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So it's probably easier to judge by the frames per second and resolutions outputted by its games. But then that’s difficult too given that ports of Darksiders 2, Batman: Arkham City and others are just that, ports. Therefore they aren’t necessarily coded to push the Wii U in the way it was designed to be pushed.
At least we should be able to rely on Nintendo to max-out its own hardware yet, for now, that hasn’t happened. No doubt the world will seem a little sunnier the day the first footage of a high definition Legend of Zelda, Star Fox or Mario Galaxy is released. But, so far, how the Wii U’s specs will measure up when PS4 and Xbox ‘nextbox’ appear remains hard to ascertain.
Five alive
Multiplayer with alternate pads
Sonically there are more questions. No Dolby support and no optical output means that, unless your set-up supports LPCM 5.1 via a HD cable, you can forget about hooking the Wii U up to your surround sound system. If yours does, then lossless sound is your reward, but even then it’s not the whole story.
Some games such as Batman Arkham City, ZombiU, and Black Ops 2 (and note they are all third party titles) support 5.1; but Nintendo Land and Mario Bros. U don't.
I can just about forgive that of a 2D platformer and mini-game collection, but Nintendo must step it up. If a new Zelda launches without 5.1 then what point is there in Nintendo coming to the HD party at all?
Put it on the tab
Verdict
There’s no doubt that the Wii U is pushing the boundaries of how users interact with games. Asymmetric gameplay is hopefully here to stay and seeing our Nintendo heroes in HD for the first time is a watershed moment. But then there are those simple design shortfalls too, such as the GamePad's relatively short battery life, the lack of a universally compatible 5.1 option and the absence of Wii upscaling.
What purchasers will receive, however, is the knowledge that they’ll be able to play new Nintendo games for the foreseeable future. And when put like that, £300, or thereabouts, seems a more than reasonable outlay. ®
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COMMENTS
Re: 80% ???
It's not about the number of points, it's about their weighting.
This is not a hardcore gaming machine - to 99% of this console's target market the lack of 5.1 surround on 2D Mario is not going to be an equal negative to, say, the positive of playing on the pad while the TV is in use.
I've had almost every console since the Megadrive, and the Wii has been a storming success with various members of my family who have never even uttered the word 'graphics'. This is the target market, and I know they will love the gamepad, the ergonomics, the style of games, etc.
Er
I think I missed half of the review. This seems to basically be a rundown of the hardware features, which you could've done the day it came out, or even from a hardware preview. Any experiences of actually playing asymmetrically (quotation marks not needed)? Or really of playing anything at all? Other than the sound technology the games use?
Moving backwards
"I brought the WII for its innovative controls, at the time it was the only way to really get off the sofa and enjoy a game, and it is great fun with a few mates and beers, or with the kids.. this seems to be moving back towards sitting on the sofa playing games..."
That was, pretty much, my first thoughts on the WiiU.
I had considered one as an "upgrade" to the Wii, but as it appears that the thing has to be rebooted in some kind of low resolution compatibility mode to play legacy Wii Games there seems little point, and I see little attraction with the Game Pad.
The original Wii offered something different to the siiting-on-your-arse-twiddling-your-thumbs "traditional" gameplay, which is why people bought into it. This does seem a step backwards and while the Game Pad is different, it doesn't have that "Hey, Wow, want one!!" appeal I felt when I first saw the original Wii in action.
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