Zelda Breath of the Wild - Wii U vs. Switch

[isiolia]

They removed the map/inventory on Wii U Gamepad feature to make the Wii U and Switch versions more uniform. For that reason, I kind of wish it had remained a Wii U exclusive.

It's also possible that they decided that their vision for the game worked better if players were looking at the game world around them instead of down at a map all the time. The game manages to engineer out the "beeline to map marker" mentality that similar titles/genres tend to foster, and the "dual screen" paradigm doesn't gel with that.

[MrPopo]

They removed the map/inventory on Wii U Gamepad feature to make the Wii U and Switch versions more uniform. For that reason, I kind of wish it had remained a Wii U exclusive.

It's also possible that they decided that their vision for the game worked better if players were looking at the game world around them instead of down at a map all the time. The game manages to engineer out the "beeline to map marker" mentality that similar titles/genres tend to foster, and the "dual screen" paradigm doesn't gel with that.

In fact, Nintendo has said exactly that; they found switching between the screen and the gamepad was breaking people's flows. Unlike the DS line the screens are so far apart that it's a major adjustment of where you're looking.

[strangenova]

So who's actually playing this on Wii U instead of Switch? prfsnl_gmr?

I'm playing on the Wii U version.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I'm not playing..... yet. I actually couldn't find it in a single store, and had to order from Amazon. Low print run?

[strangenova]

I bought mine on launch day from a store that had received thirty switch consoles and sixty copies of botw for the switch, and only twelve copies of botw for wii u. I think nintendo just expected everyone to get a switch and botw instead of sticking with the wii u version.

[isiolia]

I'm not playing..... yet. I actually couldn't find it in a single store, and had to order from Amazon. Low print run?

I imagine that it's less of it being a low print run relative to other Wii U games, and instead, in much higher demand than most of them tend to be. It was a case, to me, where preordering made sense to ensure retailers requested enough copies to start with (I preordered the Wii U version from Amazon and it showed up on release day).

[ElkinFencer10]

I'm not playing..... yet. I actually couldn't find it in a single store, and had to order from Amazon. Low print run?

I imagine that it's less of it being a low print run relative to other Wii U games, and instead, in much higher demand than most of them tend to be. It was a case, to me, where preordering made sense to ensure retailers requested enough copies to start with (I preordered the Wii U version from Amazon and it showed up on release day).

Same. I think you're right; retailers are used to Wii U games selling very slowly if at all, so they probably didn't request much stock, even with a big title like Zelda.

[emwearz]

In fact, Nintendo has said exactly that; they found switching between the screen and the gamepad was breaking people's flows. Unlike the DS line the screens are so far apart that it's a major adjustment of where you're looking.

This sounds more like PR spin.

If this was the case, they would have found that with every game released on the console and they would have found it out during the proof of concept stage of creating the Wii U.

No doubt it is to not give the Wii U any form of advantage or features over the Switch version. (Having a game on your flagship console that is missing any form of features compared to your older console would not look good regardless)

[marlowe221]

So who's actually playing this on Wii U instead of Switch? prfsnl_gmr?

I'm on Wii U - no complaints here!

Though I'm sure I'll double dip when I eventually get a Switch.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Though I'm sure I'll double dip when I eventually get a Switch.

+1

I will probably do the same.

I also usually wait for several years before upgrading to the latest generation of consoles and handhelds. The Switch's portability is a huge draw for me, however, and I may end up getting one sooner than usual. (I will still probably wait for the first hardware revision or price drop, however.)