General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Shade Vortex]

Since I'm going to the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX Prime) tomorrow, I'll definitely be checking out the Wii U and its games. From what I know, NSMBU, ZombiU, Nintendoland, Pikmin 3 and some other games will be there. So once I get back from PAX, I'll be leaving my impressions on the console, its controller, and the games, in this very topic!

I'll probably write about my experience once I get back on Friday night or Saturday night, depending on how tired I am, what time it is, and etc. Maybe even Sunday morning just so that I'd be all rested and relaxed after the event.

[Marcello]

If you play Rayman Legends and use the Pro Controller (One without the screen) can you tell me if there's a input lag? I felt there was some and I've seen others mention it for other games, so I'm curious.

[Carbo]

I don't doubt the notion of the console having potential input lag during show floor booths seeing how there's been one or so article detailing some small issues regarding the console, such as one or two units overheating or similarly.

If there is any deficiencies those will be ironed out by launch and Nintendo have probably one of the best track records in terms of console build quality. It's kind of a rule of thumb for new consoles to have issues like these at demonstration booths and it's happened with many developer consoles in the past as well, especially since the Gamescom builds were the same ones used in E3, as will probably be the case at PAX.

[LunarEdge]

If there's one thing I will give Nintendo, it's the durability of their consoles. A friend of mine dropped my computer chair on my Wii when I got it around release, legs first, during mid-gameplay and it still worked fine and brushed it off as nothing XD

[Kiovle]

Hey everybody they've finally released the Wii U specs!

http://www.eurogamer...he-wii-u-really

To put it simply, the Wii U is marginally better than the PS360, but not by much. Woopee.

"The holy grail of everything having to run at 60 frames per second is great, but it's only actually that important when you're using a twitch game or a shooter or a racer. Below that, it doesn't matter at all. If you're playing a third-person character game then it absolutely doesn't matter."

My heart aches at the lack of respect for proper framerates.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Kiovle

[Solkia]

Yes, fluid animation is pointless, and adds nothing to the experience.

Yep.

[Nintendoga]

Not really surprising.

Well at least the Wii-U can enjoy being the most powerful console on the market for about 12-18 months.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Nintendoga]

Sorry for DP,

Wii-U (most likely Debug Units) are out there, most likely for Pax Prime I guess.

Tweet was deleted

Full Picture in Spoiler

Dat Glossy Black

Edited August 31, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Thigolf]

So how does the lower clock speed affect the games on the Wii U? Like, what are the restrictions?

[Dummy Bear]

Hey everybody they've finally released the Wii U specs!

http://www.eurogamer...he-wii-u-really

To put it simply, the Wii U is marginally better than the PS360, but not by much. Woopee.

My heart aches at the lack of respect for proper framerates.

I had a feeling this was gonna happen.

Nintendo claims to be "getting serious this time" but it seems like they're making the same mistakes they made last time(ie, slightly better current/nearly last gen hardware, riding off a gimmick, not having DVD or of music CD playback. Maybe that last thing isn't important to Nintendo fanboys but at least to me it would've been a sign that they actually meant business).

I'm gonna wait and see how 3rd party holds up after the first year before I think of buying one...

[Candescence]

Entirely expected, and it honestly doesn't bother me one bit. Let's not kid ourselves here, the next MS and Sony consoles are not going to be that much of a leap over the Wii U - if they were, they'd be prohibitively expensive. This may not stop Sony from trying, even though it made this mistake twice in a goddamn row, what with the PS3 being an unmitigated disaster for most of its lifetime and the Vita utterly floundering pretty much everywhere even worse than the 3DS did before its price cut, which Sony simply cannot afford to do the same for the Vita.

And every time I see "Direct X 10/11" being used like the Wii U is even going to use Direct X in the first place, it makes my eye twitch. Seriously, I really wish that OpenGL would overtake it so we can stop talking about that propriety piece of crap.

[speedfreak]

Meh, whatever. I get Nintendo systems for Nintendo games. To me buying the system is worth it for HD Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Smash, etc.

[Blacklightning]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but wasn't it confirmed a while back that the dev kits were underclocked? Would the somewhat slower CPU have anything to do with that?

Honestly though, the appeal's in the software so far by the looks of things, so I'm not particularly worried.

[Wraith]

aSo, it's either the great, but underpowered Wii U, the sure to be expensive and overpowered PS4, or whatever the fuck Xbox is doing.

Next gen is going to be fan fucking tastic.

[Dobkeratops]

Don't try to guess PS4/720 specs and price from the WiiU's. Nintendo loves to sell outdated hardware for way more than it costs and Sony/Microsoft take a loss to provide better tech.

So it's more than perfectly feasible to have those systems be much better at a similar price. Hell, bringing out the Vita argument works in my favor as it cost the same as a launch 3DS and runs circles around it technically - plus, the PS4/720 won't have any trouble getting third party support nor will they bear the stigma portables seem to have in the west lately.

[Wraith]

There is no way in hell PS4's price will match the Wii U. There's just no chance.

[Dobkeratops]

No, but it'll probably be within a reasonable frame. I'd expect PS4/720 to have a SKU at the higher end of the 300-400 ballpark and the WiiU at the lower.

And I know I'd rather get a generation leap for $100 more. 'cuz I already have a PS3, you know.

(This is a silly exaggeration but it's likely to be the perception of players if things turn out like that)

[Wraith]

With the way things are going, gaming is getting too expensive. If the PS4 goes TOO big, things could get ugly.

[Dobkeratops]

The only Sony console that's been outrageously priced has been the PS3 and they'll want to avoid the rough start. Vita cost the same as 3DS. PS2 cost the same as Xbox. PS1 was cheaper than Saturn. Therefore, going by past evidence, the PS4 will be relatively affordable.

But let's wait for official WiiU price confirmation at least before continuing these speculations.

[Wraith]

I'm not talking about the pricing. I'm talking about the price it's taking to develop games in general.

[Dobkeratops]

Oh, that has nothing to do with hardware. Just bad management, planning and marketing budgets. In fact, the more power, the easier it should be to make a game and nowadays you get a lot of tools + middleware.

Otherwise all PC developers would be dead by by now. The super powerhouse highly specced Crysis only cost €15million to make, and they even developed their own engine.

What you're looking to blame here is typical publisher mindset.

Edit: For reference, typical games that are nowhere near as proficient and license stuff like UE3 to save money end up costing twice those amounts.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Dobkeratops

[WarioBone]

Woo, Pikmin 3!

:V

Yeah, so, the next Nintendo console could literally be made of paper bags and cardboard, and I'd still buy it, because Nintendo games are FUCKING GREAT. I don't care about the WiiU's specs, I didn't care about the Wii's, and I sure as fuck didn't care about anything before that. It's about the games. Sure, games may look better on something else, but you know what?

Fuck graphics. Graphics can kiss my rich, white ass.

As far as money goes, bitches love Mario and cheap consoles. It's in the bag.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Kind-Hearted Jerk

[Wraith]

Wow, I didn't actually know that.

Either way, power is expensive to the customer. Nintendo might be trying to cut back on purpose. Whether or not that's a good thing is personal opinion.

[Conando]

Nintendo has done this since the Gamecube, they generally use custom parts that perform well enough but, they don't break the bank. They're the only manufacturer that tends to make a profit off their consoles at launch. Now, I don't think we'll see the pricing of something like the PS3 ever again, that was due to blu ray mostly.

[The Kid]

Considering Nintendo has planned to release the system at a reasonable price in comparison to the current gen consoles (There is a statement saying as such around somewhere), I wouldn't expect it to be more than $300-$350 at launch.