Engadget: Wii U Is the Only True Game Console

I forgot all about the Wii U,

It's a next gen console, yeah, but the capabilities of the Wii U are far behind that of PS4.

And Wii U is a better value at the moment, but seeing as how the games are starting to roll in fairly quickly, that's not a great argument.

It's going to have some great Nintendo titles out for it, but you won't see any of the major titles like The Witcher 3 make an appearance on the platform.

Only one problem with this argument, console value depreciates over time. Why pay more now with barely any games when you can pay less for more games next year?

True, like I said, the PS4 is a better value proposition in the long run. Unfortunately, I am talking about which console I would pick up now.Why would I spend $400 on a PS4 with a lack of compelling games at the moment, possible future droughts, and launch issues, when I can spend $300 on a system that has been through that, has a compelling library, has its issues sorted, and has some good future games secured? Just wait a year, and get the PS4 then, it'll have more games too, and who knows, maybe even a price cut or a bundle.

If the X360/PS3/Wii/3DS/PS Vita/Wii U all teach us one thing, it is to never get a console at launch.

Lol, I agree, it is literally the same thing I just said in my post to XV up there :P

That's true, but in a matter of months the amount of first party titles and third party multiplats that release on the console will far outweigh the $100 price tag of the Wii U. If the value of the PS4 will decrease in a year or 2, then the Wii U will be much worse. Wii U doesn't even have any big AAA must-have hits out for it yet. It's hardly a head start. PS4 has a potential one coming in february, and already has a slew of multiplats out for it.

Could have fooled me.

That's fair enough, but I doubt that'll hold true for the PS4. There aren't many problems with the launch and games are fairly easy to port over this time around. No more PS3 architecture getting in the way. Lots of promising stuff for this gen, but I do see what you're saying. I just think the multiplats our for the PS4 more than make up for what's out for the Wii U.

@XVision84: I am not going to argue games here, we all have our tastes, and it's pointless to impose your tastes on others. For many, however, Super Mario 3D World is just that title. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is coming in February, Smash Bros Wii U and Mario Kart 8 is coming. Keep in mind Nintendo is notorious for not revealing info on games until they are well into development.

If you don't like those games, don't buy it. I could care less about inFamous, FF15 is awhile away, and I lost all interest in Uncharted. Doesn't sound that different from you on Nintendo IPs, isn't it?

That guy should be smacked.

90-95% of games are multiplatform games so saying a console that has only 50% of multiplatform games is a true console then you just may be a true dumb ass.

If you can only afford to buy one console and you only have a laptop or a low end PC you will not be buying a Wii U. Oh and the sales are in and the PS4 and X1 have both sold 1 million consoles in 1 day and the Wii U is struggling to break 4 million in a year.

Yes, we do all have our tastes ;). Well at least it's good to see the Wii U finally getting some good games. Hopefully it starts selling better.

If day one sales were indicative of long-term success, the Dreamcast would not have died in the 6th Generation, and the Wii-U would be doing Xbox 360 numbers circa holiday 2006 right now.

"As the PlayStation and Xbox continue to evolve, they're moving out of the game console space and into another category entirely"

The what? How is the PS4 moving out of the game console space and into another category entirely?

Are they trying to tell me that adding more features while still focusing on gaming (Sony's current vision) is somehow worse than being stuck in 1 place like Nintendo?

Thank you for having a vote of confidence.
Instead of trying to have a smart discussion you get someone like this to bring the community careening back down.

The thing with the Wii U is that it lacks features. Just because it cant do anything but play a few mario games doesn't make it the only gaming console.

@rjdofu:

if sonys vision was gaming,

they would actually have games at launch,

and you could say they have more later, but that could be said about ms as well,

just as much as Nintendo too

well duh

@hiphops_savior: I am at work on my phone, can,t play no games here apart from the waiting game, one of the only games Wii u has now, and I am playing it without owning one.

Than what am I playing on my PS4 right now?

@Animal-Mother: trash im sure,

but like I said, it could be argued that sonys vision is the long run,

and better games later

which could also be said about ms and nintendo

it's so hard to predict the industry. We do know that xbone and ps4 are not very advanced compared to previous generational leaps, and we have to be weary about Sony's and MS's desire for their machines to serve as more than just a games console. It seems like a prime situation for Sony and MS to both fail in the face of PC gaming which can outdo both consoles in every way, and at a much better price than PC gaming was a generation ago. The wiiu is left as the only console left with something unique about it.

No it's sh!tty console without any balance whatsoever to coincide it's 1st party offerings. Genesis and SNES did that and Sony and MS are doing that as well.

And LOL at the irony of being a "true gaming console."

You're comparing the WiiU which has been out for a year to systems that have been out for 1-2 weeks. As we shift from last gen to the new consoles, WiiU will get less and less 3rd party support and it will basically end up having huge droughts like the Wii. Honestly it seems like you're trying to justify your purchase to us.

Anyways, I like the multimedia features on X1/PS4. Being able to play Blu-Rays, streaming stuff from my PC, and having a decent online infrastructure is awesome. A system can be both rich in multimedia features and focused on games at the same time, the two aren't mutually exclusive. If anything, the Wii last gen was the one that had the least worthwhile titles.

I would argue even the Wii U doesn't fit into the "console" paradigm anymore. Including online play and social connectivity, despite being very convenient, goes against what "consoles" actually started: the same-room, same-TV experience.

Of course, this would make a whole lot of sense if I had actually, you know, purchased the Wii U. I haven't. I'm just posting an article about it, and I even state in the OP that I don't agree with it fully, nor do I believe that the Wii U will be the best console of its generation/

Sure the last few years of the 360 was astounding games wise :roll:, and the Wii :roll:

Right? All the perks of consoles are dead or dying. Their easy, plug'n play nature has given way to 5 gig installs, and split screen multiplayer is MIA. Plus, you have to pay a fee to play online. What exactly is the advantage of a console these days?

Apparently just exclusives and "all my friends play them".

I got a Wii U, I didn't get it thinking it'd have the best ports of next gen games, I got it to play the stuff Nintendo puts out, and whatever other exclusive content comes to it. I avoided it for about a year since it released but finally got one, and I have to say I'm really enjoying it. There'll be enough on the console through its life to justify getting one. Later though it'll take a back seat to whichever X1 or PS4 next gen system I decide to get.

It's true. The ps4 and xb1 are probably both more reliable consoles with much more conventional architectures. They are also much cheaper than ps3 and 360 were at the same point in their product cycle.

The problem? All of these benefits have come at the cost of ambition. The 360 had a freakish design for its time, one that paid off and proved to be the future of graphics processing. The ps3 had powerful chips and a new tech in bluray behind it. All very expensive, but gave those consoles a future.

These new consoles seem great now because we see a graphical leap. However, they both have conventional architecture which means that there will be much less improvement over the gen compared to what the ps3 and 360 accomplished. It took a whole gen for devs to fully understand how to max out a ps3 and even a 360. Devs basically understand the ps4 and xb1 already.

There will be a point in the future, maybe as early as 2 years from now, when PC tech is surprisingly cheap and will be over a gen ahead of the ps4 and xb1. PC gaming traditionally falls at the start of a gen when the consoles have respectable power (as evidenced by "death of PC gaming" threads that pop up at that time"), but PC gaming grows as the tech gap widens. By the end of this console gen, PC gaming will be crushing its competition very badly.

That article is a load of crap. Not only does the Wiiu have multimedia services making it not a "pure" gaming machine like that journalist claims, the PS4 is very much game focused with a huge third party backing. Its not gonna suffer from some kind of game drought like the others might.

lol

Exactly, and while many will have to choose between a PS4 or an X1, a lot of them who wants a secondary console will go for the WiiU and its exclusives. So in the end, it will probably be good to be the only dedicated gaming machine.

stupid article is stupid. PS4 is much more potent gaming device, and it supports indie development too.

"As the PlayStation and Xbox continue to evolve, they're moving out of the game console space and into another category entirely,

leaving Nintendo as the only major contender."

it's kinda funny that he said that. that's exactly the reason i abandon Nintendo in the first place. after the glory days of SNES, N64 and Gamecube, they started selling consoles for your moms instead of you with all that Wii bullshit.

I can tell you. It is because of Super Mario 3D World. Iwata-san stated that one game can change everything and the media believes that has momentum. They are going with it.

Secondly, I'm glad to see someone seems to get it: ultimately, it comes down to games. The Wii U does not necessarily have to be the best console on the market (it won't be): it just needs to have enough compelling games that you have to pick on up, and it's set. So far, Nintendo seems to be on a good start with that front.

Even though games are absolutely important to the hardcore gamer, for people who would like to be able to do more with there console, the Xbox One or PS4 might seem like better choices. That may be true with the Wii U streaming services in mind. The video game industry is like this now. If a consumer is looking for a video game console primarily with the certainty that good if not great games will come out for it, the Wii U (and PS4) should be bought. Look elsewhere for a system designed to be more of a multimedia device.

Such shenanigans in this thread.

Two absurd quotes:

"Wii U doesn't even have any big AAA must-have hits out for it yet."

"Nintendo and innovate rarely go together"

Are these comments serious? I know fanboys will be fanboys, but how is Nintendo innovation question. They are the single MOST innovative company in gaming. Their core franchises are consistently fresh and well designed and they aren't content in the me too mentality that is permeating gaming right now.

And oh yeah:

http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/super-mario-3d-world

http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/718915-super-mario-3d-world/index.html

Get out of here with that blind hate...

So it's not a games machine if it's not capable of doing other functions? Ridiculous thing to say given the comparable specs to PCs and given how much much you can do on a PC. If the media functions use the same technology then why not. Does that mean MS and Sony are any less focused... no. They have a ton of 1st and 3rd party exclusive and non exclusive games coming out. I like how you can do more on the PS4 and X1. Gaming only is an antiquated way of doing things on home consoles.

Sorry, I think that's crap. This narrative of "console becoming MORE than just gaming" is actually a couple of decades old. PS1 with music CD playback started it. Xbox and PS2 continued with DVDs. 360 and PS3 continued with HDDVD and Blu Ray, and (along with Wii) Netflix. This is just more of the same.

Having media features doesn't mean your games are any worse. Are we going to pretend Gamecube was a better console than PS2, because PS2 could play DVDs? Or that the Wii was better than the PS3 because PS3 could play Blu Ray? Please.

Or you could play the multiple AAA and AA next gen games that released for them.

That doesn't mean anything. Someone can spend 40 hours a week on one console, someone can spend 40 hours a week between two consoles or three. Some of us just like having a variety of platforms..

I was rooting hard for Nintendo back in the GameCube days, the underdogs. Once the Wii debuted and the sales roared in, I was pretty damn ecstatic. Then the shovel ware, casual mom/pop stuff came out and I had pretty much abandoned Nintendo, went PS 3. Now here I am once again rooting for them and can't wait to get their system and the PS 4.

@charizard1605:

Curren moment of time, ah yes impulse buying based on a current situation, good idea.

When one console is $300 and includes all functionality for all games, includes one or two quality games, and has backwards compatibility with the controllers for last gen, and another console is $400, but includes no games, puts all online functionality (essentially half of most games on the system) behind a $50 annual fee, and requires the purchase of a brand new controller if you want to play local multiplayer, the $300 console doesn't really cost 3/4 as much. You can buy a Wii U for $300 and go home to a quality experience. If you buy the PS4, you are going to have to spend at least $510 if you plan on going home and actually playing a game. It's $570 if you want to play with friends.

Media people are just starting to notice that in the last year Nintendo has built quite a good library of exclusive titles for the WiiU. This is especially true when you contrast it to the launch lineup for the PS4 and XBO, both systems won't be getting any new retail games until February. So after initial release there is not much to get excited about for the next 3 months.

Until Destiny or Titanfall come out, for me, there is not much reason to own a PS4 or XBO, especially because I have a PC. But I have a WiiU and 3DS because I need to play Mario and Zelda games.

What is a WiiU....??

It is interesting how much positive press the Wii U has gotten very recently. I wonder if it is because Super Mario 3D world is just that good, if it was due to how much of a blunder the PS4 and Xbox one are, or a combination of both. I have seen this happen before, like in the mmo industry where certain games got a lot more praise after a certain overhyped mess of a game turned out to be a colossal blunder.

Also, clearly the reason this thread was created (along with many others) was to show how much the press has been warming up to the Wii U.

And I will, when they are, and that is when I will buy them. Right now, they present a significantly worse alternative than the Wii U.

My wiiu would actually get used if.....

1) It didn't have the absolute worst online support of PC and all other consoles.

2) It actually had 3rd party support from Nintendo themselves.

3) The vast majority of its game library wasn't shovelware garbage or inferior versions of multiplatform games that are available cheaper on systems that run it just as well that are 8+ years old.

4) It wasn't focused on outdated hardware that cant even run its own games properly like pikimin 3 couldn't do online co-op because the cpu was too weak, or the fact you cant even do multi touch inputs on the tablet while even big lots has 50 dollar tablets that can do that. Even the tablet interface is old and outdated feeling clunky.

5) If Nintendo would actually have an original idea for once for a game. Their entire library is just all rehashes, remakes, rereleases, sequels and spinoffs of the same old games they have been making for the past 25+ years. For gods sake arguably the biggest game for the wiiu is windwaker and its just a re-release of a 10 year old game that isn't even in the top 5 of Zelda games.

I bought a wiiu when it launched and every since I have regretted pre ordering one. Ive spent more time playing wii games on it than I have wiiiu games.

Say what you want but at least sony and Microsoft do the exact opposite of all 5 of my points against nintendo. They have great online support, they support 3rd party developers and are constantly getting their games, they get all the big name games and tons of good games as well as exclusive games most of which are inferior on the wiiu for cross platform stuff, they have current and updated hardware, and they both have their franchises yes but they also release new IP's as well especially sony who is always trying something new.

I guess if you like mario it is. Theres only 1 game I want thats on it 101 and thats it.