Nintendo is again playing catch-up. Microsoft's been working with TV content providers for years to build out its media center experience, while this is all new ground for Nintendo. TVii could prove to be an extremely powerful service -- the GamePad's built-in screen and IR blaster make it a potentially perfect universal remote -- but the Wii U's launch has shown Nintendo struggling with the demands of designing an HD console.
That could affect Nintendo TVii, too. Overall, the launch of the Wii U was met with mixed reviews. Let's take a look at reactions to the Wii U, what Nintendo got right and what Nintendo got wrong. It's rare for brand-new pieces of technology to be perfect at launch, and the Wii U is no exception.
All of the console's online features were enabled in a large day-one software patch that took many users hours to download. The president of Nintendo even apologized for the inconvenience [source: Joystiq ]. Critics have also pointed out that the Wii U's operating system performs slowly and can take several seconds to browse from one menu to another.
The GamePad has been criticized for its resistive touchscreen, which lacks multitouch capabilities, and for its short battery life of only three to five hours. The GamePad comes with a separate charger for recharging its battery , which means the Wii U requires two separate power plugs in your home. The deluxe console does ship with a charging cradle for the GamePad to make charging the device slightly more convenient.
While many launch games aren't especially creative with the GamePad controller, that may change over the lifetime of the console -- it truly is the Wii U's most defining and important feature. The Wii U's external hard drive support is a blessing and a curse. Expandable storage will be cheap compared to the proprietary hard drives Microsoft requires for the Xbox , but it will also almost certainly be a necessity. Even the Deluxe Wii U's 32GB of storage is relatively small, especially considering Nintendo now offers full downloadable games via the eShop.
Launch title "Tekken Tag Tournament 2" takes up nearly 17 gigabytes of storage [source: Siliconera]. Writers also criticized the convoluted transfer process of original Wii content to the Wii U and the system's backwards compatibility, which launches into "Wii Mode" to play old Wii games.
Worst of all, Wii Mode only supports MB of storage -- the amount available in the original Wii -- meaning all the Wii U's extra space is worthless when it comes to old Wii games [source: Kohler].
The good news is that most of the Wii U's issues can be improved. Nintendo can make the operating system faster. Its missing features, like Nintendo TVii, will arrive post-launch. And if developers put their minds to it, they may create some incredibly unique games with the functionality of the GamePad. The Wii U has the potential to change gaming like the Wii did, but at launch it's not quite there yet. As a longtime Nintendo fan, I hope that the Wii U turns out to be a great device.
Nintendo changed the gaming world with the Wii in , but after a few years, the console's outdated hardware caught up to it. Since the Nintendo 64, Nintendo has struggled to find good third-party support while delivering great games of its own. The Wii U launch is essentially a great proof-of-concept.
Now Nintendo has to deliver with great games and software improvements. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Video Game Systems. How the Wii U Works. The Wii U Console " ". Wii U GamePad " ". Nintendo is hoping that the GamePad will be a big draw for consumers. The new controller is the primary thing that sets Wii U apart from other consoles.
Wii U Games " ". Nintendo is hoping to chip away at Microsoft's share of the console-as-entertainment-hub market by offering apps for Netflix and Hulu Plus. Reactions to the Wii U Launch " ". Sources Burns, Matt. It Might Be Something Better. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed. This gets even more frustrating when a 1. Contrast that with my consoles and PC getting a 30gb DL rate and a 25gb game taking about 12 minutes to fully come through, and the lack of Ethernet port is even more frustrating.
So; I send it to warranty repair. Nintendo, being a cheap company, sends my unit to a 3rd service repair shop somewhere in Chatsworth, CA. To be fair, the system came back super fast. With a replaced PCB and everything. Did it fix the problem? Not at all. Sending it back in again to get them to deal with Error Code Selling old hardware in a shiny package for a profit.
Cutting corners on Ethernet ports on a console and then having limited wifi access is too much. I want them to succeed, I hope they win me back. Thanks for letting me vent. Not trying to Troll. This is some frustrating shit. And this company needs to get their hardware act right and stop being cheap. TVii will disappear for good on August 11th, but you'll still be able to watch streaming video content from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and others even without the service.
And that TV button on the GamePad? Well, you'll still be able to use it to change the volume and channel, if that's any consolation. Subscribe to get the best Verge-approved tech deals of the week.
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