My local GS finally got the demo unit up so I got to try it out. The demo stand has a beautiful large HDTV which feels so weird for a Nintendo demo station. The only game available at the time was Rayman Legends but it had options for practically the entire launch lineup, those demos will be added as the launch comes closer. The real Wii U menu was not available, only a screen to choose your demo. It is a simple white background with game covers which you scroll through. This lead to the first moment to use the touch screen.

The Wii U pad feels very light and comfortable in my hands. The sticks and especially the d-pad feels great. The face buttons feel like buttons and yeah it is a bit weird to have the second stick above the buttons but it's something you will get used to in no time. The triggers are comfortable to hold, its the two shoulder buttons that kind of feel tough to reach, not cause they are in a bad position just cause of the way you are holding the pad when using both sticks. If I am playing with both sticks while holding all four top buttons my hands are focused on the very top of the pad, it still easy to hold but it feels weird. The screen looks nice, not ipad nice but I wasn't expecting it to be. The touch screen is very responsive, I found scrolling to work very well, again its no ipad but still very responsive.

Rayman Legends looks stunning by the way, the way it looked on the HDTV was eye popping and very colorful. Contrast that to the way it looked on the pad screen which had much duller colors and because it was on such a smaller screen the level of detail was lessened. Normally you wouldn't compare a giant HD to a smaller screen but when the two are occuring simultaneously it becomes very easy to compare the two. I don't think anyone is expecting the pad screen look as good as a giant HDTV, it does its job, when looking only at the pad it feels like a portable Wii U.

The Rayman demo allowed for two levels, one was one of those musical run through levels which I finished on my first try, it was no different from the ones in the first game. I used the d-pad which again is amazing, to run you hold the R trigger which again feels very comfortable. The other level was a normal platformer up until a point where you begin to control that green bug thing with the touch screen. This part of the level requires you to play as the bug while the computer plays as Rayman. Your job is to look down at the touch screen and raise platforms, cut ropes, and tickle enemies to make sure Rayman gets through the level. The screen is responsive, you just tap or swipe at what needs to be cut. While doing this I held the pad with my left while using my right to touch the screen, putting all the weight of the pad on my left, I assume when sitting you can use your lap to balance out the weight. At one point of the level I reach a platform you can rotate which allows you to tilt the pad to tilt the platform, works well but the game got frozen in a way, the AI rayman would not move anymore so I had to start over. I was able to redo that section and it worked fine the second time but the demo time ended soon after. Personally I am not to fond of Rayman levels being filled with moments where I am just tapping on a screen, hopefully this does not happen often.

I will try back later to hopefully play more games. My first impression is definetly positive but it does not leave that wow first impression the Wii did way back when, that felt like something unlike anything I have ever experienced. This feels like a game where you look and play on an ipad on certain moments.