No Wii U option?

Hmm interestingly enough this happened to me for the first time last night. I played Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper for a couple hours, then ZombiU for about an hour, then I put in my CoD BO2 disc and it said "Invalid Disc" below the picture. What's strange is, it knew it was the CoD BO2 disc because it showed the correct icon image. I clicked it and it came up with some message saying to eject it blah blah (cant remember exact verbage) so I ejected the disc/reinserted it and it worked fine. Kind of strange but it's the only time it's happened so I'm going to chalk it up to a one-time issue.

Mine is BornSupercharged

I got the clear one from Target, for like $15. Has a built in stand in the back. Clamshell design. Should protect against scratches and I'm imagine any kind of "regular" drops as well (read: not being thrown in the air outside to come smashing back down on concrete).

The problem is the 4A engine they built was designed to be cpu intensive and likely isn't very efficient. They should have designed the engine to be able to process using both a cpu and gpu vs. relying on powerful cpu(s). With that said, they did clarify and state it was more about resources and being a small studio they can't devote a team to the Wii U since they're caught up with the 360 and PS3 right now.

“I think that what frustrates me about the way the story's been spun out is that there's been no opportunity to say, 'Well, yes, on that one individual piece maybe it's not as... maybe his opinion is that it's not as easy for the way that the 4A engine's been built as is the others.
“What it doesn't go on to look at is to say that, you know, we could probably get around that. We could probably get Metro to run on an iPad if we wanted, or on pretty much anything. Just as in the same way that between PC and current console versions there are some compromises that need to be made in certain places and we strive to get the very best performance that we can from any platform we release on.
“But I understand that there's a real appetite in the media at the moment because the Wii U is a hot topic to spam some stories that are going to attract a lot of links if they present it in a certain way.”

http://www.eurogamer...concern-remains

I like what Ubisoft said, which goes to show when an engine is built correctly and optimized, the Wii U is more powerful than the 360 and PS3...

According to Rayman creator Michel Ancel “What surprises me with Wii U is that we don’t have many technical problems. It’s really running very well, in fact. We’re not obliged to constantly optimize things. Even on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, we had some fill-rate issues and things like that. So it’s partly us – we improved the engine – but I think the console is quite powerful. Surprisingly powerful.”

Ancel further elaborates that Wii U can handle large textures without any problem. Michel Ancel admitted that during the development of Rayman Legends, the team did not compress certain HD texture files before testing them in actual gaming condition, and it didn’t bog down the console.

http://www.pc-tablet.com/9098-nintendo-wii-release-date-surprisingly-powerful-ubisoft/

It doesn't mean anything if they dont get 3rd party games. I'm reading more and more games that "won't be coming to the Wii U". Disappointing to say the least.

Can i run the same game twice on my pc ? Nope.

Wait, what? You must really not know a thing about hardware.

Most aftermarket/off the shelf graphics card these days support 2 monitors - that's 2 separate displays. Laptops have HDMI out for instance that lets you extend your display to a TV or another monitor as well. If you're counting, that's 2 displays at once on a laptop.. hell laptops have been able to do this for years and years, and at resolutions higher than the GamePad's. And don't forget the DS had two screens with different pictures being shown on both, plus touch on one. Nintendo has the whole multiple screen thing down by now, without a doubt in my mind.

"It's crazy because the game is running in full HD [on the television], we are streaming another picture on the GamePad screen, and it's still 60 frames per second. And the latency on the controller is just 1/60 of a second, so it's one frame late. It's crazy, it's so fast. It's almost instant. That's why it responds so well. So it can be used as a real game-design thing."
http://www.nintendol...160_of_a_second

And as someone else mentioned above me, there IS support for 2 GamePads at once, just no launch games make use of it as far as I'm aware.

As for running the same game twice on a pc.. I multibox WoW with my account and my brothers account on my computer with no issues. Multiboxing is where you play multiple different accounts at once (read: the game itself is running multiple times), either on one computer or multiple computers.

Why do you all care so much?
It's not out for 20/32 days yet.
You have no idea how good it looks yet.
Are you going to trust companies like EA and ubisoft not to lie to you by showing you bullshots?
Wait for it to be in your hands before you argue over it being a graphical potato or titan.

Go to bestbuy together. or gamestop and play it with each other. Then discuss it in the shop!

We care because we're gamers and the first word in "video game console" is video - what you see presented matters and in 2012 we should definitely be seeing really nice graphics.
I've played it already, as have quite a few people, so we actually do know how good it looks. I'm also a software engineer so I know when a new system is released, there's a learning curve both on development and optimization of the system. What we're seeing with these first games aren't the best graphics that the Wii U can do - with that said though the graphics are impressive as it stands.

What do you add to the discussion beyond questioning those in the discussion as to why they're in the discussion?

Everything in the technical specs seems to line up with the details Nintendo has publicly announced or said in official interviews. 1GB dedicated VRAM, 3D capabilities (play games in 3D if you have a 3D TV - the Wii U uses HDMI instead of proprietary connector.. definitely looking solid), low TDP to be "green", and 40nm fabrication sounds 100% spot on given the time the Wii U was being developed. If this is all correct, the Wii U will not have any problem running the same games as the PS4/720 ... the main problem will be getting developers to utilize the GamePad, which is going to require extra time and energy for one console specific functionality. If the Wii U just uses the wand still, the only difference between it and the Wii is the graphics. If all you want is better graphics, undoubtedly you'll want the PS4 or 720. I love Nintendo but the Xbox 360 is my favorite console. I want the Wii U to get great games and utilize the GamePad which sets it apart from all the other consoles, and I hope it's not too much to ask from game developers to actually make it happen.

I need a reason to play the Wii U over the 360/720 (I hate the PS3 controller and psn so I traded in my PS3 towards the Wii U), graphics being better is great and all but we NEED less shovelware, every AAA game (and a high percentage of "good" games) to use the GamePad, a gamertag-esque system, and some GOOD exclusives.

If these are the specs then What's with all these reports that it only supports dx10?

There's been no official confirmation that it doesn't support DX11, nor affirmation that it does. At this point, since DX11 was released in late 2009, I'm inclined to believe it does.

I would highly recommend getting an official one... my Power A doesn't register at all, period, with my Wii U. Worked fine on the Wii. Dunno why.

Get the next XBox if you want the best titles available for next generation, and use the Wii U for games released on all platforms until then / exclusives. It's saddening because I wanted to just be able to get the Wii U and not have to get the next XBox, but developers seem like they can't be bothered to port their games over to the Wii U. Will they continue with that trend? Black Ops 2 did terrible on the Wii U compared to the 360 sales. If it costs them more to port it/produce it for the Wii U than they'll make back in sales profits, why should they bother? Gaming industry is TIGHT right now, especially with mobile - they are looking to make the most profit possible and their bottom line is truly all that matters.

I just feel underwhelmed with what Nintendo has brought to the table, while I think Microsoft will bring their A game and clean shop. Then again, I thought Nintendo was bringing their A game as well. Maybe this will be the last "generation" of consoles as we know them. Sad times for being a gamer.

The Wii U is next generation in terms of age gap and it being the next console from Nintendo, and the fact that it's a new system built around 2nd screen gameplay sounds like a new generation of gaming to me.

If you're speaking specifically in terms of next generation computing power, then perhaps not, but this is a VIDEO GAME CONSOLE, not a COMPUTER. I don't care how fast it is, so long as I don't notice any lag in my games. Gameplay is the most important factor for me when it comes to a GAME CONSOLE. If they can manage to make the Wii U play the same games as the next xbox / playstation, I don't give a crap if it the cpu is technically slower - so long as it plays the games without me actually noticing a "detrimental to gameplay" difference.

It still makes a noise if you take the stylus out...

+1 mine makes a noise on the right hand side still even without the stylus out. As if there's tiny some loose plastic bits rattling around in there.

2GB DDR3 is plenty for Wii U games - Nintendo would have put more if it required more. Consider this, the PS3 only has 512MB. The Wii U has 4 times the amount as the PS3. How much better graphics than the PS3 do we really even need? Fun games > amazing graphics that are crap to play. 

i started the update when i got home today cuz i didn't want to leave the U on overnight. ETA: 36hrs 35mins. guess i'm leaving it on overnight.

You must have dial-up lmao

I'm in UK Updating right now, how is it what does it do?

It makes the console look for external hard drives on boot, which is nice. Other than that, um - nothing I can tell. Probably stability fixes?

My menu seems to be a little bit quicker. Nothing hugely noticeable but a slight improvement.

I timed it again, it's still IDENTICAL. 15 seconds to get into System Settings and 22 seconds to get back. There's absolutely no speed difference.
However, one thing that IS fixed, is when I turn my console on, it actually displays the games/apps I've downloaded onto the external HDD. Before, I'd have to go into System Settings and then back out, and it would magically be there.
I'm at least happy I no longer have to do that.

But still, getting into Miiverse or eShop still take the same amount of time, so there's no speed fixes in this patch. I also checked for TVii, it's still not available. With such a huge update, I'm curious what exactly actually got fixed, and what they put on the system that's new... I just can't fathom why a patch which fixed so little, would be so large. Unless the update is a whole freakin' OS image, which honestly might be the case. It's not a bandwidth efficient way to accomplish the task, but perhaps Nintendo had that many things wrong that patching just a few files wouldn't work and they figured they'd just update the whole enchilada.

I haven't noticed any differences since I installed it. Load times are still as slow, probably slower.

Yep. I was expecting the Nintendo Direct to address it, but nope they would rather spend 10min on game trailers, 10min on google maps, and the rest on the 3DS. Basically this wasn't Nintendo being Direct about anything.

I haven't updated yet, but I just hopped over to IGN and some people say it's faster while some people say it's not. Is it possible that people could experience significantly different load times within the start up menus and MiIverse.....I don't get it.

It's a placebo effect, you want to believe something is faster. But I timed it, going into System Settings and back out is identical, loading into the eShop and Miiverse are all identical. I dont know why people are claiming Miiverse is any faster, it's not.

I don't doubt that they fixed some bugs, tweaked some things, perhaps trojan'd some new functionality such as TVii into the Wii U without telling us, so that when they enable it it's instantly there - but that might just be wishful thinking.

Here's what Nintendo IS saying about 2.1.0:

Version 2.1.0 U
Released: December 4, 2012
Further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wiiu/en_na/system_system_update.jsp

This is my pre-order list, I'm sure some of these aren't going to be available on launch day though.

Deluxe Set + Nintendo Land included
Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed
Rabbids Land
ZombiU
CoD: BO2
Tank! Tank! Tank!
Skylanders Giants (Starter Kit for Wii U - I had the original on the 360 and 3DS)
New Super Mario Bros. U
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Rayman Legends

I also preordered a black Wii U Pro Controller.

tank tank tank looks fun

will tank tank tank have online play I hope so.

" It will also feature a co-op mode where up to four players online and offline can fight against monsters together. In addition, there is a competitive multiplayer mode where everyone fights against one another."
http://wiiudaily.com/tank-tank-tank/


But I haven't found that statement being made at gamestop or amazon's websites, so I'm not 100% sure.

There's problems with adhesives, residue, alignment, durability, etc. Most of the time these end up going straight into the trash can after messing around with a few minutes and realizing it's never going to get applied perfectly. And then, depending on the quality of adhesive, within a few hours to a few days you realize it will never stay on. And when you go to remove it, sometimes you've left with a sticky residue surprise. Unfortunately unless it's done with hydrographics (which since its just a decal, it's not) or precision painting of an actual console/gamepad, I wouldn't recommend buying. Think special edition 360 controllers, the official ones, they're high quality and it's not just some decal. This just screams cheap and a waste of money.

Edit: But I haven't purchased from them before so I can't judge them. This is from their site:

DecalGirl skins are made of premium automotive-grade cast vinyl with a special adhesive backing to prevent air bubbles during installation and leave no residue when removed. Our skins are strong but super thin, measuring about 5 mil total - or five thousandths (0.005) of an inch - that's thin! It also means they'll work with just about any kind of dock, charger or case on the market.

http://support.decalgirl.com/customer/portal/articles/529937

I do wish the best of luck to anyone who pays $20 for this, but I still wouldn't recommend it unless you have money to burn and don't mind ending up putting the decal in the trash if the aforementioned issues arise.

Patience is a virtue

There is NO reason for the long load times, period. This is something that they should have had optimized before the console was even shipped out. Our phones, tablets, computers, even last generation 360/PS3 are pretty much instant when it comes to menus. Why does getting into (and out of) System Settings on my Wii U take SO DANG LONG? It sure as hell isn't to teach us "patience is a virtue".

Ok how about this, on your cell phone go to call someone. Wait 15 seconds for the dialer/phone book to appear. Now click on a contact to call them. Wait another 15 seconds for it start ringing.
Once you're done talking to them, wait 15 seconds for it to go back to your home screen. Is that acceptable to you?

Ok so where is the damn sarcasm you was talking about and you never answered my question and I happen to be getting tired of this game of cat and mouse. I don't like to judge new members but your walking a fine line .

There is none, he doesn't even know what the world "sarcasm" means. But I'm a nice guy, so I'll give him an example of sarcasm:

"It would be stupid if you used your gamepad with a Wii" - yes it'd be stupid to be able to play my Wii games directly on the gamepad instead of needing a TV.. lmao