I heard the first compelling argument for the Wii U yesterday.

If Mrs. Aspro wanted to use the 360 while I wanted to continue playing Super Mario Galaxy 3 (the only Wii U game I can see wanting) then I could keep playing it on the small screen.

It's not the controller I'd use for regular play, but if that came up it would be useful. (It would be optimal for me if the pro-controller was the deault and the gamepad was something I could buy additionally for $120 or so for the times I did want that functionality).

Maybe Sony will get their ass in gear and make that work on the Vita. It kinda already does with the PSP, but that was only for select games and the PSP did not have the guts to make it work that well (and you can't do it with a game in progress).

Thanks for the updates GG and aspro.  Some new interesting bits of info there

aspro said:

I heard the first compelling argument for the Wii U yesterday.

If Mrs. Aspro wanted to use the 360 while I wanted to continue playing Super Mario Galaxy 3 (the only Wii U game I can see wanting) then I could keep playing it on the small screen.

It's not the controller I'd use for regular play, but if that came up it would be useful. (It would be optimal for me if the pro-controller was the deault and the gamepad was something I could buy additionally for $120 or so for the times I did want that functionality).

Maybe Sony will get their ass in gear and make that work on the Vita. It kinda already does with the PSP, but that was only for select games and the PSP did not have the guts to make it work that well.

I think most of the multi-platform games on the Wii U will let you just use the Pro controller. Possibly even some of the exclusives. The amount of games they really use the screen in a smart and important way, like ZombiU, are likely going to be few and far between. For most games on the system I see it being used as a cool secondary function that you can use, but not nessesary at the same time. Nintendo's pushing the Pro pad pretty hard which kind of gives me this impression. Like they're saying "Hey, you can use this system just like an Xbox if you want."

If third parties really optiomized the Wii U and not just the stuff they do for the PS3 (build for 360, port to PS3), I could totally see getting multi-plats on the Wii U until the next gen consoles come out (using the pro controller). I mean, if they really did look better on the U as opposed to the curent HD consoles, why not?  That's what I did with the XB and Dreamcast.

Wait and see I guess.

aspro said:

Talked about this in the podcast (Leo's story from yesterday).  This to me, is the most disturbing story of the week. Disturbing, because it pretty much assures that THQ is not in good hands:

Jason Rubin Determined to Ruin Saints Row

I played Saint's Row 2 for a few hours.  I remember it being mostly a GTA clone that took itself slightly less seriously and did away with the social commentary.  Did it obtain a very overt sense of humour in its 3rd iteration?

bugsonglass said:

I played Saint's Row 2 for a few hours.  I remember it being mostly a GTA clone that took itself slightly less seriously and did away with the social commentary.  Did it obtain a very overt sense of humour in its 3rd iteration?

GTA = Social Satire. Saints Row = Self-Referential humor. I liked all three, but to answer your question fully, yes.

Pikmin 3 not online, saw that coming. I bet Mario isnt online either. Hey Nintendo if your game has two players it SHOULD BE ONLINE. As simple as that.  Zombiu is that online?

aspro said:

Here is an evil idea.

Imagine if instead of using online passes to curb used sales (and thus cut out micro-transaction sales to themselves), publishers included a Trophies/ Achievements code with every new game.

No trophies/ acheivements on rentals or used.

That's DRM I could support.

aspro said:

Flash memory onboard with ability to extend with SD and (hopefully) USB.

New podcast went up last night:

The Press Room Episode #118 More games than E3 in this jumbo edition of The Press Room.

Not sure you'd want to listen to the whole thing, I htink the news section starts aroun 1:41 if you are not interested in the games we played.

Good marketing strategy.

As far as Accomplishments go. I don't think anyone has to worry about whether or not they are required. In all likelyhood a developer will include them, especially if it's a port. The real question is whether or not they are a part of a unified system.

Games should be fun enough for me to want to play them for the sake of fun and enjoyment, not for building up my virtual gamer stats/profile.  I'm an old school romantic that way