# Nintendo Wii U **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 7, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654 "2011-06-07T19:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/41 "2011-06-10T16:08:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Notice I said price of a game, not price of a console. (I was figuring you can get a generic deck of cards for a buck and a half.) Why buy a console card game? You can play card games online for free, including partners bridge. I expect that, if they do allow multiple controllers, a card game bundle will be one of the games that comes with the console, similar to how Wii Sports came with the Wii. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/42 "2011-06-10T16:54:49Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > My fear is that the system is much too complex for third partys to invest money developing games for. We’ll end up with the usual ground breaking Zelda/Mario/Metroid titles that will earn kudos but we’ll never see an outside company make a game that pushes the system’s potential. And they’ll be sure to stretch out the release of these games over a number of years so players will wait months upon months between decent titles. I think you’ll eventually see a rash of games that don’t require the screen and just work with a standard Classic Controller or Wii Remote/Nunchuk controls. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/43 "2011-06-10T22:04:00Z")
Judging by the stylus I’m guessing the screen is resistive and not capacitive? If so that really sucks. Its going to seem dated the day it comes out. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/44 "2011-06-10T22:32:59Z")
I was talking with some other game designers about it a couple of days ago. The consensus was that it was probably best suited for casual multiplayer games where each player has hidden information. This would include cards, but it could also be a football game where you use the controller to pick plays, or a war game where each side makes moves in secret. However, we couldn’t figure out how to make good use of it for a single player game. If there’s a lot of action you don’t want to look away from the main screen. And if there’s not a lot of action you can get the same effect by popping up an alternate interface on the main screen. Unlike the wiimote, there don’t seem to be any obvious cool things you can do with it. I’m curious to see how Nintendo actually uses it in a real game. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/45 "2011-06-10T23:02:16Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I was talking with some other game designers about it a couple of days ago. The consensus was that it was probably best suited for casual multiplayer games where each player has hidden information. This would include cards, but it could also be a football game where you use the controller to pick plays, or a war game where each side makes moves in secret. > > However, we couldn’t figure out how to make good use of it for a single player game. If there’s a lot of action you don’t want to look away from the main screen. And if there’s not a lot of action you can get the same effect by popping up an alternate interface on the main screen. Unlike the wiimote, there don’t seem to be any obvious cool things you can do with it. > > I’m curious to see how Nintendo actually uses it in a real game. I can think of one way, in a FPS you would treat it almost like a high tech GPS device you actually would have to carry around with you and look down at if it were truly in such a situation. It could also be something you get messages from HQ. SOmething like that, where the screen isn’t a simple extension of what you see on the TV, but ann actual physical extension of what the game requires. Almost like the guitar accessory for RockBand/Guitar Hero. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/46 "2011-06-10T23:07:01Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > However, we couldn’t figure out how to make good use of it for a single player game. If there’s a lot of action you don’t want to look away from the main screen. And if there’s not a lot of action you can get the same effect by popping up an alternate interface on the main screen. Unlike the wiimote, there don’t seem to be any obvious cool things you can do with it. I’ve seen a lot of people excited about eliminating the HUD on the screen, and transferring that to the controller. But I predict that people don’t want to look down at that, and will change the default setting so the HUD is on the screen. Maybe a map - maps can be distracting on the HUD. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/47 "2011-06-10T23:48:59Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I was talking with some other game designers about it a couple of days ago. The consensus was that it was probably best suited for casual multiplayer games where each player has hidden information. This would include cards, but it could also be a football game where you use the controller to pick plays, or a war game where each side makes moves in secret. > > However, we couldn’t figure out how to make good use of it for a single player game. If there’s a lot of action you don’t want to look away from the main screen. And if there’s not a lot of action you can get the same effect by popping up an alternate interface on the main screen. Unlike the wiimote, there don’t seem to be any obvious cool things you can do with it. > > I’m curious to see how Nintendo actually uses it in a real game. One thing I can think of is to have it be sort of a different “level” of the game, like the underground portion is on the screen and the overworld is on the TV, so you can fight a boss that’s going around on the foreground while you go into a cave and try to get under it on the controller screen, then use a bomb or whatever to hurt it from below. Kind of like Four Swords Adventures I guess. > [@Dinaroozie](#): > > When it was first announced, this seemed less crazy than the Wii, but still interesting. The apparent news that you can only connect one controller (of the type shown - with the screen thingy) takes it from ‘interesting’ down to ‘baffling’… the idea of multiplayer with private screens immediately made me think of loads of interesting things that could be done; without that, none of them are possible and none of this makes sense to me. I guess I’ll wait and see where they’re going with it. I think the 1 controller limit may actually be a smart move to prevent developers from making games that require every player to have one to play. If these are 100-150 a pop playing a game with friends without a Wii U controller would get expensive, fast, discouraging local multiplayer which I don’t think Nintendo wants to do after the Wii was so advertised as bringing people together. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/48 "2011-06-11T14:36:07Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I think the 1 controller limit may actually be a smart move to prevent developers from making games that require every player to have one to play. If these are 100-150 a pop playing a game with friends without a Wii U controller would get expensive, fast, discouraging local multiplayer which I don’t think Nintendo wants to do after the Wii was so advertised as bringing people together. I could see this to start, then when the price drops to be more reasonable, they could release a system update to enable multiple controllers at once. A setup where you could have one controller, but also have several DSs linked to have an individual screen for each player would be another work-around, but that seems too much to hope for. Both of those assume the issue is the controller cost, and not a more fundamental issue like limited bandwidth to push imagery to the controller. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/49 "2011-06-12T15:50:08Z")
This would be pretty awesome in a RPG game if the tablet could function as a spellbook, inventary system and so on so that the game on the TV would be GUI-less. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/50 "2012-09-13T14:56:47Z")
Has it been a year already? Anyways, Nintendo has[just announced the US price](http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/13/wii-u-price-release-date-announced) and release date. Nov. 18 with an 8GB model at $299.99 and a Deluxe set 32GB model at $349.99. The Deluxe set also includes Nintendo Land and a charging station. Kotaku mentioned in[Japan’s earlier announcement](http://kotaku.com/5942882/nintendo-reveals-nintendo-network-premium) that the Deluxe set also comes with a free subscription to Nintendo Network Premium. No word if that is coming to the States. I’m one of the few people that still uses the Wii so I’m in no rush to upgrade. I also haven’t heard if my Virtual Console and WiiWare games will transfer over. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/51 "2012-09-13T15:16:46Z")
Does the console support more than one tablet controller at a time? That was big question before. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/52 "2012-09-13T15:23:43Z")
> [@Wolverine](#): > > I also haven’t heard if my Virtual Console and WiiWare games will transfer over. I thought I heard that had already been confirmed. Can’t find a link though. I’d be really surprised if they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/53 "2012-09-13T15:36:19Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I thought I heard that had already been confirmed. Can’t find a link though. I’d be really surprised if they didn’t. I looked at Wikipedia [WiiU](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiiu) page and apparently it was confirmed in the Japanese event earlier today that a system transfer will be possible. Nintendo had announced at E3 that 2 GamePads could be used simultaneously (also in the wiki article). ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/54 "2012-09-13T20:26:48Z")
Since I was 6, I’ve only had Nintendo consoles. From the NES to the 3DS XL, it’s all been Nintendo. I’m a HUGE Mario and Zelda fan. It’s sad, but for once I think I might be hesitant to blindly follow the company that’s been a big part of my life. I’m totally not sold on the Wii U and want to wait for the competition to reveal their products and game libraries before making any kind of decision. I think Wii U dropped the ball. Actually, it all started with the Wii, which has two of my favorite games on it, (Galaxy 1 & 2), but also had massive game droughts and little 3rd party support. I didn’t mind “casual games”, but there were only a few of them which were quality experiences. Speaking of casual… I doubt Nintendo will have as much success with casual players do to the price of the Wii U. Grandma’s probably not going to buy one. Core gamers could just buy a X-Box or PS3 which are capable and already have a huge library to choose from. No, you wont get the tablet… but I really don’t find the tablet all that important for game experiences… at least not yet. If I have a PS3 or a 360, I would probably NOT consider a Wii U at all. Wii U TVii looks great btw. It’s not a system seller, but it’s pretty cool. I really DO want my Mario and Zelda. I’ve been vocal about the New Super Mario Bros. series not being the what I’m looking for, but I must say that the Wii U version looks amazing. I wouldn’t be able to afford Wii U at launch anyway. It just breaks my heart that, if I DID have the money for one, I would still wait. I really think Nintendo’s in trouble. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/55 "2012-09-13T21:12:32Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Does the console support more than one tablet controller at a time? That was big question before. Yes, it supports 2. Though no games in the first six months will have support for it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/56 "2012-09-13T21:48:08Z")
Since I’m a sucker for Zelda I probably will get one if and when a Zelda game is made for it. And knowing Nintendo’s pace of putting out new Zelda titles it will probably be Fall of 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/57 "2012-09-13T22:28:42Z")
Incredibly underwhelming. Very limited launch game selection for what is essentially a souped up Wii. I suspect this will be another Virtual Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/58 "2012-09-13T23:07:32Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Incredibly underwhelming. Very limited launch game selection for what is essentially a souped up Wii. I suspect this will be another Virtual Boy. Limited? The selection of games is not eye-poppingly awesome, I’ll grant you that, but 21 Wii U games will be released on launch day. That is the exact opposite of limited. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/59 "2012-09-14T00:18:25Z")
Is it more powerful than the PS3 and 360? Will its graphical capabilities rival the PS4 and next Xbox or is it more or less even with the current PS3 and Xbox? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654/60 "2012-09-14T00:48:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is it more powerful than the PS3 and 360? Will its graphical capabilities rival the PS4 and next Xbox or is it more or less even with the current PS3 and Xbox? It’s more powerful than the PS3 and Xbox 360, but it’s unlikely to rival the PS4 or Xbox 720. Though it might since we know less than zero about those two systems right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nintendo-wii-u/584654.md?page=4)