Socalmuscle

It's a video game console, not a fashion show.

 

That kind of thinking is what stopped the Gamecube from being taken seriously, despite its killer hardware at the time.

 

It was perceived as "kiddie," "lunch box for elementary school," etc.

 

Nowadays, not only the hardware design, bu the sofware UI lead perception as well.

 

Wii U UI looks (and SOUNDS) very childish.

 

Sure, you don't want to alienate kids. therefore, it wouldn't be wise to go the route of Metro UI for example.

 

But you also want to present everything in the best light possible for modern crossover appeal.

 

If this was 2006 even, the UI would be considered modern.

 

But now, it looks ancient.

 

The layout is not bad, though eShop and the Wii U Menu could do well with a modified, updated sidebar.

 

And all the random shapes are more than annoying, breaking visual continuity, like there aren't part of any theme at all, just a random thought.

 

It seems that the graphic design/UI/UX team is either resistant to or incapable of change in terms of keeping up with the times.

 

At some point, I imagine the UI will be updated. But it won't be until the OS itself gets the bloat down quite a bit more.

 

If this UI were on any other console, it would be ridiculed heavily.

 

The fact that it is deemed "somewhat normal" or "the Nintendo way" on a Nintendo console only means that people expect less from Nintendo (in terms of UI/UX, not games). that should not be the case.

• Arkhandar and NintendoReport like this

*pinches his top part of the nose*

 

Do you think sincerely think that Nintendo wanted to "copy" Apple? I don't think they did. What they thought was probably "Hey! the 3DS UI is pretty good, so, we could use it on the U. But... there are too much options and so we need some shortcut. Let's put the most useful down there." And, it just happened to look like a dock from OSX and other Apple products. As you know, Nintendo avoid paying royalties like the pest. So much that they won't even pay for DVD playback (which needs DVD Forum licence), Or even CD-Rom!! For Blu-ray, I understand... you wouldn't pay rolyalties to one of your direct competitors, hmm? To top it off, they are copyright an*l-ist.

 

Personally, the flat "modern" look is just a fad. Oh wait. Apple used that flat look in iOS7. Then, something bad became good all of a sudden. And people hate Windows 8 for the Modern/Metro UI... go figure.

 

Anyway, what Nintendo really needs to focus on is to let people actually personallize their console. Add a wallpaper, change the color of the icons, folders, etc. Just a few ideas out of my head. Ninty has always the first to takes risks. So why not nnovate in the UI instead of following a fad trend? Why not innovate on something new?

 

Personally, I like the UI the way it is. Needs improvement, yes, but I still love its look.

 

 

every "look" is a fad.

 

Look at the old iPhone UI.

 

It was the business when it came out.

 

Today, it's "old."

 

 

the point is to keep things fresh and relevent - in a word, modern.

 

 

the wii u ui is old. outdated. not modern.

 

does it work? yes. so does DOS.

 

 

but it could really use a major update.

 

 

Not saying it needs to clone apple, MS, etc.

But it needs to modernize.

• Arkhandar and NintendoReport like this

I also heavily disagree. Metro UI is by far the worst UI I've ever seen: flat, ugly, unintuitive. On a Nintendo console, it would be unsuable. You need multitouch which the Gamepad can't provide. On the TV, since you can't swipe away, you'll have to navigate manually in a mess of squares and rectangles. I've always hated the last XBox360 UI for a reason: everything's lost in a mess of flat rectangles. That's the main reason I've stayed with Windows 7 and I don't want Nintendo to fall for that stupid flat look.

However, I don't say that the WiiU UI is the best. Could it be better? Yes. Could it be faster? Most definitely.
Let's have a list of stuff that could be added and improved:

(from the Wii U Summer/Fall Update thread, took the liberty to remove some stuff, especially if it contradicsts my post)

...and keep that Nintendo feel.
Seriously.

the wii u ui is an iphone clone.

grid based app launcher? check.

dock? check.

rounded rectangle icons? check.

almost.

its the fisher price version.

Metro is pretty savvy, but i never said to use metro on wii u.

the ui would benefit from modern design trend.

there are a lot of aspects that can be done better.

and that nintendo feel?

every console has a ui of its own. the wii was the first to try to emulate apples "aqua" look to some degree.

it was considered modern when the wii came out.

the wii u ui feels stuck back at that time. thats why most feel it's outdated.

hopefully we get a modern ui next year. and by modern i dont mean stale.  but something that looks current and sharp.

• Arkhandar likes this

From what we have seen so far:

 

Mario 3D World is showing off some stunning graphics. Seriously next gen looking. 

 

Everything looks perfect. Can't even imagine and improvement on those graphics.

 

Donkey Kong Country: TF is also looking awesome. Not quite as "perfect," but the characters themselves are astounding. In some cases, looking near-CGI quality (minus some aliasing close up).

 

X looks better every time they show it and already is showcasing amazing visuals.

 

Yoshi.

 

 

Games that have potential to be jaw dropping:

 

Zelda Wii U. The new Zelda has the potential to be a serious showcase with the characters, the fantasy setting, the particle effects, locales, weather, etc. 

And if the dev team rumors are true, it will seriously deliver on the graphical front like no other.

 

Metroid - If Halo4 looked that good on 360, Metroid is going to kill on the Wii U. another perfect opportunity to showcase graphics.

 

F-Zero.

 

Numerous third party games have the potential to really push the envelope - but that's only if the effort is put in - and that's a mighty big "if" apparently.

 

 

Note: I left out Smash Brothers so far simply because the character models and backgrounds are so inconsistent. some character models are astoundingly well done while others don't really look Wii U worthy. And the backgrounds simply arent' there yet. Reserving judgement for future footage. it must be said though, that with the number of characters on screen, the extreme pace, the crazy environments and interactions along with the camera work easily make this ok.

That's a huge exaggeration.

actually, it's not.

the wii u is awesome.  the os ui is the complete opposite of that.

And look a the arrows on the sides of the home screen, they look ok. outdated, but ok. now tap one. notic how the highlight is now? the highlight should stop at the edge of the arrow object. insted, it extends onto the drop shadow. its visually a small error, but it is an astronomically huge error in terms of the person using the graphic tools to design it.there ae multiple others, but this is pretty obvious.

still can't believe someone was paid to do this. they really need to hire a quality graphic designer for the ui.

• Arkhandar likes this

technically, he is a he, regardless of what he wants to be called. even surgery doesn't change that.

Now, someone who i born a hermaphrodite is a more difficult to discern scenario, but it most cases, there is a dominant gender.

if "she" married a guy who didn't know, that would just be wrong and he should be able to sue for being deceived.

But I agree MS should have made sure their entertainment had a handle on things.

they just cannot seem to get it together. Earlier in the year, thy had an entertainer at an MS store who proceeded to cuss and kick product off of the tables during his "performance"

Downloaded last night.

 

Wow.

 

I never owned the original, but sat around my friends who were playing and thought it was impressive at the time.

 

But this- I'm flabbergasted.

 

How can such an old game look and play so well?

 

The graphics - while I can obviously make out the lower polygon count, it is not so low that it looks outdated and the lower geometry in many cases actually seems like a plus and adds to the style.  Also, there are some soft edge rendering techniques going on to give the polygon adjoining edges a look like there is more geometry.  And the textures. Wow.  VERY crisp and detailed in HD. Like a cartoon. Everything is so sharp and vibrant and crisp.  I actually believe this old game looks better than many top tier games of today.

 

The gameplay - the principles and game design back then were way ahead of there time.  I have not played a game this simple to play and this fun for a while. I don't feel like I am entering some unnatural series of button presses/analog movements to accomplish something. It feels like I'm simply playing the game.  Very rewarding.

 

Music/ sound Effects - was braced and ready for some seriously outdated and nasty sounding sound effects and music.  Much to my delight, the sound not only does not distract, it's perfect and sounds modern even. 

 

Basically, I am surprised at how much I am enjoying this game.

 

Was wondering who else is playing and what your thoughts were.

 

 

its available now. downloading.

Wow.

What a slimebag.

The officer committed murder. It is not uncommon for people frantically running to a police officer for help.

I wonder if the cop knew the victim - or his wife.

Something is very wrong here.

The police officer is provided a gun for a reason and is trained on how to use it.

One of the first things you do it offer a warning before you pull out your gun.  Then another as you arm yourself.

There is no way this officere followed protocol.

I won't be surprised if it comes out this guy knew the wife ore the victim - or if his psyche evals prior to academy are reviewed to discover some bad tendencies.

Poor poor man and his family.

Let's just drop it. No use to continue bickering. Truce.

It was dropped until you came in a week later out of nowhere to bump the topic.

Always down for respectful agreement or respectful disagreement.

But remember to keep the respect in there. Even you'd have to admit you're last jab was out of left field and was neither consistent with what was actually discussed nor was it freindly.

We have different opinions on opinion matters. Facts are facts.  And when I post facts, I expect that to be treated as such, where as opinion can be weighed in on.  But even then, we see different sides to the same diamond.  So let's keep it freindly and respectful.

It is a discussion forum after all.

Your "Truce" is honored, friend.

Drain Gamepad battery until it's completely dead.

 

After powering down, Unplug Wii U and TV from everything (HDMI, Power, etc.)

 

Wait 30 minutes.

 

Recharge Gamepad.

 

Plug wii and TV back into power.

 

Reconnect HDMI to Wii U and TV, but don't turn anything on yet.

 

When Gamepad is sufficiently recharged, turn on Wii U and TV.

 

 

 

with wireless technologies there can be some handshake issues.

 

Also, with HDMI there can be major handshake issues (especially with Samsung and Vizio televisions).

 

What we have done here is allowed the TV, Wii U, and Gamepad to reestablish handshakes anew.

 

 

If this doesn't clear the problem, then please call Nintendo.

 

There are other troubleshooting steps to perform.  And it's best to have them guide you.

 

Finally, make sure you don't have the Wii U or game pad very close to other equipment that could cause interference.

Another third party kicking themselves very soon for lack of foresight.

 

The Wii U launch was bad.  It had no compelling games to say "hey! the next gen is here and you need this!"

 

Nothing but quick ports and unambitious "just get it out the door" first party games that were upgraded Wii or 3DS games.

 

Then Pikmin hit. Boom.  Made a statement and angered the haters who didn't want to admit the Wii U was a next gen console with great graphics and innovation going on.

 

Then Wind Waker HD. A remake, sure, but the perfect game to do so with.  And it's ZELDA. Boom. Systems are selling.

 

Next, Donky Kong is coming... I can hear the faint whistle of incoming.

 

Then Mario... A fainter whistle, but it's there.

 

Third party Call of Duty is a given. No need to jump ship.

 

Watch Dogs is a given. Ditto.

 

Just in time for the holidays.

 

Then, when the holiday euphoria has worn off and wii U owners are looking for more, Mario Kart. X, and the legend grows...

 

glad I've already got the Wii U. Less time to worry about console purchases and more time to worry about buying games.

 

 

The thing about third parties avoiding the wii U is that they are really inept.  Basically, they take their games to x1 and ps4 where... billions of other games compete in the same genres.

 

Whereas, on the Wii U, they can literally own certain genres and be THE standard in that realm.  Instead, they worry about Skyrim competing with Kirby...

 

Yeah, good luck with that.

 

Here's hoping there are some wiser discussions going on behind closed doors with some of these third parties. it would be great to see their games on Wii U. No doubt.  But if not, there are plenty of great ones incoming. They are hurting gamers with this stuff, but it may be likely the biggest victims of their shenanigans are themselves. Nintendo gamers can be fiercely loyal, to the degree that if the game isn't on Nintendo hardware, it doesn't belong in the house.

Think of it like this: PS360 will be at Low Settings, Wii U will be at Medium, and PS4/Xbox 1 will be at High.

Not necessarily.

The Wii Us strengths play out differently.

For example, the texture resolution on Wii u will be just as good as ps4.

Geometry should be there too.

But Wii u will have to load more. And there can be more scripted ai activity at once on ps4 IF the developers really push that.

I think what is being referred to is the fact that the Wii u will be using its own engine. Not the x86 engine for pc and optimized for ps4/x1. Not the old clock cycle dependent engines on ps3/360. But a version of the engine meant to utilize the Wii u like it should.

This automatically means, it won't be a ps4 game. And it won't be a 360 game either.

But time will reveal what was meant by this. Looking forward to it.

If Nintendo can make the Wii u graphics look insane (do, mk8, 3d world, etc.), then third parties with giant dev teams can do even more with a dedicated Wii u engine designed to actually utilize the hardware's unique next gen design.

It's still treyarch though...
So ... ???

The blops2 port on U was visually slightly sharper than old gen consoles, but frame rate wasn't as good in areas. This was due to the fact that they ran old school code on the new design.

Either they still suck at porting to Wii u (highly unlikely), or they've been hard at work for the last year utilizing the Nintendo dev tools and are utilizing all cores of the CPU properly and opening the throttle some more on the gpu.

Ghosts looks pretty impressive from the pc footage. Hopefully, they really go for it with the Wii u version and EARN sales.

A little late.

 

At least it's good.

 

But now Wind Waker is coming out. And Pikmin was recently released.

 

Maybe there is room for Rayman.  But it has certainly lost the swell of steam it had when it was supposed to come out.

 

Next up: Mario and DK. 

Hoping for a much Better, more flat and modern ui.

Expecting a significant os speed increase.