13 replies to this topic

[totallythere]

Hi Guys. I'll try to be brief as possible.

I've searched the internet far and wide for this answer, and although I'm getting the odd bit of info, a lot of it seems to be contradicting and I'm struggling to get a definitive answer! So here goes:

 

I want to get a Wii U, but I want to hook it up to my PC monitor. My PC monitor handled hdmi perfectly fine, HOWEVER, it does not have a headphones jack or an audio output. Now, as far as I can see, the Wii U is NOT capable of outputting video through hdmi AND audio through typical AV means, therefore leaving me with a bit of a problem as far as I can see?

 

The only solution I have found, is that its possible to buy an HDMI audio splitter hub that will seperate the two channels of audio and video in the HDMI signal; HOWEVER, this is expensive.

 

Ideally, what I would prefer, is to be able to play the games while listening to the audio through my headphones. This is how I've always played computer games. Now I'm told that the WII U has a headphone jack in the gamepad, but yet again, the internet has informed me that there seems to be limitations to what audio you can expect to get through this method. Some people have said that the audio will be limited to the audio that would come through the gamepad itself, while others seem to think that the audio will only come through the headphones in this way if the TV SET/PC MONITOR is turned off? Others tell me that the audio will not come through at all when playing older WII games (as opposed to WII U games).

 

So there we have it, a simple problem: can I get audio without restrictions through my headphones while connecting the WII U VIA HDMI? If so, what restrictions apply? If I can work out a way of doing it, I'll run out and buy a WII U today if not, I guess I'll wait for a future model with my fingers crossed!

 

What do you guys think? I would really really really appreciate a final definitive answer!

Best wishes!

[Mewbot]

The audio that is expected to come out of the gamepad will come out of the headphones connected to the gamepad.

 

Some games use the gamepad's speakers for a kind of surround sound experience, with different sounds coming from the gamepad to what's coming out of the TV (or monitor, in your case), for those games you'll only be getting the audio that's coming from the gamepad (such as the prepper talking to you in zombiu, but not many other sound effects apart from that).

 

Other games will mirror the sound that's coming from the TV/monitor on the gamepad, and for those games you'll get the full sound.

 

Also, I hear some games (AC3) have the option to switch the audio options (instead of having surround sound effects from the gamepad you can choose to have all of the sound come from it).

 

You SHOULD be fine with most games as they just mirror the sound on the pad, but other games might let you down.

If you really want to make sure you never have problems then you should get the audio splitter.

 

 

Hope this helped, R00bot.

 

 

What do you guys think? I would really really really appreciate a final definitive answer!

Best wishes!

[totallythere]

Thanks for your reply. I think I'm getting closer to the answer I need.

So your basically saying that the audio from the headphone jack on the game pad, sometimes just channels the audio that is originally intended to play throuh the game pad's speakers; whilst OTHER games will channel all the audio through the headphone jack.

 

So the questions that remain are, how on earth am I meant to be able to know whether the game I want to play will play all the audio I want, or just some of it?

I guess also the question remains, will the audio be channeled through the headphones ONLY if the monitor is switched off and I'm playing the game simply through the hand held game pad?

And what about old WII or Gamecube or virtual console games? Would anyone know what kind of audio I can expect from them?

[Ixchel]

No GC backwards compatibility, but if they ever do release on virtual console, they'll probably have to be Off-TV Play compatible, but I don't own any VC games to say how the audio works.

Wii Mode shuts off the gamepad.

[totallythere]

Yeah sorry, I meant backwards compatability on the virtual console. So by WII Mode, I guess you mean the playing of old Wii games, this shuts off the game pad, meaning no headphone audio?

 

To me, it sounds like (especially in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox) that Nintendo have really left behind the non-family centred living room audience. Is there really no way of knowing which games will work with headphones or not?

[storabajskorven]

The answer is sort of simple... The headphones connected to the gamepad will play the sound that would otherwise be played through the gamepad's speaker. Some games have different sounds coming from the TV and the gamepad. This means that you can't rely on using the gamepad's headphones for your gaming sound. Also, you can't have the sound coming from the composite signal plus the picture from the hdmi. So, either you connect the headphones to the TV somehow (I do this), or some usb solution (I've heard those exist), or you use the expensive hdmi splitter you mentioned.

[Structures]

wait what? I get audio and video through hdmi in both my monitor and my tv

[totallythere]

The answer, although possibly seeming simple, actually throws up all kinds of questions though. And its an answer, that again seem to be getting contradictions wherever one might look.

If the headphone jack really does truly operate how you say it does, as in, randomly playing audio from any audio source it desires to choose, then that really begs the question as to why on earth it is there in the first place?

What kind of gamer wants to only listen to half of the sounds avaliable?

 

I understand the expensive splitter method, as Nintendo have not implemented a way to split the AV channels from the system; but there truly seems to be no real consensus on whether or not playable sound is achievable from the headphone jack! Its madness. My quest for truth continues!

 

If anyone has anything else to flag up! Please do!

[Nollog]

wait what? I get audio and video through hdmi in both my monitor and my tv

If the monitor has no speaks it won't have any sound.

Expensive hdmi splitterupper is the best way to go.

[Ixchel]

Yeah sorry, I meant backwards compatability on the virtual console. So by WII Mode, I guess you mean the playing of old Wii games, this shuts off the game pad, meaning no headphone audio?

 

To me, it sounds like (especially in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox) that Nintendo have really left behind the non-family centred living room audience. Is there really no way of knowing which games will work with headphones or not?

 

The screen has always shut off when I play old Wii games, and I assume the volume does too.

The only sure fire way of knowing is if the box, or specs online say that it specifically supports off tv play. Cause then it puts the entire game on the gamepad, audio and all. I don't see what this problem has to do with the audience... Your problem is kinda rare since a lot of people play home consoles on TVs and not computer monitors, regardless of audience lol.

The answer, although possibly seeming simple, actually throws up all kinds of questions though. And its an answer, that again seem to be getting contradictions wherever one might look.

If the headphone jack really does truly operate how you say it does, as in, randomly playing audio from any audio source it desires to choose, then that really begs the question as to why on earth it is there in the first place?

What kind of gamer wants to only listen to half of the sounds avaliable?

 

Seems you misunderstood the posts here. The gamepad doesn't have "half" of the sounds, or from random audio sources. Think of it as its own set, like in a surround sound setup. Listening to only one speaker in a surround sound setup is silly, right? But I'm sure you can see the point in wanting surround sound. So the TV gets the TV set, and the gamepad gets the gamepad set. Just like you can't plug into one speaker and get the full range, you won't get the full range if you plug into only the controller or tv. ;P

[totallythere]

My use of the word random refers to the fact that it appears that the audio output in the headphone jack appears to be random chance as to whether you'll get the full sound or not. Essentially, the responses I've had, although helpful appear too hung up on the tiny variations in language to describe which is quite a simple problem. The problem being that if you are like me and want to split audio and visual then you cannot, OR if you would like to use headphones to enjoy the WII U system (say for example if the wife or husband is asleep), then your success rate of doing so is "random" based on the design of the game you will be playing. This success rate is random because it appears that sometimes you will get the full sound channeled from the console as well as the game pad specific sound, and other times you will only get the game pad's sound, meaning that by using headphones, your audio experience is going to be limited. Think of it as there being a primary sound source as opposed to the Game Pad's sounds.

 

Although this is a flaw in the design, it would be more forgivable if the problem of splitting the audio and visual channels were possible. For example, on the PS3, I can route my visual through hdmi, whilst using the usual RCA Analog audio connectors to channel audio through to my headphones. This option is not avaliable for the WII U, and is made less forgivable for the fact that even the SPECIFIED headphone jack, does not consistently give a good audio experience.

 

You mentioned my referral to audiences, and I'll explain why its valid. Because Nintendo are suffering at the moment through lack of sales, and one of the reasons they are suffering is because while other designers and tech giants implement the kind of options and customisation that appeal to the hardcore/hobbyist style of player (which would have been many of the original Nintendo fans from the 80's and 90's), they now focus and appease the mass market family audience who play Mario casually in their living rooms. Nintendo needs to bring the balance back the other way to appeal to both audiences; and it is problems like the one expressed above that leave many Nintendo fans feeling isolated and looking elsewhere for their gaming platforms. Another example would of course be the fact most of the releases avaliable on the Virtual console for the WII in the PAL regions are still for some unexplainable reason the 50hz editions, rather than the superior and standardised 60hz.

 

Any other user's experiences would be greatly appreciated, because maybe I have missed something; but as far as I can tell, this question about Audio and visual on the WII U continues to baffle most!

Edited by totallythere, 12 August 2013 - 12:30 PM.

[Ixchel]

Well... the majority of Mario fans in the 80's-90's would have been playing it in the livingroom or bedroom on a TV during the time, so their target audience hasn't changed. I don't really see the use of headphones as hardcore but whatever. I think this is less of a case of bafflement and more of the fact that you're not going to get the answer you want where you don't spend money.

What about USB headphones? The console has many USB ports.

 

http://www.gamespot....wii-u-65853269/

 

If you don't want a USB headset then you're gonna need to buy a splitter.

[totallythere]

Again, we're getting hung up on the specifics of the language I'm using to refer to the problem.

Target audience this, bafflement that. All that is left to be said is that Nintendo WII failed to incorporate HDMI so let lots of fans down. And now its implemented the HDMI, it does not even give us customisation settings which I've been using for 5 or 6 years on other formats. And now I'm expected to pick up the bill and buy the audio extractor to do something which quite easily could have been included in the design of the system.

 

Thanks for replies.

[storabajskorven]

I agree that it would have been a nice feature if they would have included the option to output ALL sound through the gamepad speaker/headphones, regardless of how the game developers intend the game to be played (but it's of course possible for the game developers to include the feature to double the sound that is being sent to the TV to be sent to the gamepad as well.) I suppose the main purpose of the headphone jack in the gamepad is when you're playing in off-TV mode. I mean, you do that when you don't want to disturb other people that watch the TV, so it makes sense that you would want to use headphones then.