The Wii U Launch: Or How If You Find Pleasure in a Console Doing Poorly, Then Get Out of My Hobby.

SuperPhillip Central writes, "The Wii U launched yesterday, and I don't know or care how well the sales are. That isn't the point of this article. The point of this article is to once again shake my head at the reaction and response of so-called gamers, and how so many of them appear to be an embarrassment to this hobby. Take this upcoming rant as a companion piece to my article talking about how if gamers want the video game industry to grow up, they need to grow up first, which funnily enough was another rant. Hopefully this upcoming rant is as welcomed to read as my other. No promises, though. As always, feel free to agree or disagree.

I have been perusing message boards and comment sections (yes, a folly of mine, I know) about the reaction towards the Wii U launch. Let's face it, the launch is one of the worst in recent memory..."

[Akuma-]

there are a lot of silly fanboys of all sides but there needs to be common sense to reign with peoples gripes.

most of wii u games i would never buy or look at if they were on xbox 360, ps3 or pc so i see no reason to buy a so-called next gen system to play these games. ive played quite of few of the wii u games and they are less than the standards of the quality of hd consoles this gen. ive experienced slow downs, stuttering, degradation in graphics and audio hiccups in a few games with some being ports from games ive already played a while ago on xbox. there shouldnt be any excuses because 7 year old consoles are running the same sort of games with better performance with higher graphics quality.

most playstation fanboys hate nintendo because they make weak and shoddy hardware with low grade tech games and a lot of nintendo fanboys hate playstation because they make powerful cutting edge hardware with technological advance games. nintendo makes a more simplified version of games and a lot of people often praise them for being problem free of issues but drawing a stick figure of the human body isnt as detailed as drawing an actual picture of the human body. gaming is my hobby also so i wont support less than standard quality for a premium. the quality of the wii u and games are lower than todays standards so it should be cheaper than xbox 360 and the games should be cheaper. i dont know how one can justify or apologise for shoddy products that suppose to be next gen but are weaker in all aspects than the gen of products before it.

wii u is suppose to be next gen and its not a handheld console. its not an improvement over current gen and its not even up to this gen judging by games and features. the games would be acceptable in the portable gaming arena where theyd be above or of the same level but in the console arena they are lower than the standard offering

[lashes2ashes]

You seem to have a problem with what is a generation it has nothing to do with power or graphics. Sony could release a system next year with ps1 graphics and it would be considered next gen. Generations are a time span. Plus the devs creating wii u games have only been working on them for at most a year. Kinda of silly to expect the games to right off the bat look like uncharted or anything. Just look at the first ps3 or 360 games they barely looked better than ps2 games

[bicfitness]

If any other company, in any other electronics manufacturing business was to release the sort of hardware cobbled together out of 6-7 year old parts like Nintendo has for two generations now, post-GC era, they would be bankrupt. It is the strength of the Nintendo IPs alone that allows them to act with such impertinence as they do. I don't think that this will work in Nintendo's favour in today's market when the average tablet (Google Nexus 10) can run circles around their device. The specs are leaking out, the teardowns have been done and we're looking at a lower memory bandwidth, gimped CPU, slightly better GPU Xbox 360 with a fancy controller. Period. That is the reality.

Even Apple, finally, started releasing competitive up to snuff hardware. They've even upped their release cycle to every 6 months just because they're starting to feel the heat. Consumers, even if they're not getting wiser, are getting more tech saavy. They can tell the difference between the latest smartphone and a Wii U and they're going to simply ask "why" once the initial rush of Nintendo fans purchase the system.

[darthv72]

that those who have been gaming since either the ps1 or ps2 days are the ones that need to be catered to.

Let alone there was a whole world of systems prior to 1995 that mustered up the support of gamers around the globe and did so without this selfish entitlement attitude.

Sorry if Im 'old' but I have been there from the beginning and I know what is and is not the right way to be when you call yourself a gamer. So far, since the ps2 and xbox we have simply perpetuated the idea that gaming isnt for everyone. Oddly enough, going back to the pong and 2600 days, it wasnt kids playing, it was people of all ages and skills. Especially considering the expense of this hobby then as compared to now.

Somewhere in between, we forgot what it was like to just play a game. To just enjoy the passing of time while working to rank up the score. Games became more work than play when goals were introduced. Like rescuing the princess in SMB or collecting the triforce in zelda.

So when the games became more and more complex there was a withdraw of everyone else and what was left were the diehard players. Those who played the games and the systems and didnt bicker about one extra pixel on screen or loading times.

I would imagine that is where the self proclaimed 'core' gamer came from. Core is derived from the term hardcore and to earn that designation you were someone that played pretty much anything. you were so dedicated to the hobby that any game on any system that came out...you had to have.

Such a turn of events these last 15+ years. Now i understand that you dont NEED to have all to be a hardcore gamer but you do NEED to have AND show respect to others who are taking part in this craft. We are all on the same side here and so many just let this so called 'fanboyism' cloud their head to where they just dont have fun anymore.

Nintendo saved this hobby in the 80's and tried to save it again recently with the wii. By save i mean re-establish gaming as an entertainment platform that all kinds of people can play. Maybe that is what has the 'core' so pissed at the state of gaming. That there is so much being done to bring back the fun and not enough to cater to "them" like they feel it should be.

I personally have the experience to say i have seen the good side and have witnessed the dark ugliness progress and now am watching that ugliness turn into something even worse.

Nintendo isnt out to change the world, they just want to give it back what its needed for such a long time. Their foot was in the door with the wii, god forbid they make games fun again with the wii-u.

[MsmackyM]

@darthv72 I couldn't have said it better myself. There have to be risk takers in business and Nintendo has been there since the beginning.

[Imalwaysright]

"Just look at the first ps3 or 360 games they barely looked better than ps2 games" That is a lie. My last PS2 game was GOW2. My 1st PS3 game was Motorstorm and let me tell you right now that graphics wise Motorstorm shits on GoW2 or any PS2/GC/Xbox game. There is no comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (arguably the best looking game on the most powerful console from last gen)

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Besides lets cut the crap here PS3 and 360 are SEVEN years old. Tech wise those things are ancient. I personally am going to get a WiiU for Zelda or hopefully a Pokemon RPG but the WiiU could and should be able to easily be able outperform both the 360 and PS3 right out of the box.

[chrisarsenalsavart]

Ps3 launch games looked much better tban anything on ps2
Motorstorm, resistance, heavenly sword....etc

Wiiu is not a revolution but i agree on the controller side of things it s quiet an evolution.

Can you imagine playing zelda and metroid with that pad?
Wiiu will do just fine .

[Imalwaysright]

@ darthv72 Fun is relative from person to person. Personally what makes gaming fun to me its mainly the challenge so obviously im not too fond of every game being dumbed down for everyone to be able to pick up a controller and play any game and why should i be? I started gaming when games used to be challenging and that is what i like. Besides i would argue that the whole industry and not just Nintendo is guilty of that at the rate games are being dumbed down for the sake of the casuals.

When devs had passion for the industry they used to make games for us the hardcore. Now devs/publishers only care about money and for that they have to cater to the casuals that have much less standards than the hardcore. The result was the current gen wich imo is by far the worst gen in pretty much every way possible.

[Tapioca Cold]

No, I disagree. We all know what 'next-gen' means here. Don't start getting technical with your courtroom bullcrap about what a 'next-gen' console is. We already know what it is, and if you don't know, MS and SONY are gonna show you next year. BOO-YA!!!

[Kingthrash360]

Good point, now explain that to all thos vita reviewers who view it as a home console and not a handheld, and please repeat the in its first year statement for them too. Because thos people are lost right now on what to expect from it. Also I felt that the wiiu was a this gen console myself but u have a point, gen is a time period and this is nintendo's next gen console. Well spoken my friend.

[Phil32]

1) Speaking of apologize and justifying, you seem to be trying to justify the sophomoric behavior of gamers. That isn't what the point of the article is about, and justification just makes it seem like it is okay to act like a totally immature person like most people on message boards are acting like. I'm sure this article will not be liked as it calls out the types of people that frequent and comment on N4G. I don't name any particular message board or place, however. It's simply a particular sect of gamers in general I have a problem with, an especially immature group that loves companies failures and not the well being of the industry they are supposed to like.

2) I was hoping you had more to say than ".." I guess you were editing what you wanted to say fully. Thanks for that.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

If Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo win guess who else wins? gamers.
People need to realise that the competition helps to make your console of choice a better system.

[SuperShyGuy]

Just want to point out the Nintendo has NOT always made "weak and shoddy hardware" in fact up into Wii they had always been in the middle SNES was stronger than Genesis, N64 was stronger than PS1, GameCube was stronger than PS2.

Also no Nintendo console was shoddyly made those things are pretty much indestructible more so than any Sony console.

With handhelds Nintendo figured out no one will buy it if it's too high no matter how much better it was.
Even if it was a handheld console like the TurboExpress and the Sega Nomad

[Summons75]

ummmm is this article serious right now? This guy needs to get out of our hobby

[Phil32]

EDIT: In all seriousness, could you please explain yourself? What do you have a problem with exactly? Thanks.

[Summons75]

how is telling people to stop gaming because of a few MINOR things a system has and people that enjoy the system can over look a few negatives for all the positives....NO launch of ANYTHING has ever gone smoothly. 360 - rrod , Ps3 -ylod, Wii- idiots who don't know how to use a wrist strap. Telling people to stop their hobby because unlike you they actually appreciate the games and the system despite it's flaws is asinine. if YOU don't like a system then don't buy it, play attention to it or even talk about it simple as that. just because YOU seem to think a few MINOR things means the entire system is a failure dose NOT mean that it is.

[MattS]

Haha, @summons75, you should probably try reading a story before commenting on it.

Phil wasn't telling people not to buy the Wii U because of a few flaws. He was telling idiots to stop gloating over the Wii U's flaws.

[PraxxtorCruel]

Have the best of all 3 worlds. Why stoop down so low as to want a rival company to go under?

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

Agreed.
Especially since each console offers something different.

[Perjoss]

"Just buy all 3 consoles"

this^

[deletingthis34675334]

Too old for this fanboy s***. I am 24 not 11 so no I don't find pleasure in a console doing poorly. Whether or not I will buy a Wii U is undecided. Right now there is no Wii U game I am interested in playing. I would like a Zelda game, but I want Nintendo to deliver more than just focus on their common franchises which pretty much boils down to Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Super Smash Bros., and I am hoping third parties will support it as much as Nintendo wanted.

[XB1_PS4]

I agree, Wii U is undecided for me for now. What happened to the magic of Nintendo creating new franchises that last lifetimes? I need something like that.

Except, unlike you, I'm still in the prime of life at the meer age of 22.

[n4f]

so its seems that at 24y-o you get old and unpleasent

[The_Klank]

I remember as a kid having a NES and a friend having a Genesis, there was always simple jokes between us of Mario vs Sonic or Nintendo vs Sega, it was all harmless fun because at the end of the day I'd give him my Nes and he'd give me his Genesis and we had the best of both worlds.

Nowadays with this new craze called the Internet people are more then happy to go further then simple jokes to flat out insults with no remorse or fear of 'real life' actions. Like a wedgie.

Its sad but I think we are past the point of trying to make this industry grow up. With the new generations of gamers comes with them the flaws of current ones.

[rainslacker]

I've often said the same thing about the good ol' days. The major difference there though was that that guy was still your friend, and that friendship was more important than brand loyalty. I do miss those days though, because with the internet it seems people don't want to be friends anymore.

[The_Klank]

I should clarify, we became friends because of our love of gaming. Still are today. But I totally get what you are saying, I miss those days to.

[rainslacker]

You must be a young'in then. Only game out when I met my friend at the time was Pong, and a few color computers from Tandy and Commodore.:) Had a TRS-80 myself. Then the golden age of pitfall on the Atari 2600. Good times.

[TheUndertaker85]

Sorry some gamers don't feel like they need to own multiple consoles to be considered gamers.

Sorry some gamers see pluses in the consoles they do actually own compared to the ones they don't.

Sorry some consumers want to be informed about what they're buying, regardless if what they're reading is positive or not.

Sorry some gamers won't put on their happy faces for any product that comes out on the market, keeping the negatives of said product to themselves.

The worst part? I'm sorry that some gamers seem to believe that just because you own one console and know why you do it automatically makes you a "troll".

I own two PS3s and one Vita. I know the positives I get from those systems and what value it brings me. So sorry that I also see negatives in the other consoles and know why they aren't for me.

But hey, why should consumers worry about what's good for them?

Again, so sorry I don't share your views about the WiiU or even the Xbox 360 and when I see negative things happening with those systems I feel inclined to inform potential purchasers of said systems about these negatives, again, just to be labeled as a troll for pointing out problems with those systems that could effect said product, in cases rendering them useless. This isn't just about one system either.

And PS: Sorry to burst the bubble that everybody that owns only one system is a troll. Not everybody has the money to blow on three different consoles though and not all of those that do will buy all three because there's more perks for them in one system over another.

[morganfell]

Suddenly everyone is too old for this. Piling on the PS3 is fine but now that its Nintendo's turn in the box it's suddenly evil to exercise such attitudes.

Don't get me wrong, I am against all of this crap but it's amazing to see the sheer volume of PS3 fail articles over the years here with defenders being labeled blind Sony fanboys. Suddenly Nintendo has a few minor yet very real issues and its captain journalist to the rescue and everyone falls in line calling for an end to attack articles. The next time the PS3 or Vita gets lambasted, and that will happen in 3...2...1, I fully expect to see everyone in this thread posting how they are too old for this silly fanboy crap.

[BitbyDeath]

Well said morganfell, i agree 100%

[The_Klank]

I get you, but this isn't just about the WiiU, for me specifically when I wrote that comment I was talking about the Gaming Industry as a whole. Pm me if you'd like to respond.

[CGI-Quality]

Nail. On. The. Head. Though the article does make it apparent that it happens more than to just the WiiU. ;)

[MattS]

Nah bro. People that pile on Sony's difficulties are idiots as well.

As this article actually says.

Does anyone at N4G actually read the fucking articles before bitching about them these days?

[Phil32]

If some of you actually, y'know, read the article, you'd know it was just using the Wii U as an example. This is talking about wanting any important platform in the industry to fail. Talk about living up to your reputation, some of you N4G users... :P

@TheUndertaker You DO realize there's a difference between not being able to own more than one console, telling people not to get it, and wanting it to fail, right? Doesn't look like it to me. :/

"This isn't just about one system either."

That's why you should have read the article... It isn't just about the Wii U... :/

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

horrid title..

[Thepcz]

I dont know why people are so quick to rubbish the wiiu tech.

i dont know why people are so sure sony or microsoft are going to come with super advanced systems next gen.

I do know sony basically flushed their entire gaming division down the toilet in a wave of debt after being extravagant with the ps3 tech, now vita.

are sony really going to make the same mistake again?

i wouldn't be surprised if their next gen offering isn't what people are expecting.

we have to remember the world, well, the west at least is in a terrible economic climate. not a great time to launch expensive consumer tech.

historically, gaming tech has always advanced forward, but nintendo demonstrated with wii that in these times, advances other than graphics can be made, which is both economically viable and delivers something new to the consumer.

this idea that its all about the graphics is oldskool really. 80s. we wont be playing photo realistic virtual reality games, and we arent driving hover cars. not any time soon, anyway.

wiiu continues the trend of true forward thinking tech.

[Ippiki Okami]

"historically, gaming tech has always advanced forward, but nintendo demonstrated with wii that in these times, advances other than graphics can be made, which is both economically viable and delivers something new to the consumer."

Funny thing you just said considering I just saw on my local news cast that the reason console/game sales have declined is because,"most have gone to mobile phone and tablet gaming." This proves that the "casual gamers" nintendo brought in with that lame wii have left console gaming. The industry can not rely on nintendo and its "gaming is for everyone" mentality. Casuals only want simple games with simple gameplay rather than complex stories,characters or gameplay. The decline of game sales now is proof that the wii had a negative impact on console gaming.

[chadboban]

Sadly this sort of behavior is not going anywhere anytime soon. The thing is, I don't have a problem with all fanboys, if your absolutely crazy for Nintendo or Sony, then feel free to love em all you want, there's nothing wrong with that. What I do have a problem with is fanboys that feel the need to bash on each other and their preferences like kids in a playground arguing over who has the better toy.

The sad part is that we all grew up playing video games and we all love video games yet we feel the need to fight each other simply because of what platforms we choose to game on. I kinda wish we could be better as a community and put all the fanboy shit aside. That, however, is just a crazy dream.

[MegaLagann]

I never get why people would want Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo to leave the hardware business. Competition creates success and no competition creates complacency. Whenever there's competition, the consumer always benefits from it, so why do people feel the need to by happy when a company does poorly?

[Dark_king]

I have enjoyed watching several systems fail.Its the failures that me learn the most from.Its the failures that inspire the company to try harder to succeed with their next system.Though don't get me wrong I don't want to see any company leave.Okay I wouldn't mind MS leaving I just don't like them.I might if they actually made their online free,an didn't ruin great developers.Poor Rare I wish they were free to make anything they wanted.

[Kingthrash360]

I like this article feels lika real gamer wrote it, not some prick trying to cause a fire. I own all consoles Except the wiiU, (i Will get it later) I put a lot of money in my hobby so I don't want any of my consoles or handhelds to do bad or fail.... moment of silence for the dreamcast..................... . The gaming world is at war with true gamers and people who own 1 console and think they are true gamers. Not to say you need more than one to be a true gamer but I'm referring to the people(for example) who hate Xbox just because they only have a playstation or vice versa. Real gamers would drool over the games on Xbox and hope to get one someday. These people are growing in numbers and are killing the fun of gaming by bringing drama to a hobby that supposed to help you escape the drama... Smh

[TheSaint]

I've never like Nintendo, doesn't mean I want them to fail. But most people like or dislike most things. Just because I've always considered Ninty to be for kids doesn't make it so.