It's not indestructible, but it can survive a lot:



There's no point in there being a black version since I don't think a white gamepad and black case would look good... and anyone with a black gamepad already has a stand.

What do speedos have to do with anything?! Just change it to something that isn't your disturbing butt... or disturbing in general.

There are some that may think a black case on a white gamepad is cool looking. And I doubt anyone is buying it for the stand since it's main purpose is to protect the gamepad from scratches or falls.

Is there a difference between speedos and these shorts? Neither of which are disturbing.

Did you not watch the video?... it still worked after words... just change that picture... it disturbs me mentally...

It does not matter what the video shows lol. You think that video is a reason to tell people they do not need a case to protect their gamepad? A case helps protect against fingerprints and scratches. It could also be used to simply keep someone from worrying about what could happen.

My picture does not disturb me mentally at all lol. I like those Nintendo shorts, and there is nothing wrong with them. Sorry you do not approve.

But why do WE need to see them?! THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Face it, fingerprints will never end. You just have to deal with them.

And it won't get scratched if you're careful... and it won't fall either...

And you can 100% guarantee that nobody will drop their gamepad and that it won't get scratched? When you have kids of your own, you will know why others take extra precautions.

Here is the beauty of this scenario. Having the case harms nothing at all. Not having one could result in a situation that could have been prevented if you had one....

Much like a screen protector. Sure, there are people that do not need one. But there are more people that have one anyways.

So then why is there a black version?.... topics like these make me think the Wii U is a handheld because people are looking for cases for it... I understand why you would want one for 3DS because it's small and has NO grip... but the gamepad is big ENOUGH...

And your avatar is disturbing.

Why is there a black version? Not sure where you are getting at?

The gamepad is not indestructible. This is why people may want to take extra precautions...

My avatar is disturbing? I can see how shorts could be disturbing.. Would you rather I had an avatar of a man in a speedo?

It's called put it on a high shelf.

Screen protectors... I use them on my 3DS I am planning on buying one for my Gamepad even though they are a little redundant.

There we have it folks! Put it on a high shelf... Problem solved!!!!!! Except for when someone else is using the gamepad, like a child maybe?

Sometimes we have to look outside of our own box. The OP wants a cover for their gamepad. This thread is not a discussion as to whether or not he or she needs one. The thread is about which cover to get.

It comes with a stand... so does my Wii U... what's the point? It's not like anyone with a basic set would want a black case...

Not everyone has a stand. And the case does come in the color white.........

Is there a reason for negative posts in this thread? The OP clearly wants a case for his gamepad. I have children and may be looking for a case for my gamepad as well. Everyone is so quick to judge. I believe another reply is "I can't believe someone would buy this to protect from damage". Is it really that hard to believe?

A lot of criticizing around here, and not enough help...

To the OP, I think that case looks pretty good. I think I may even pick one up now.

Nintendo is a nanny company, they only say this to cover there own ass like most huge companies these days. Extra heat ? do you even have a Wii U ? i played mine for no joke 10 hours the other day without even turning it off once. The console felt no warmer than it did when i turned it on. Its all just legalities they use to cover there own asses.

Ohhhhhh, ok. Well that confirms that you know more than the company that designed the console. Feeling the console with your hand? They teach you that in school while studying for your electronics degree? lol, sorry but I could not resist!!! I will stick to my answer though.

In regards to a USB HDD causing damage to the WII U. It wont happen, the WII U will already be able to supply all the USB ports with the required USB 2.0 power, and no more than that even if the HDD wants more, it wont get it.

That is why Nintendo warned against single USB drives without external power, if they need even a little more power than what USB 2.0 is designed to deliver they could fail. You cant pull more power through the nintendo system than its desined to supply to it. Thats the power brick and other components in action. Drives that reliably pull less than or up to USB 2.0 compliant power draw will work just fine.

This is not entirely the case. Not all hard drives draw the same power. You have different rpms, and the Wii U can push more power than is necessary for a stock console. However, by using an external HDD that is not supplying its own power, you are making the Wii U constantly push extra juice to that external HDD. This causes a rise in heat within the console. This can lead to burning out the PSU, and lead to overheating. This is no different than a PC trying to run a video card that requires a larger PSU. It will still power the card, but in time, it could cause damage.

I am not saying this WILL happen. But telling someone they have nothing to worry about, is simply giving false information. There is always a possibility of running in to risks when you use an external hard drive running off of the consoles PSU. Most consoles have amperage designed for that console to run properly. Taking away from that could lead to issues.

You guys knock yourselves out running your external HDD off the Wii U's power source. Don't cry here if your console decides it does not want to turn on for you.....

No i just don't have time to spend sitting here explaining the theory to someone who is most likely a 12 year old like nearly every other person on this forum. 100% the hdd would pack it in long before any damage was caused to the console. Simple as that

You failed to even mention the extra work load would cause an increase of heat on the console. This extra heat could also cause damage. There is a reason why Nintendo highly suggests that you only use an external HDD with it's own power source. But you would know better than Nintendo, right?

And I am 32 and finished college long ago. A certified computer technician at that..

Some USB hard drives without it's own power source, do work. The problem with that though, is that you will then be taking power from the Wii U and demanding more out of it. This could lead to problems down the road. Burning out the power supply in the console and such.

Using a thumb drive is much safer as it does not require hardly any power.

^^^ I used a USB hdd on my Wii for years and it only ever ran off one USB port.

There are external hard drives that run off more than one USB port??

Nobody said that there is a 100% chance that the console would run in to a problem. But I am 100% certain that there is a chance something could happen by sharing the same power source.

At the end of the day a USB will only put out the power that is needed. Much like your house power. So it would be the HDD that suffered from a possible failure not the console itself.

That is not how it works. The Wii U power supply has limited watts that it puts out. If your Wii U is supplying power to the console and an external hard drive that is demanding more power than the power supply was designed for, then it can result in failure.

This is why computers have different size power supplies. You can not just throw in any video card in to your PC because you think the power supply will just magically be able to keep up. Your home uses a circuit breaker that can put out more juice if needed.

Your reply could end up costing someone their Wii U. The only correct reply here would be to suggest that they use something with an external power source to prevent a possible short in the console.

I can tell you now no external hdd that you could buy at your normal electronics store would draw enough current to cause damage. I have studied electronic components as part of my degree for years.

lol, wow. You are so incredibly wrong. And your comment about the house power as an example, makes me think you are full of it. Sorry. But I know what I am talking about here. The OP needs to listen to my suggestion, as it is the ONLY correct answer here.

I rarely ever see the blue light on the gamepad. The light should remain solid until you view the notifications. Right now, it does not seem to work properly.

Release date: November 18, 2012
Price: $59.99
Rated: Mature

Survival Horror, it has been a while since those words had any relevance. Most of us immediately think of Resident Evil. For years I have searched for another game that could bring me the suspense, anxiety, and fears while playing. ZombiU is the new face of "Survival Horror". Please continue reading to see how Ubisoft managed to bring back, what Capcom could not...



Graphics = 7.5/10

ZombiU is not on the same level as Resident Evil 5 and 6, but it looks good enough for what it is. When it is not pouring rain, you are in the dark with a flashlight most of the time. So the mediocre graphics really do not affect the enjoyment of this game at all. Does the game look bad? Not at all! In fact, sometimes the graphics look really good, then sometimes it looks like a launch title.
Hopefully Ubisoft will continue this series and upgrade the graphics engine.




Sound = 9/10

The sounds in this game is what really pushes the creep factors. The backgrounds are so incredibly eerie that I start to get anxiety while playing. Walking down a dark street you will hear cans being kicked around, screeching of zombies, birds feeding off a corpse. The ambient noises could be the star of this show.
The voice acting is pretty good, but there is not much of it. Most of the time you hear the voice of a male who is trying to help you survive. You will also run in to other people during the game, and for the most part, their voice acting is pretty well done as well.
You will not get Call of Duty type explosions and gun sounds, but for this type of game I do not feel it is needed. The object is to try and stay quiet so you do not lure in a horde of zombies.

Gameplay = 8.5/10

Lets talk about the gamepad a little. The new gamepad controller is what really sets this title apart from any other survival horror game ever made. In the palm of your hands is your scanner. The scanner allows you to do MANY things while playing. You will use the gamepad to scan areas by pressing and holding the "L" button. You will find yourself doing this often as scanning things will let you mark doors, items, bodies, and clues, right to your map. The scanner can find hidden messages written on walls which could help you the game. Some messages are left by other ZombiU players, and some are codes to unlock doors. Usually behind the locked doors you will find weapon upgrades and items. You can move the scanner around freely which gives the feeling of you actually being in that room. The screen on the gamepad turns in to what you would be seeing through your own eyes, or you can just use the right analog stick. This also happens when you use a turret gun.



The gamepad also has a radar which can be used to locate zombies near by. By pressing the sonar button, a sound wave will be dispersed, and a red will appear when it finds a moving object. It will also detect birds and rats, so that red dot does not always mean there is a zombie near by.

By swiping down on the LCD screen of the gamepad, you can pull up your backpack where you keep select items. Health, flares, grenades, guns, ammo, planks, etc, are all items you will want to have on you. But this is not a magical backpack, so you will need fill that pack properly. No reason to be carrying 6 flares!!!!!

The voice of the guy helping you will also be heard through your gamepad. This really helps give that realistic feeling to the whole creepy experience.

Switching weapons can sometimes be hard because you have to look down at the gamepad and press the icon of the other weapon you want to use. I have died a few times trying to find where I placed my secondary weapon. Because you can pretty much equip 6 weapons if you chose to, I can see why there is no physical button used, but the d-pad is not used and that would have been great to link weapons to it.

ZombiU is linked to your online community the moment you start playing. Leaderboards are cleverly shown during your game, usually written on the floor or walls. The leaderboard scores are determined by how many points you can rack up. You get points for killing zombies, opening manholes, weapon upgrades, completing objectives, finding new gear, and more. You might also see one of your buddies roaming your game as a walking corpse. This is because if one of your friends dies while playing, their corpse will infect your game. You will get a notification that your friend is infected and is walking around a certain area. You can also grab all the loot he had on him when got infected. Once you find the spray paint, you will be able to write hidden messages on the walls to help, or to not help. Messages will have a trust meter as well. This is to help you decide who to believe.



When you die, the game keeps going. You wake up as a new survivor and you will need to locate your body, well you need to locate that walking corpse you have become, and you need to kill him/her to get your loot back. If you become infected before retrieving your loot, you lose it for good.

I also found I had to change my control sensitivity to about 85%. This will help you move around easier.

Overall = 8/10

Right now I have to say that this is one of the creepiest games I have ever played. Plugging in some headphones to the gamepad while playing really intensifies the experience too. ZombiU does a great job of not being overbearing with the zombies. You might open a door just to see a zombie jump out at you. And you might walk in to an area or open a door that you might think would have to have a zombie or 2 waiting, but there isn't.
Stealth is a must because the zombies love sound and light. And don't get too angry when you die, and you will die!!!! That is part of the experience, that is what makes this game so different than the other survival horror games out there. And this is why ZombiU gets "Lethal's Stamp of Approval".

Pros:
Amazing use of the gamepad
Online leaderboards
A real survivor horror title
Real messages left by other players (Requires spray paint to leave messages.)

Cons:
Weapon switching is limited to your LCD screen
Zombies require too many hits (4 hits with cricket bat, then a foot stomp)
May require you to buy new underwear

It's going to a great system, with brilliant games, just a shame they won't be here for another 2 years.

Or in just a few months...

At one point Nintendo was the king of consoles. Who could forget the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Nintendo 64? Who could possibly decrown the almighty Nintendo?
Well....Nintendo could. Nintendo has been in a spiraling decline since the glory days of the Nintendo 64. The Gamecube released and was actually more powerful than the PS2, and yet it failed to get the 3rd party support that the PS2 had. So how would Nintendo follow up with their next console? By releasing the Gamecube again!!!!!!! But this time they gave it a new mask and added some motion controllers. How long would it take for consumers to see through Nintendo's tricks? About as long as it took you to figure out the cheat in 100 pin Wii bowling!!!!!!

But with all of that said, why would anyone want to buy a console that still shares the tainted name that is the "Wii"? Continue reading to see if you are being tricked by Nintendo for a second time.


The Console
Lets start with the front of the console.
Power button
Eject button
Sync button
Slot for inserting disc
SD card reader
2 USB ports

The rear of the console.
Power and sensor bar ports
2 USB ports
HDMI port

The console itself feels pretty sturdy. It looks similar to the original Wii, but it has more rounded edges and is longer in depth. Since the Wii U does not support Gamecube games, there are no external controller ports, or Gamecube memory card slots.

The Wii U also supports 25gb Blu-Ray based discs.

I purchased the 8gb model because I knew Nintendo allowed for external storage. I had a 16gb USB thumb drive laying around, so I decided to use that for now. Nintendo has stated that they recommend you do not go over 2TB, and that your external hard drive should have it's own power source.
You will want to power the Wii U down before plugging in the external storage. Once you power back on, you will be prompted on screen to format the drive so the Wii U can access it. Once you format the drive, you are done. You will know that the Wii U is reading the external drive by the blue hdd logo in the bottom left corner of the tablet screen.

The tablet controller
This controller features a 6.2" touchscreen. This is easily the key feature of the Wii U. The controller has your standard buttons and dual analog sticks. It sports a front facing camera and a stylus tucked at the top of the controller. There is also a home button which acts the same as the PS3 and Xbox 360 center buttons. The tablet also has two speakers and a microphone.

This controller does have one button that no other gaming controllers have, the TVii button. This button will allow you to use your tablet to control your cable box and or TV without the need of any other remotes. Getting the tablet to connect to the cable box and tv was very easy to do. Simply follow the on screen steps and choose your cable provider, followed by your TV manufacturer. It is really as simple as that.

The tablet does more than just change your channels though, it allows you to access your Wii U without even turning your TV on. You can access your Miiverse, eShop, system settings, Netflix, and pretty much anything else the Wii U offers.

I decided to test out Netflix and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the movies go from the tv, to your tablet. Once you press the swap button, the movie is immediately transferred to tablet without any delay.

The tablet also has a gyroscope and rumble feature.

Update - The gamepad seems to drain very quickly when you transfer the output from the TV, to your gamepad. You will pretty much want to keep the controller plugged in if you decide you want to play your games in bed or something.



The Operating system and apps
The Wii U OS is pretty similar to the 3DS and original Wii. You have 3 rows with 5 squares across which represent your channels. By pressing the right and left trigger buttons, you can scroll through 6 pages. The pages will remain empty until you download more games, apps, movies, etc.

When you first load up your console, you will notice that you already have the following apps. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, YouTube, Miiverse, Mii maker, System Settings, Daily Log, and Parental Controls. Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, and YouTube are currently not available for use. Those services, and the TVii service, will be available sometime in December.

Miiverse is an interesting way to communicate with other Wii U users. Through Miiverse, you will find "Communities". These are tied in to specific games. Each game that is released for the Wii U, will have it's own community. Here you can chat with other players about the game you are playing. You will get a notification when someone replies to your question, or your answer.

You can click your "Activity Feed" to quickly locate all of your posts in case you forgot where you were last. You can also follow or send friend requests through these communities. There is also a "Search User" option to locate other users.

I have noticed that closing down some apps can take up to 10 seconds before getting back to the home page. Hopefully Nintendo will be able to speed this up with future updates.

The Miiverse is really everything you need for online communications. Messages and notifications are also viewed here. You can also take in game screenshots through Miiverse. While playing a game, go to your Miiverse and from there you will be able to take snapshots.

From what you have been reading so far, I assume you noticed that the friend codes are no longer being used. Nintendo has finally allowed you to create your own username which is locked to your console.

Mii Maker
Unfortunately, the Mii Maker has not changed. It is exactly the same as the Wii and 3DS. I was really hoping for more realistic Mii's, but I guess Nintendo wanted to make sure your Mii would still work with original Wii titles.

eShop
The shop is nicely represented. There are plenty of retail games to purchase and download, but there are no demo's at this time. I also noticed that there are no classic games available yet.



Overall
Right now I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by well the system works. The tablet controller is more than just a gimmick seeing how I can use it with more than just the Wii U itself. I tested the tablet with Zombi U and Assassin's Creed 3, and I can see how this controller could be a huge selling point. Just being able to see a full map on screen while playing AC3, would make me choose this console over another. Zombi U takes it to a whole new level though. You can read all about it when I review the game later this week.

Is the Wii U perfect? Of course not. Could it replace your PS3 or Xbox 360? Maybe later on down the road, I do not think anyone should go sell their system and pick up a Wii U. But I do think the Wii U could be very successful and Nintendo may be able to redeem a portion of their once enormous reputation.


Pros:
External storage allowed
Multi functional tablet controller
Miiverse
Tablet has pretty decent battery life (When not streaming movies or games)
Blu-Ray format (None of that multi disc crap to worry about)
Backwards compatible with Wii (after the huge initial firmware update)
Supports stereoscopic 3D
Play the games directly on the tablet or TV

Cons:
No trophy/achievement support
User ID is locked to console
eShop is lacking in content
Slight delay when closing apps
Tablet uses it's own charging power source
TVii and other streaming apps are not yet available
A huge firmware update during initial setup (takes 60-90mins)
Does not have a media player
Gamepad battery drains very quickly when playing games directly on to the device.

What exactly is Miiverse?


The Wii U offers a virtual community where Wii U owners can share pictures, exchange messages, find new friends, and find help. Nintendo has done more than just bring a new controller to the public, they brought a virtual world to the console.

Everything you do in the Miiverse is stored on to your profile. All the pictures your draw, all the messages you leave. You can also easily locate all of the new activity by your friends. What they are playing, what they are drawing, and what they are saying.

When you first load up the Miiverse, you see there are 5 tabs.


User Menu - By clicking this option, you will have access to your profile, favorite communities, blocked users, search users, and settings/other. Your profile tells you how many posts, friends, following, and followers. You can click on "Yeah" when you like someones drawing or written message. This works exactly like our "like" feature on our forum.

Activity Feed - This feature shows you all of the activity from you and your friends. For example, F34R posted, "I like watermelon" in the Nintendo Land Plaza. Ray showed a picture of him getting the top time in New Super Mario Bros U.

Communities - Here you will find communities which act very much like sub forums for each game and app.

Messages - Here you will receive messages from anyone if your settings allow it.

Notifications - Here you will receive notice of new friend requests, and replies to anything you post in the community.




What is really nice about these communities is that you can access them at any time by pressing the "Home" button on your gamepad. Lets say you are playing Black Ops 2 and you are stuck at a certain spot. You can press the "Home" button and click on Miiverse. This will automatically take you to the Black Ops 2 community where you can then share your screenshot, and ask for help. I have noticed that it almost always only takes under a min before someone replies.

This is just the beginning of what this new feature can bring to the console. The Wii U is more than just a fancy controller, it is a whole new way to stay connected with friends and other players.




http://www.nintendo....ware/#/miiverse

Hope this review helps anyone on the fence as to whether or not the Wii U is right for them.

Why the hell is my review merged with this thread? It will only get lost and I spent too much time making my review to be merged with anyone elses thread. Reviews should have their own threads instead of being slapped in with other threads to get lost in the pages.....

How about making a sticky thread as a directory. Have links to all the separate reviews. I do not even want to make threads here if they are going to be moved around without my knowledge..

I would not be asking other people to decide whether or not you should keep your Vita. Playstation Plus alone is a very good reason to keep it. That is, if you have PS+. There are exclusives on the Vita that you can not get anywhere else. Personally, I would keep it so I would not miss out on any good games. But this your device, and it is your decision to make.

Traded my PS Vita in to get a Halo 4 setup and Madden 13 Wii U. Whether that was a good decision or not, it's a done deal.

Does it feel like you made a good decision? I am honestly just curious, and others may read this which could help them with their similar decision.

Decision already made.

Which was to?

Got it from fact bro, the slims still have the same issue, but they redesigned the way it shows, its no longer the RRoD, its the Red Dot of Death - it uses the same chip in it as previous models.

The slim line Xbox consoles suffer less than a 10% defect rate. (The average defect rate for all electronics is 10%) The chips mean nothing since it is the cooling that prevents the system failure. The first batch of consoles were using a lead free solder which was cracking, causing a tremendous amount of RROD. The cooling system was still crap, and this caused more problems. The Slim models have superior cooling and Microsoft has pretty much fixed their problem.

That is fact.

I am using the TVii service right now. It is pretty neat.

it probley would have been the last update.

?

There is no exact time as to when the TVii service will be available. When you start the TVii app, you will probably be prompted to update the app, which will then give you access to it. Could be available at 9am, could be available at 9pm.