How long is the charge cable? I hope its long enough to play comfortably while its charging.

So I played the Wii U last night.

Well no, I didn't. I couldn't sleep so turned on the 3DS which I have not touched in months, not since RE Revelations came out.

So the system boots on and I realise that with the info we have about the Wii U interface from the past couple of days, it's basically the same.

So I start dicking about, pretending it's a U and wondering how user friendly it will be. For a start I only use my fingers, Wii U's screen will be several times as big as the 3DS touch screen so I guess the icons will be larger. Mostly the responsiveness is okay but the smaller icons are too difficult to use. Also it is more accurate to use your fingernail. It's interesting imagining this is how the Wii U will work because what Drake on IGN was saying is true, there is a certain tactile instant response that makes the touch screen particularly easy, intuitive and satisfying for manipulating a game. Compared to using an analogue stick or even IR pointing with Wii, the touch screen feels futuristic.  We're all used to touch screens on other devices but using one for your TV and a home console is going to be something of a revalatory experience.

Structurally the 3DS basically is a Wii U, a dual screen experience with a 2D touch screen used at the bottom mostly for inventory and menu options. It also has most if not all the control options of Wii U, including a gyro. The gyro use you've seen in Wii U allows you to move the screen about for different views of the environment and even aiming for sniper modes. I was using it last night to test it out, it still works well but for some reason no wii u game allows you to use gyro aiming in the main game, it's a decent halfway point. At the moment you have to choose between Wii 1 IR or Wii U analogue sticks and touch screen additions. The decent halfway point would include gyro aiming, but whilst it's used in all manner of multiple U titles, no one is allowing you to use it as a default aiming control. Epic Mickey 2 could use it pretty well.

Using the bottom screen as a second screen for menus and item swapping etc works well but only when the interface is well designed. In RE revelations it's not very well done, but in Ocarina of Time it's pretty superb compared to the original games implementation.

One thing I also noticed was the graphics of 3DS, whilst great for a handheld and while very close to 360 graphics in 2D mode for RE, it wasn't quite there. It seems quite enticing to be able to play full console quality titles in bed with no graphical comprimises.

I'm left with the feeling that whilst Wii U might not be a wholly new experience that will wow anyone, it will be definetly have its uses and its charms. I would personally like to see more touch screen only games like a big DS with uber graphics and gameplay that cannot be done elsewhere. In Rayman legends for instance they missed a trick, they let you directly interact with the enviroment with the touch screen but only in two player mode? Games like Lost Wind and NxyQuest let you do both at the same time.  

Why are you so ashamed of your own apperance, Japan?

tiny pics

GamesMaster’s Nintendo Land review – individual mini-game ratings


A few days ago, the first review of Nintendo Land arrived from the latest issue of GamesMaster. The publication handed out an 86% score.


Along with the review of the overall game, GamesMaster provided individual write-ups and ratings for each mini-game included in Nintendo Land. Reader joclo typed up that information from the magazine – see below.


Animal Crossing Sweet Day – 5/5


“Sweet Day may look like it’s saccharine simplicity – but there’s a raw tactical edge beneath the happy smiles.”


The Legend of Zelda Battle Quest – 3/5


“Battle Quest isn’t as patchwork as the art-style would suggest…”


Luigi’s Ghost Mansion – 5/5


“Ghost Mansion is superb, genuinely tense and frequently hilarious. The build-up in tension will have you squealing like a school girl.”


Takamaru’s Ninja Castle – 2/5


“It’s a surprisingly tricky game despite the simplicity: the sort of Nintendo launch game you use to impress visiting friends.”


Donkey Kong Crash Course – 3/5


“Crash Course doesn’t do all that much with the Wii U’s newfound capabilities, and the GamePad’s screen provides little more than a zoomed-in version of the action on your TV. But those minor niggles aside, it’s a tricky bout of skill that’ll see you carve your way through your five lives in no time at all. Hardly essential, but certainly fun.”


Pikmin Adventure – 3/5


“It’s Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum for the brain, but engaging nonetheless.”


Metroid Blast – 3/5


“This is the closest Nintendo Land comes to Deathmatch.”


Mario Chase – 5/5


“This is an indisputable Nintendo Land highlight, and the one you’ll keep coming back to again and again…”


Balloon Trip Breeze – 4/5


“As each level (and in-game day) ends, you attempt a podium landing – which is always a tense and exciting exercise in air traffic control. A total charmer.”


Octopus Dance – 2/5


“Has a weird dual screen system, as you switch screens mid game.”


Yoshi’s Fruit Cart – 2/5


“We love Yoshi’s babbling, but drawing lines on the GamePad screen to let him eat fruit on the top screen makes for a forgettable time. The twist: you can’t see fruit on the smaller device.”


Captain Falcon’s Twister Race – 2/5


“Use the GamePad to steer in Spy Hunter style, top-down racer, which flips to the big screen whenever you go through a tunnel. Switching screens isn’t that fun, though.”

GodModeEnabled said:

What are those pics from GG, Nintendoland?

I'm guessing sarcasm but just in case, it's ZombiU

Wii U japanese website has been translated, there are some interesting bits, it seems SD cards are virtually useless for this thing.

How many titles can the Premium and Basic Sets store in their internal storage memory?




The size of software titles will vary, so it's difficult to give a concrete answer. Please refer to the software size in the Nintendo eShop before purchasing. If there is insufficient internal storage memory, an external USB storage device can be connected to expand upon the internal storage memory. SD cards cannot be used to expand upon the internal storage memory. Details on USB devices confirmed to work will be posted in the following days.

Is it possible to copy or move software between the internal storage memory and an external USB storage device?




It is possible to move, but not to copy. For details, please select Data Management from the System Settings in the Wii U menu.

Can WiiWare or Wii Virtual Console software be purchased and downloaded on the Wii U?




Yes. They can be purchased by accessing the Wii Shopping Channel in the Wii Menu on the Wii U.

Can the Wii U GamePad be used to play Wii software?




No. The Wii U GamePad functionality is not available when using the Wii Menu.

Can I use all the functionality of the Wii when using the Wii Menu to play Wii software?




Most Wii software can be played, but WiiConnect24, among a few other functions, cannot be used.

Where are downloadable software purchases stored?




Downloads can be stored either to the internal storage memory or to an external USB storage device. Saving to an SD Card is not supported.

What should be done when there is insufficient remaining space in the Wii U internal storage memory to download a new game?




Please increase the amount of available space by deleting unneeded data from the system's Data Management menu. Otherwise, use an external USB storage device to increase the amount of available space.

Can downloadable software stored on an external USB storage device be played on another Wii U system?




No. A given external USB storage device can be used with one Wii U system.

With video chat can 3 or more people teleconference with each other?




Up to 2 Wii U systems can connect with one another.

On Wii U points Can the remaining balance for individual Users be merged, divided, or transferred?




No.

Can Wii Points on the Wii Shopping Channel or the remaining balance on the 3DS Nintendo eShop be used to make purchases?




No. Wii Points are only for the Wii Shopping Channel, and the remaining balance on the 3DS can be used only on the 3DS Nintendo eShop.

----------------------------------

So this is bloody worrying:

"SD cards cannot be used to expand upon the internal storage memory. Details on USB devices confirmed to work will be posted in the following days. "

No doubt half the USB devices we want to use will be not compatible.

SOME Wii U MENU MUSIC HERE

I barely see adverts.

BTW what is the situation with 3DS ads in the US? Here I barely see any compared with how they pushed the DS.

I just remember, here in the UK they would still be running DS Nintendogs ads like a year and a half after it released, same for NSMB etc.

Now I barely ever see a 3DS. Have they gone back to only advertising on the kids channels? Well no, because I would have spotted them sandwiched in between my cartoon action shows. So they just aren't advertising the way they used to.

Joystiq said:

Nintendo's Wii U tablet controller and the death of your TV's remote control

Turning on an Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / Nintendo Wii:

1. Walk to living room, pick up television controller.
2. Turn on television, select input / applicable volume / etc.
3. Put down television controller.
4. Pick up gamepad. Turn on power.
5. Select profile.

Five steps. Let's compare this to Nintendo's new console, the Wii U.

1. Walk to living room, pick up Wii U tablet controller.
2. Press TV button on controller, power on television, select input / applicable volume / etc., power on console.
3. Select profile.

Just three! At the risk of sounding like late-night TV pitchmen, we must emphasize how important this is. It remains impressive after days of using the console at home. Ever since we (as a society) first plugged computers called "gaming consoles" into our televisions, we've been following an archaic process of swapping remotes and pushing buttons and all sorts of needless busywork. Nintendo's Wii U tablet controller thankfully streamlines that process in a small, but tremendously meaningful way: during initial console setup, you're prompted to sync your television and the tablet controller, allowing the tablet itself to control the TV's power, volume, channels, and input directly.

And let's pause to emphasize the importance of this step as part of the initial console setup, rather than background functionality to be sussed out later on -- this fundamentally transforms how the vast majority of soon-to-be Wii U owners will interact with their Wii U. The console instantly becomes the de facto media unit, interacting with your cable box, DVR, and various digital streaming offerings, as well as directly controlling your television.

Even when the console is powered off, the Wii U controller still functions as a television controller -- what Nintendo president Satoru Iwata calls, "a fully independent infrared TV remote." As the TV remote functionality is tied to the Wii U controller's hardware itself, it can be used at any time (mid-game, in the Wii U menu, when the console's powered off, etc. -- think of it as a standalone application). Outside of the few rare times when more advanced TV functionality is required, Nintendo's stand-in for your traditional TV remote control is more than adequate.

And the future of this functionality promises even more. Nintendo TVii intends to streamline the experience further, casting aside your cable box remote for built-in channel guides and DVR programming (coffee table's starting to look pretty sparse, eh?). Sadly, we've yet to experience Nintendo TVii in our homes, as the Wii U we've got won't have any media functionality (Nintendo TVii, Amazon Instant, Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc.) until it receives a software patch shortly before retail launch on November 18.

Nintendo TVii press shots

Of course, should Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles offering similar convenience -- and by all accounts, Microsoft certainly seems to be headed in the media center direction too -- the Wii U may face challengers. For now, getting out ahead of the other guys with a stellar product (at least in this regard) certainly won't hurt.

3 DAYS AWAY!!!!