Nintendo Wii U Console

(Get a selected game for £25 with this console--check out our Wii U bundle to find out more)

I'm gonna be silly here but hope you get it:

Imagine or remember that 'hot' person you took home from the bar last night or a metaphor similar to that. You ask the 'metaphor/noun/person' through a bunch of mumbles if you should get married and have a family... The 'metaphor/noun/person' says "yes!". You wake up in the morning and see said ________ and ask 'who the heck is that???' That metaphor/story/opinion pretty much sums my opinion of the Wii U. DO I want to get to know it more??? That would be your choice. It's a bit of a 'plain-Jane' but sometimes they are the best ones to get to know... The epithet of "diamond in the rough" can be or isn't applicable here... I'm in the mind that Jane isn't so plain, but beyond her good looks she isn't really that interesting, But she could be! Cue silly American YouTube video of Miss America talking about 'The Iraq'... I would post the link but Amazon forbids it - though the comparison is applicable!

Another update: (today is the 29th of April, 2013) - the April Update has sped things up a bit. This update took about 45mins to do. I haven't noticed much in the system except the web search now has a search provider button and things feel a slight bit quicker. The virtual console is now live as well - but I would have to say that if you did not take on the 30p game offers, silly you! The eShop games are going for much more than that! However, TVii is not working in the UK, but 3rd party game release are TRICKLING in... Lots of ports, but some gems out there as well! I am going to revise my score to 3.5*'s. Depending on the TVii function that is supposedly coming, I will then revise my review again and then update my thoughts on the console. I still firmly stand in the half-baked console release opinion. Now we shall wait for the rumoured summer system update and see what E3 (this coming June) shows to us early adopters...

Updated 20.03.13

I'm sad. I was so excited for the new Nintendo console. I'm still holding out hope, but I'm disappointed. Lots of promise, not a lot happening. Why? Well, well... I'm sure if you read the press you're aware that this console is a bit of a flop - with potential - but it sounds that even retailers are fleeing it at a loss. Nintendo stands emasculated and vulnerable, yet they still promise progress. I'm not convinced at this point. As the console seems to be half-baked and launched a bit too early, Nintendo really needs to sort it out. It is painful for me to say this, but I don't think I will be convinced Nintendo has it together, and I am actually looking at Microsoft or Sony's offering. I'm angry that Nintendo has disappointed me, and more angry at myself for diving in at a high price right in the beginning, believing in the promise. Please don't fail me Nintendo, I've been with you since 1985... I'm waiting for you to repair my opinion of your newest console... PLEASE SORT IT OUT!

My initial review follows below...

Wii U Review (32GB Deluxe Model)

Nintendo finally is in HD! Unfortunately it has some issues- but overall I believe it to be a diamond in the rough. 3.5 stars at time of writing 29/11/12 but hopefully will get up to 4.5 or 5 with system updates and more functionality. It seems to be an unfinished product like the USA release, but Nintendo aims to quickly plug these holes as the console matures. And this console has loads of potential, provided Nintendo gets it right. So here you go:

Superfast shipping with Amazon - my console arrived on the 29th! Especially when it appeared that my console was not going to be delivered until the 1st, and I pre-ordered it on the 13th of September. Pre-order price guarantee saved me some £££'s - not a huge amount though.

Setup and installation is easy - the instructions are super easy to figure out. Then you have a massive 2hr update to do (with caution as you can ruin your system if the power goes out during the update!)... After the update you have some more account, Mii & other setup to do - its easy enough. And then you are ready to get gaming.... Oh, both games I have needed system updates - Super Mario & Nintendo Land, perhaps in the future these will not be necessary - but you can play the games while the update is downloaded, just not while the update is being installed.

PROS:

* Nintendo in glorious HD - and it looks fantastic!
* Small console size, not a huge box in your living room
* Functional and innovative controller, nice 6.2" screen on gamepad which is responsive & no noticeable lag - an impressive feat.
* Dual/split screen gaming (asymmetric play), watch TV and play a game on the controller as well -though this is game dependent.
* TV universal remote, though could do A LOT MORE (hint hint Nintendo or developer)
* web browser works quite well but flash support is missing - though HTML 5 is - still a work in progress
* Good indie game development, good pricing on the indie games as well.
* great for multiplayer gaming, Nintendo Land shows this up nicely
* no paid subscription needed for online services,
* third party development (`hardcore' games), I am not too bothered by this as I am a casual gamer but my mates are excited to come round and play some `real' games; ported games on par with other systems for the most part (improved in some cases),
* HDMI cable in the box,
* YouTube, Netflix & Lovefilm at the get go...

NEUTRAL:

* Miiverse experience so far, seems too family friendly - it is TOOO cute and adorable - tough it up to attract those seeking a 'badass' console
* Gamepad wireless range, ok for me but bad for my neighbour in his house.
* another sensor bar for Wiimotes (if you keep your Wii connected),
* resistive touch screen,
* not really suitable for small children/hands as the gamepad is a bit big for them (which may be a good thing as some kids like to or accidentally do break things),
* updates, updates, updates... which add functionality - but why so many updates??? It ain't windows!

CONS:

* Dust & fingerprint magnet; especially the gamepad! Oh no! Dog hair too!
* frequent system updates, which is frustrating & time consuming
* lag time between apps, sometimes it seems it crashed but hasn't
* TVii not supported yet here in UK, sometime in 2013 they say
* analogue sticks can get 'slippery' after playing for a while,
* gamepad battery life,
* needing 2 mains plugs for the system,
* Wii emulation & experience (why I am keeping my Wii connected), can't import your homebrew stuff...
* eShop games same prices as retail (more expensive in most cases!!!!!),
* headset issues (Bluetooth???), the chat feature is also naff in games - this is game dependent though
* no USB 3.0, only powered hard drives are supported or sacrifice 2 USB ports to run off of bus power - Max 2.0TB but that is LOADS!
* no Ethernet,
* No DLNA/uPnP support right now, network media playback is no-go right now - not impressed with this at all - All other consoles did - including Wii with homebrew apps...
* Seems underdeveloped at release, so you feel like it is half-baked...
* Bricking potential (powering off whilst updating system software) - be cautious!
* THAT 2HR MASSIVE SYSTEM UPDATE! BOOOOOOO! (I have Sky Broadband at 1.2MB/sec)
* No demo games playable on the eShop - yet (30/11/12)- so no "try before you buy"... FIFA 13 is now playable. Thanks for the heads up guys.

NINTENDO CAN IMPROVE IT BY:

* Creating Logitech Harmony Remote type app (would be a killer universal remote!!!!),
* add DLNA/uPnP support for media playback,
* Add Skype to apps, not everyone is going to have a Wii U to video chat...
* reduce price of digital distro games on eShop in line with retail pricing, £49.99 for games when you can get physical discs for far less (ex Super Mario U £49.99 in eShop, Amazon £42 and even less elsewhere)... That poxy 8% rebate thing is rubbish... 8pts to the £ = too confusing and bleh - not a good incentive to shop on the eShop for retail titles.
* Miiverse needs some tinkering (possible Facebook integration?), improve online experience (engage the `hardcore' gamers better), maybe adult it up more to attract the hardcore gamers
* Enable Bluetooth headset use, it is quite simple to do and would improve the chat experience instantly! A geek like me knows this is possible!
* Anti-bricking/brick-prevention software in software updates, no-one wants £300 paperweight - or add a recovery tool for download - so you can resurrect you bricked console from the netherworld - though I do see if this happens it could open the door to pirating the system??
* gamepad battery life.... There are better Li-Ion batteries out there that can be used...
* the novelty factor is wearing off rather quickly, especially as I KNOW the Wii U can do much much more!

CONCLUSION:

I know this is a new console for Nintendo and there are always issues & bugs for early adopters. I just hope Nintendo learns from it mistakes in the past and listens to the user wants to make this system a success; but even if they stick to the Wii formula they do have a good system here, but there is loads of room for improvement that can make this console AMAZING!

I recommend the Wii U right now for those who are diehard Nintendo addicts or hardcore gadget geeks; it is a great system with loads of potential. However, for those who prefer to wait a bit - I would say wait for a little while and see what happens. Right now I feel awarding the Wii U 3.5 stars as fair and honest, and I will re-review this decision in the coming weeks. Read more ›

I felt I just had to write a review on the Wii U, hopefully this will be of help to future buyers.

As a previous owner at varying stages of all 3 PlayStations, both Xbox's and a player of the original Wii, when Nintendo announced the release of the new Wii U, I was excited, after all, it's not every year you get that new console experience which everyone has to do at least once.

There's something nice about having a product on release date and the console turned up, I was like a kid at Christmas, but unlike a child, I was more interested in the contents of the box, rather than the box itself.

After unpackaging it and setting it up, the first thing you notice is how huge the controller is, I mean it makes Microsoft's original Xbox pad look like something The Borrowers use, but it is well put together, buttons feel responsive, analogue sticks are smooth and it has a nice weight to it and there's a neat stylus tucked in the top incase you have sausage fingers. The pad also has a volume slider if you dont want the tv sound on and a headphone port which i'm yet to try yet. Sound out the pad is tinny and I turn it off because it causes an annoying echo noise down to a slight delay, but if the tv was off, it wouldn't be a problem.

TV was off you say? Yep, you can play some games just from the controller itself with no telly, Marios one of them, pretty cool.

The console itself is actually not much bigger than the controller, and is a front slot loading affair with power and eject buttons to the top side of the unit (if mounted upright with the enclosed stand).

Other than the 2 buttons, the front of the unit comprises 2 x USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader under a flap and apart from a couple of LEDs and the Wii U name stamped on the front, thats about it really. Finish is a glossy plastic which quickly attracts finger marks, but if its tucked in the corner of the room out the way, who cares really.

Round the back of the unit is a further 2 x USB 2.0 ports, a video out connector if you want to use composite or SCART, an HDMI port, the power port and a fan vent for cooling, thats your lot.

The remaining items in the box are a sensor bar for the TV like the original Wii, 2 power packs (yes 2, the controller needs its own power pack as it doesn't charge form the console itself), a stand for the Controller and a stand for the console itself, if you can call it that, it's actually just 2 feet, but I guess they do "stand" the unit up, so i'll give them that one.

After connecting everything and powering the console up, you're met with a setup screen, configure your wireless and time/date etc..., this is done via the touch screen on the gamepad which is nice, then once connected to the internet, the machine updates and boy, its one hell of an update.

We don't have the fastest broadband connection on the planet at 8Mb, but the update still took an age to install, so much so I got bored waiting and turned the telly on for a bit while it did its stuff.

When completed, I created some Mii's, using the photo feature was fun, the gamepad has a camera in the top portion of the device so you get your scary mug appear on screen and the Mii creates a face based on your photo. Its actually pretty accurate, sadly, it picks out your "distinguishing" features to create your Mii, so if you have a big nose, chin or ears, prepare to be insulted.

WIth all this done, I thought i'd have a quick dot about the system to see what there was, there's a settings menu, Miiverse, chat stuff, a web browser etc and the Nintendo Shop where you can buy games and also download videos and other stuff like Lovefilm and Youtube apps if you so desire.

I was quite disappointed with the Nintendo Shop, its slow to navigate, most of the games advertised don't offer demos, so you end up looking at trailer videos for the games which inevitably turns out to just be an animated trailer which has no bearing on how the game actually looks or plays.

My main annoyance with the Nintendo Shop is the complete inability to view any trailers for anything with a PEGI rating of 18 or above before 11pm. There must be a setting you can change to allow you to view the trailer I hear you say, like a date of birth entry, well unfortunately, like me, you'd be wrong as it turns out that even though they may have your date of birth, they don't believe you.

It wasn't until very recently that Nintendo actually explained to Wii U users via a message that the reason you can't view over 18 trailers during the day is because the Germans have strict policy on the viewing of adult material if you're under age and you can only view the trailers between the hours of 11pm and 5am or something. I understand policing age ratings, but i'm pretty sure if they're under 18 and they want to watch it, they are more than capable of staying up past 11pm in the same way they could watch an 18 cert dvd whenever they wanted or lie about their date of birth. Utterly ridiculous in my view but there we go, what can you do.

Back onto the games in Nintendos Shop, the number of titles available is frankly, dire, as of time of writing, there appear to be about 20 titles from known manufacturers and a load of sub £20 mini type games, Sony would never release a console with this few games, it brings me back to the Sega Dreamcast days, great console, no games, exactly why it died a death. Sonic All Stars Racing is there though, a Sega title at release date, I'm sure there's some irony there somewhere.

My first quibble, other than the lack of games is the speed, damn it's slow, in fact this isn't just a criticism of the Nintendo Store, but the console as a whole, everything about it is slow, pressing the home button on the Gamepad takes the console 5-10 seconds to get to the main menu, going into the settings menu takes over 20 seconds and you get a silly grey screen with a settings spanner in the middle, just incase you forgot what you clicked on when its loading. Why does it take this long to flick between menus, its crazy, the Playstation is practically instant. Even quitting out of menus is slow, you constantly just have a grey screen or a spinning wheel saying please wait, aggghhhh, it drives you mad after a while.

I have not used the web browser, although I did load it up and it was so slow, I cannot imagine that anyone would have the patience to use it when they probably have a laptop.

Anyway, slowness aside, what are the games like.

Well as of time of writing, I have Nintendo Land (I hate it, but I can see its appeal to children possibly), Super Mario Bros U and Zombi U.

I'll skip Nintendo Land because I have nothing good to say about it, just my personal preference, but Mario is excellent, it's still keeping me amused now after completing it with collecting coins, great game, colours are vibrant and animations smooth, graphically, noticeably better than the Wii.

Zombi U - awesome, very hard but awesome, I have read the Gamespot review who slate the game for a few reasons, but I can't help but think they're just finding stuff to pick at, its pretty realistic as well, I certainly nearly had an unscheduled bathroom stop with the music turned up, it's definitely atmospheric. I did find the controls a little tricky to master though, you need 2 sets of eyes really, one for the gamepad and one for the TV!

I've now had the console a few weeks and some other annoying points have arisen which might be worth noting. I had this really frustrating sync issue with the pad, it kept saying it had lost connection or the connection was unstable and playing Mario it was driving me up the wall, Mario every so often decided to commit suicide and it was completely beyond my control. not even the Samaritans could help.

I guessed the pad was playing up, so I googled it and low and behold, it turns out lots of people had the same issue and the resolution was to turn the console on using the button on the console and not the power button on the pad. Apparently, if you knock the analog stick when its shutting down, it unsyncs the pad, sounds odd to me but turning it off and on with the console fixed the issue so one to note.

Other things, the console is noisy, it doesn't run hot, infact i've had it running for about 5 hours now, but its barely warm on the edge so the fan is working well, but it aint quiet, I wouldn't like to watch a film with it, but then past using Lovefilm or Netflix, it doesn't play DVDs or BluRays so you probably won't be in that situation anyway. No DVD playback again Nintendo, really?!!

Another annoyance is the gamepad screen, I mean, this thing does last ok in battery terms, although I haven't timed it, but it's Nintendo's apparent lack of interest in trying to save power where possible. I left the unit unattended in the menu system for 2 hours, then came back to it and the gamepad screen was still switched on. No sleep mode it would seem, that to me is ridiculous, surely someone at Nintendo thought that maybe after 10 minutes they could put it to sleep, it's got quite a large touch screen which I can only imagine saps quite a lot of power, odd. The screen does dim slightly, but why can't it turn off, just seems like a massive waste of battery to me.

In contrast, the PS Vita puts the whole console to sleep after inactivity.

There is an auto power off setting for the console itself, but if I'd finished using the console, id power it off myself, I just want a low power sleep style mode. Seems crazy to me its not included.

Fortunately, looking at the back of the Gamepad, it would appear you can change the battery when it dies, so thats at least one plus over the other manufacturers. Read more ›

We got ours Yesterday (30th November) and it has barely been off since. It is so amazing being able to continue playing a game in the comfort of your bed after finishing on the TV. ALso I can play Black Ops 2 online while my housemates watch a DVD or use the TV for some other purpose. The graphics are amazing...easily on a par with my XBox 360 (in fact a friend who plays a lot of Black Ops on his PS3 commented that the WiiU version looks far better). Playing 2 player Black Ops without the need for split screen is great. Its like having a system link, on one system, which is amazing. I was genuinely taken aback to see the WiiU running Black Ops, in full resolution, and at 60fps, on 2 screens simultaneously. This machine must be pretty powerful.

The game pad is not too heavy and even after prolonged play is very comfortable. ANd you can even use your old Wii controllers is you want to...most of the games I bought supported various control schemes in multiplayer.

The Eshop already has some very cool Indie games (I am loving the new version of Trine 2, with online multiplayer)

Also, not having to pay to play online (which I have to on my XBox 360) is great. If they keep releasing multiplayer games on the WiiU I will probably not update my XBox live subscription any more, and save myself £6 a month.

Nintendo Land is amazing too. Its the kind of game that all my friends can join in with, and I really cannot wait to have 5 player games when I throw my next party here...

All in all, you should definitely get yourself a WiiU. It is the best console I have ever owned (and I have been playing games since the NES back in the 80's).

The only small downside I had is that I couldnt get it to connect to the internet at first (I am with Virgin Media, and they suck, so it isnt strictly speaking the fault of this product). And I agree with those who have complained that the download versions of games are more expensive than the actual physical copies, which doesnt make sense to me as you would think they would be saving on boxes, disks and paper etc.