210°

Why the Wii U Doesn't Get It

With the recent release of Nintendo’s Wii U, much has been made of the company’s continued disinterest in the importance of graphics, even this late in the game. The Wii U, while not a particularly underpowered machine, is not a forward-thinking device. Nintendo, perfectly satisfied with releasing dated technology that is supposedly comparable to the aging Xbox 360 and PS3, continuously writes off the fact that graphics matter to gamers. Whether you’re a retro gamer or someone who obsesses over plant tesselation, graphics are an important component of video games that shouldn’t be ignored.

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tehpees34168d ago

The irony behind this article is Nintendo used to make some of the most graphically advanced systems.

MegaLagann4168d ago

Shh, no one remembers the SNES, N64 and Gamecube.

fossilfern4168d ago

THANK YOU! I have been saying this for a while! People have forgotten how powerful the SNES, N64 and GC were.

Moncole4168d ago

Many people started gaming this gen and think Nintendo always made weak systems because of the Wii.

Yi-Long4168d ago

... both in terms of 1st party games as well as 3rd party game.

The problem started ofcourse with the N64 and continued with the Cube and Wii, in that there just wasnt enough quality 3rd party support across all the 'core' genres, so many of these systems lacked a nice library of serious race games, sports games, shooters, etc etc.

Not sure what to make of the WiiU. I had high hopes when Nintendo announced they were aiming to please both the core as well as the casula gamers, but so far I don't feel they delivered on that promise, and most of the recent news has been disappointing, from launch-games being disappointing, to 5GB updates, to system-locked accounts, etc etc.

Not in a hurry to pick it up. I doubt I'll ever will, which is a real shame, cause I'm sure it will have some quality releases.

bothebo4168d ago

Maybe you have forgotten that Nintendo completely changed their marketing and development strategy?

guitarded774168d ago

I picked mine up yesterday with about 20 other buyers in line. The interesting thing was all buyers were mid 20's - early 40's core gamers. I think most core gamers own every piece of hardware they can afford, and understand it's all about the gameplay experiences. I'm a computer scientist (glamorous title I know), but I could give two poops about specs... I'm concerned with games. All that said, I do have a few "not likes" about the Wii U after spending 12 straight hours with it yesterday, but the "likes" far outweigh them.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4168d ago
Godmars2904168d ago

They made 8 and 16 bit systems. That is all. That is all there needed to be really.

KenAdamsNSA4168d ago

And all of them weren't used to their potential by anyone but Nintendo. That's not their fault necessarily, but it speaks volumes about their timing and the way they view the industry.

DrVosknocker4168d ago

Wrong...Actually Rare did, and they always beat Nintendo on technical prowess (although Yoshi's Island was pretty sweet). BTW, I used to be a Nintendo fan, til Wii and Wii U...

DrVosknocker4168d ago

The Disagrees are from young or uninformed gamers...donn't forget NES..also for all the disagrees. Go watch old Nintendo ads! They're catch phrase was Nintendo Power! and they always talked about their power.

jmc88884168d ago

"Now you're playing with POWWWWEEERR!!!!"

eagle214168d ago

The sad part about these noob gamers is they don't understand why Nintendo sells so much. They think of Wii Fit and not Link To the Past. pfffft!!!

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4168d ago
NYC_Gamer4168d ago

Wii-U is only for those who enjoy Nintendo first party software..

Venoxn4g4168d ago

I'll just enjoy all good software :)

Deku-Johnny4168d ago (Edited 4168d ago )

Wii U is for those who enjoy everything gaming has to offer instead of just 'core' titles.

KenAdamsNSA4168d ago

I thought the Wii U was Nintendo's attempt to appeal to those very "core" gamers?

4168d ago
Trago13374168d ago

i usually don't care for console graphics, because i already have a PC, but do Nintendo's art styles REALLY need bleeding edge tech? i mean, sure, third party devs are potentially screwed, but nintendo games end up looking amazing. Look at the Mario galaxy games.

the way i see it, if you only plan on owning a Wii U next gen, may God bless your soul, but if you're really getting hung up on graphics, then get a PC, you'll have the best graphics ALWAYS.

it's like console gamers care about graphics, but don't care at the same time. if you're gonna have all the systems, or at least two systems next gen, and you know you're not getting multiplats on the Wii U when the others come out, why do you care in the first place?

i'd like to know please.

Venoxn4g4168d ago (Edited 4168d ago )

my next gen will be with PC & Wii U and maybe PS4 if the games will be good on it.. but Wii U & PC in the first place

I'm not a graphics maniac, thats good.. I always laugh when I see comments, that on x console are better shaders, on y console better shadows.. but mostly game looks the same on each.. for me Wii U graphics will be enough, for me actually PS2 graphics level is alright, I even love retro games.. but mostly I am a console gamer, not PC, but I love indie games on PC :) I hope I answered your question.. or maybe not :D cheers :)

btw Nintendo games..yea, for me even there are better looking games on Wii than on HD consoles, they are soo colorful, art style, music and everything else.. I hope Wii U will get lots of exclusives from 1st, 2nd & 3rd parties great games.. plus I wish luck to Sony (not Microsoft) :D

Trago13374168d ago (Edited 4168d ago )

yeah, i plan on owning all the systems next gen. i'll get the majority of my multiplats on PC, not unless there's exclusive content on one of the console version, like AC3. I'll have all the exclusive games on each of the consoles, it's a win win situation.

and yeah, even if you don't game on PC, most people who visit this site will own multiple consoles, so it's still a win win situation. even if the Wii U had better tech in it than it does now, i STILL wouldn't care, i rarely buy multiplats on nintendo platforms anyhow.

Venoxn4g4166d ago

edit to my comment :)

I wish luck to PC, console and handhelds, but not to smartphone gaming, because it is killing proper gaming

dark-hollow4168d ago (Edited 4168d ago )

Nintendo cannot afford to get into a pissing fight with giants like Microsoft and Sony.

Gaming is their bread and butter and if they sold a mega powerful expensive console at a loss and nobody bought it they are in deep shit. Not like Sony or ms who can rely on their other departments to ease the loss and push the console till it breaks even.

They know what they are doing and they know people buy their systems for their exclusives. There is a reason why they still in the hardware business for more than anyone else while Atari and Sega failed miserably.

Captain Qwark 94168d ago (Edited 4168d ago )

well to be fair at the moment sony cant even afford to piss in a bathroom because they can barely afford the rent and yet they are making it work

Kalowest4168d ago

@dark-hollow

Captain Qwark 9 is right about Sony. Nintendo is worth more than them right now. If Apple or MS felt like buying out Sony they could sadly.

KenAdamsNSA4168d ago

I don't think Nintendo is in as bad a financial crisis as you think... :/

Deku-Johnny4168d ago

All of Sony's departments are in big trouble, if their gaming department goes down they can't rely on other departments in fact even if Sony's gaming department is successful next gen there probably won't be a PS5/6. Nintendo could afford to make huge losses for the next few generations and still be able to make consoles.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4168d ago
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80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1015d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref4d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde4d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19724d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21834d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai5d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref4d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan4d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0073d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref4d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde4d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19724d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier4d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto4d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

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Hofstaderman4d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts4d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts3d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel11d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8810d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing10d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS10d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder10d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218310d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.