Star Fox is there. Miyamoto will be showing off the prototypes later today as he is overseeing the project. It's definitely a real and full release in 2015.