It seems like every piece of bad news is treated like it alone will bring down Nintendo. The 360 survived the ring of death, how much worse can it get than a massive fail rate.

 

It seem to me that these constant panic are based of a few misconceptions.

 

a) The next gen console race has begun.

 

Nintendo will be competing on the same basis

 

c) Nintendo will collapse if Wii U doesn't sell massive amount in the first twelve months.

 

The reality is that Microsoft haven't even announced their console and the PS4 isn't due till Xmas and even after that it'll take time for them develop next gen games. Nintendo have a huge headstart to settle in, build an installed base, lower manufacturing costs, develop the OS, build a software library and of course learn who to best utilise the hardware. 

 

That said it won't be competing in exactly the same way just like with the Wii it'll find it's own niche. In twelve month time if it still isn't selling well, well they still have the successful 3DS and plenty of Yen in the bank to bail them out!

If all other ports were done the way NFSMW U was done, every single ported title would be at this graphical level and all of the trolls would not be posting how the Wii U is weak and can't compete with event last gen yada yada. Now, there is much more room for graphical improvement beyond that when you take into consideration upcoming games using next gen engines and built from the ground up to take advantage of more modern console architecture. The reality is Wii U was getting ports from current gen games.

Wii U gets a lot of flack on it's performance / graphics currently simply because it's the 1st next gen console out on the market and thus developers didn't throw time, money and other resources to properly show vast improvements that could have been shown off. Only a select few thus far are doing Wii U justice like Criterion.

Once Nintendo releases 1st party titles and the other next gen consoles become ready to market is when we will see more noticeable improvement for the "next gen" games. Economies globally are tough, development and publishing teams have to weigh their resources, time management, and staff. The market will again enlarge with next gen gaming for Nintendo, Sony, and MS and that is when you will really see the step up across the board.

Well said.

The gap between the wii u and ps4 is basically a generational gap. The wii u is comparable to 360/PS3 overall and the ps4 is going to perform like a top end PC does today. It's not top end PC specification mind you but being a console it will be totally optimised for gaming and the hardware can be fully utilised as every ps4 will have the same hardware. Effectively making the performance comparable.

Interestingly Need For Speed Most Wanted's developers has said that the Wii U version will be using the PC version's textures. Suggest that when properly ported the Wii U is more powerful than we thought.

Isn't the real question whether the gap in power is significant enough to prevent PS4/Xbox720 to Wii ports.

The Wii couldn't run full versions of COD, Fifa etc due to the power gap.

Whatever becomes the developer standard we have to hope the Wii U is capable of handling it. The Xbox 360 was the developers choice as the PS3 was a pain so much of that power was wasted.

If the cap is bridgeable and the Wii U has a installed consumer base by the time PS4 and Xbox720 are launched it'll be viable business model for 3rd party developers to port to it.

But most of these are just bad, lazy ports. These scores dont reflect the Wii U's performance levels.

True, it doesn't reflect that the reviewers had already played to games on the other systems and would have taken into account any lack of extras.

Nintendo Land is designed to develop the appetites of casual gamers by creating miniature versions of more complex franchises and teaching people the basics.

Enjoyed Metroid Blast? buy Metroid U!!

The Core vs Casual gamer divide is unhelpful and unreflective of the market. It's more complex than that and the post Wii Market is just getting used to that. Any new machine needs to have a wide range of gaming styles to be successful.

Within a year or so the Wii U will have some great games, content and more innovative gameplay. By the time the next Xbox or Playstation come out they will have to play catch up with Nintendo. The Wii U was made not to compete with current gen but to take out the next offerings from Sony and Microsoft.

This must be what Nintendo are relying on. Just holding my breath now that some eye popping games come to the Wii U soon.

The Gamepad screen for playing on when the TV is being used is so great I think Nintendo should focus it's advertising on that in the new year.

For younger gamers using the family telly and older gamers in a relationship it's such a massive bonus. I've used my Wii U so much more now I'm able to do so without a battle for the telly!!! I'm enjoying playing more knowing that it's not causing a fuss.

Plus the new PS4 is going to be 500+ $

 

I was wondering about this. As they don't need to factor in a screen into the controller, blu-ray has come down in price, it's made form off the shelf parts, isn't massively more powerful than the Wii U and sony sell there machines at a loss, it might more like $400 (£310)?

 

Still expensive but not PS3 launch pricey. I'm also guessing that they might do a series of price points. 

 

Either way I imagine that Nintendo are keeping their powder dry on an official price drop for the Wii U until they know. 

I've heard PS4 is waiting around after school to beat up Wii U cos he wouldn't give him his lunch money.

 

Xbox720 is planning to watch whilst shouting FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.  

I think Nintendo are keeping their powder dry on a number of announcements right now.  Holding off until just before e3.

 

We'll have to run a book on it!

I hope Nintendo fans who own other consoles will make the Wii U their first choice for 3rd party titles over the next 2 years if they want to see future support.

There's no point in complaining about lack of support if you ignore what support there is.

I've purchased 3 new (and two second hand)

I think it's fair to say that the Wii U future is unclear, people are concerned about sales, the price, the lack of AAA titles and 3rd party support.

When you really care about something, Nintendo, a football club, a band, it can be pretty hard standing on the sidelines watching them fail. It's that sense of powerlessness as they make mistakes that bugs me.

So I figured I'd come up with a few positive things I can do to ensure Nintendo don't go all Sega on us.

1) Word of Mouth: Keep telling people about the Wii U, (Explaining it's more than a gamepad) Tweet and Facebook about it. F-Zero bargain offer comes out, I'm gonna tweet about it!

2) Contact TV-On Demand services. People have come to expect TV-on-Demand on their console. Here in the UK we have the hugely popular BBC iplayer for all the main consoles but not yet on I wii U. I will email them having a moan!

3) Get some mates round. The best way to understand the Wii U is to play so I better get a few beers in, get few friends to dust off their wiimotes and have an evening of asymmetrical play!

4) Stay Positive. There is a sense of self fulfilling prophecy about all of this. If we keep saying it's going to fail then whose going to buy one. Constructive criticism is one thing but I will avoid moaning moaning sake.

Anyway that's my way of thinking about all of this. Bring on F-Zero and Pikmin 3.

Although Wii Sports was bundle with the machine I think it was a key reason people were buying the machine in the first place.

I agree the price is steep but then Nintendo wii deny they are going to drop it, until they actually drop it (before Xmas I'm guessing).

Wii Fit U and Mario Kart U will turn up eventually and I'm sure a few surprises.

My point was that if we're talking sales it is far from over for the Wii U yet. Millions of Wii were sold not because of a constant stream of 3rd party titles that they played for several hours everyday but for a handful of 1st party titles that they would occasionally play as a family or with friends.

They all now have lots of Wii U compatible Wii remotes and games and if only a 3rd upgraded it would still mean more sales than Gamecube! The Wii U has a gimmick to sell to this people and it's not the touch screen or motion sensing, although that will help, it's off screen play. Nintendo should focus on Mums and dads fed up of the kids hogging the family TV/Kids fed up of being kicked of the Wii so their parents can watch TV.

Get the price down, get Mario Kart U out, explain to the customer that this is basically an upgrade on the Wii which will stop your kids/parents moaning.

You don't buy a Wii U because you want a PS4 or Xbox720, you'd buy one of those if that what you wanted.

I've been reading a lot of bad press & comments about the Wii U's sales and forthcoming software. It strikes me as very premature. I read in one place that this would be Nintendo last ever home console, the very same thing they said about the Gamecube...

Now I'm not saying the Wii U will definitely be a success but I think their analyse is based on the same flaw premiss that made them doubt the Wii.

The lack of forthcoming third party support is a concern but then it wasn't always the big game franchises that shifted the Wii. Wii Sports & Wii Fit were key in making it the market leader. Top selling wii games below before you find a 3rd party developed game (Just Dance 2).

• Wii Sports (81.64 million)^[2]**
• Mario Kart Wii (34.01 million)^[2]*
• Wii Sports Resort (31.54 million)^[2]*
• Wii Play (28.02 million)^[3][4]*
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (27.61 million)^[2]**
• Wii Fit (22.67 million)^[3]*
• Wii Fit Plus (20.48 million)^[5]
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (10.79 million)^[3]
• Super Mario Galaxy (10.68 million)^[5]
• Wii Party (7.94 million)^[5]
• Mario Party 8 (7.6 million)^[6]
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (7.09 million)^[7]
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 (6.36 million)^[8]
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (5.82 million)^[9]

'Killer apps' come in all shapes and sizes and are not necessarily 18-rated FPS.

I agree that people can't afford to buy more than one console, I certainly never have! Yet many people buying the Wii were the kind people who generally wouldn't have bought a console full stop if it hadn't been for the Wii sports/Wii Fit style software. They certainly weren't going to buy a console on the basis of Grand Theft Auto or Medal of Honour because they won't of heard of it or want to play that sort of games.

The lack of 3rd party support is a shame but far from fatal.

If nintendo can't get the price down and get the message across about it's Unique Selling Point that will be fatal.

You're assuming that the Wii U is for the same market as the Wii or that Nintendo is going after that same market. They're not. A lot of people who buy the Wii U are the same people who would be interested in buying GTA, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Bioshock, Splinter Cell etc. These games as we know so far are not coming out for the Wii U. There is not enough AAA third party support for the Wii U and that will affect its success and its ability to compete against the PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as their successors.

I'm assuming that the Wii U is aimed at Wii consumers who have become more interest in gaming.

As I said in my first message, I'm not judging the game by graphics, I just wanted to talk purely about graphics.

 

I agree the floor textures are sometimes disappointing. I think they are only noticeable because the rest looks so great.

 

It's been about 9 months since the launch and Pikmen 3 was specifically designed for the system and nothing else, so it's an interesting indicator of what the Wii U is capable of.

Pikmin 3 wasn't built from the ground up on the Wii U. It is essentially a pretty Wii game.

 

Really, that's interesting. 

 

It suggests that there is still plenty more power to be used. 

I've been playing Pikmin 3 and it's graphically beautiful that got me thinking.
 
Ignoring PC games, what will be considered the first game to have 'next gen' graphics?
 
Has the Wii U released anything graphically superior to the 360/PS3.
 
I think this answer is probably Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
 
 
P.S I know games aren't about graphics, blah blah blah, it's more of a technical question.

I hope Nintendo, or a third party are working on something to really push the Wii U. Something that feels like a power leap, not just from the Wii but from the PS3/360.

Unfortunately Nintendo seems out of the loop when it comes to such titles. Hopefully Retro Studios will pull something out of it's behind with it's "Untitled Project"

It's early doors at the moment so graphics wise there isn't going to be anything mind blowing yet but I am curious what people think will be the first Next Generation Game (graphics significantly better than the 360 and PS3) to be released?

In terms of confirmed titles Bayonetta 2 is an exclusive purpose built for the Wii U. Perhaps Aliens: Colonial Marines will look significantly better than the other ports (but I doubt it).

It'd be nice to see a title next year that really allow the Wii U to flex its muscles.

In terms of first party titles, an F-Zero U could be the best vehicle (pun!) for next generation graphics on the Wii U. But then how much better would it look compared to Wipeout HD?!

I think your right Zelda looks the most likely.

A new Metriod title?