141 out of 161(88%)reviewers recommend this product.
Product Reviews
Overall rating
5/ 5
Performance
5/ 5
Value
4/ 5
Functionality
4/ 5
Honuun
Age:18-24
Did you buy this product for yourself or someone else?For me
Faith Restored.
PostedMay 12, 2013
I have been a Nintendo freak since I was a wee lad. NES was my first console ever - the console that turned me into the raging gamer I am today! Up to the Gamecube. I was still in love with their products until the Wii happened. It was like a nightmare gone worse. I loved LoZ:TP, Mario Galaxy, SSMB, and LoZ:SS.... thats it. Four games. PLUS the console had limited memory and the graphics looked pretty bad on an HDTV. I was really disappointed. So much so that I was VERY skeptic about the WiiU. However I gave in and I do not regret it at all. I love the network, I love the was the console still doesn't overheat no matter how much I play, I absolutely adore the graphics , and the games are so far pretty legit. Playing a console game half way across the house on the controller... whaaaat? Yes! I'm digging Scribblenauts, Zombi U, Nintendo Land, and Injustice (which looks crisp clear) I am also waiting anxiously for LoZ:WW HD, Pikmin, Watchdogs, and Raymand Legends! To top it off, just found out SSB WiiU and Mario 3D WiiU is confirmed. That is 10 games right off the bat! I am loving Nintendo again - its like the reconciliation I never thought would happen. So guys I say Give WiiU a chance! You will be impressed!
Did you buy this product for yourself or someone else?For me
Good hardware, inefficient software
PostedApril 29, 2013
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Wii U Dashboard
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Wii to Wii U transfer failure in the final step
Pros: Small and beautiful design, quiet disc drive, Good management of heat, Lots of features, Gamepad is very responsive and feels good in your hands, Gamepad display is surprisingly sharp, Miiverse and Nintendo Network are both easy and fun to use, Ability to buy full retail games digitally, Lots of options for expanding storage
Cons: Day 1 update is required for backwards compatibility and many other features, Some networking issues, Absurd loading times between menus, Occasional lockup, Convoluted system transfer process, Risk of losing save data in the system transfer process, Bloated OS, Amount of space available for users is deceiving, SD cards can't hold Wii U related content
It's that time again! Console makers are either talking about or releasing their new systems. The next generation is here and Nintendo is the first one on the field with the Wii U. It manages to pack a considerable amount of power into a small space and is leaps and bounds better than the original Wii launched in 2006. Wii U manages to address complaints surrounding its predecessor, but while it is a nice system, it is not perfect.
The console itself looks like a longer Wii with rounded edges and buttons. It's meant to sit horizontally, like later models of the Wii, but it can work vertically with the feet included with the Deluxe version. Under the front flap, you'll find the SD card port and two USB ports. In the back, you have an HDMI port, two additional USB ports, sensor bar port, power port, and then the standard component/composite port. The setup will be very familiar to those who owned Nintendo's previous console.
One of the big selling points behind the Wii U is the new controller, dubbed the Gamepad. It might look like a heavy component in pictures, but it is surprisingly light. Compared to an Xbox 360 controller, it isn't much heavier. The analog sticks are comfortable to use and getting to the D-pad or ABXY buttons under them is fairly hassle-free thanks to clever spacing and shallow grips on the backside.
While the shallow grips do make buttons easier to access, it may make the controller feel a bit awkward to newcomers. The Gamepad doesn't seem to fit as well to my hands as the Gamecube or Wii Classic Controllers do, but this will probably fade as I get more experience with the console.
Speakers are located on both sides of the controller, along with volume control on the top and a headset jack. For those worrying about how images look on the touch screen, the images are brighter and sharper than you would think. It obviously isn't going to look as good as what's being displayed on a 1080p television, but the screen provides a fantastic scaled down image that should be satisfactory for most. What makes this better is how responsive the touch screen is, despite using older technology.
When you first power up your Wii U, you're brought through the standard setup procedures that you would go through with most other modern consoles – set up the date, time, first user, and network settings. After this is done, you're prompted to get the Day 1 update. If you choose not to, your Wii U won't do much aside from play Wii U games.
This is where some issues begin to arise with the Wii U. While the box says 8GB or 32GB of memory, the operating system cuts directly into that amount. With the 8GB model, you're going to have around 3GB to actually work with when all is said and done. When I finished updating the system and all the applications(that require separate updates), Wii U told me that I had 25GB free out of 32GB in the system. You're told how much memory you get, but how much you can use is significantly less.
One of the solid facts that we know about the Wii U hardware is that it has 2GB of RAM built in. Half of this is dedicated specifically to the operating system. You would imagine that this would allow the system to flip between menus and apps with ease, but this isn't the case. When going to, say, the system settings menu, the amount of time it takes to bring up that menu from the Wii U home page can be anywhere between five to ten seconds. On one occasion, the system locked up on me completely.
This raises some questions about the operating system's efficiency. While it looks nice, there is no reason why it cannot load a fairly simple menu faster than it can, especially when it uses twice the amount of RAM available in the Xbox 360. I don't think this will be a permanent issue, as operating systems tend to become more efficient as time goes on.
Efficiency gripes aside, the main menu is very easy to navigate. When you have created a Nintendo Network account and connect to Miiverse, you'll see tons of Miis on your television and what game they are playing. The Gamepad will have a 3DS-like menu with different applications listed. You can swap what is displayed on the Gamepad and television by pressing the X button, which allows you to interact with different things via the Gamepad.
Setting up a Nintendo Network account was quick and painless. You can use whatever email address you like, select a username, fill out some basic information(such as your birth date), enter the activation code from your email, and you're done. Friend codes are gone, and Nintendo has finally moved on to an account based system.
Miiverse itself is fun to watch and interact with. Users post all sorts of drawings, tips, and questions for other players. From the Miiverse menu, you can comment on posts, follow other users, and send friend requests. You can also choose to block or report users.
Those looking for backwards compatibility will find that the Wii U isn't as easy as the Wii when it comes to playing previous generation games. When you insert a Wii disc, the disc menu will recognize it as a Wii game, but will prompt you to go into Wii mode, which is basically the Wii OS. From Wii mode, playing your old games is the same as putting them into your original Wii. It works, but it's a shame that there is a hoop to jump through before you can use the software. If you're looking to port your Wii stuff over the way it was before, there is a system transfer feature available.
However, one should note that the system transfer is a bit complicated and you need to read the directions very carefully. Even if you do follow the directions down to the letter, there is a chance that all your save data can be lost in the transfer, should the SD card fail in the final step. Your Wii Shop information seems to be transferred over the internet, but local content is put onto the SD card for transport, and then your local copies are deleted. It's a big gamble, and in my case, I lost ALL of my save data. This doesn't happen to everyone, but the problem is out there and can be a huge setback if you're in the middle of completing a game.
In Wii mode, the system could not connect to the same router I was connected to from the Wii U menu. In Wii U mode, connectivity is fine. This forced me to use an older b/g router to connect to the internet in Wii mode.
Wii mode still makes use of the SD card, but Wii U content cannot be written to the card. For Wii U downloadable games, saves, and etc, you need to use either a USB storage device or the system's built in memory. Allowing Wii U to use the SD card seems like it would only be a matter of creating another directory, but Nintendo has chosen not to let us use it at all for next gen storage. So, if you're thinking about the 8GB Wii U, throwing an SD card in it won't alleviate your storage woes.
There are several applications that come in with the Day 1 update. Hulu Plus, Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Video, and Video Chat are all available to you on the home page. You won't be able to access them immediately, as they require updates. They're nice additions, but not necessarily anything ground breaking.
One of the most notable applications is the internet browser. It's the opposite of what you get on the 3DS. This browser is fast, easy to use, and is capable of loading Youtube video. Tabs are supported for flipping between pages, as well. There are some imperfections, such as the occasional page trying to load over and over, but this is much better than the Wii Opera browser or the 3DS browser.
The eShop is similar to what is on the 3DS, only expanded. Users can buy full retail games digitally and download them to your console. 1st and 3rd party games are both available, as well as Indy games. Videos and screenshots can be viewed from the eShop to enhance purchasing decisions, although steaming video can be troublesome at seemingly random times.
The Wii U is a nice console. The Gamepad makes interacting with the system more convenient than ever, and there's plenty of functionality just over the horizon with Nintendo TVii. Unfortunately, the system currently suffers more from software problems than anything else. With a few more updates, these problems will likely disappear and later models won't require so much updating. Waiting is not a bad idea with this console, especially if you don't see a must-have game. For those who want to jump right in, the 32GB version is the way to go.
5 of 7 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Performance
5/ 5
Value
4/ 5
Functionality
4/ 5
Anonymous
fromWI
Age:13-18
Did you buy this product for yourself or someone else?For me
Best thing Nintendo has ever done besides... alot.
PostedApril 20, 2013
Love this thing, nuf said.
Ok I'll talk.
This will be a perfect 10 in the near future. Great games are coming for this system!
Overall rating
2/ 5
Performance
2/ 5
Value
2/ 5
Functionality
2/ 5
hiteal44
fromNeenah, WI
Age:18-24
Did you buy this product for yourself or someone else?For me
I was really hopeful
PostedApril 16, 2013
When I was reading reviews of this console, I saw a lot of people claiming to have positive experiences with the Wii U. Today I went and purchased the deluxe edition that came with Nintendo Land. I also purchased Zombi U. To say the least I was very unhappy with the purchase. I have played both games for about an hour each and I can honestly say that this is the worst gaming experience I have ever had. Nintendo Land has very basic/boring games and Zombi U is quite simply a failure, the zombies are way difficult to kill and are alerted to anything you do. I understand that its suppose to be a survival game and they want to make it as "realistic" as possible, but when you spend 30 mins walking around hitting zombies with a cricket bat, looking for supplies and finding nothing but road flares,things get a bit boring/irritating. Anyways long story short, unless you are madly in love with mario games and are willing to drop $300 just to play the new one(which seems to be the only alright game on this console) then knock yourself out.
