A Pricey Situation?
As expected Nintendo has announced that the Wii U will be released on November 18 and just like the Japanese counterpart it will come available in two bundles.
For $299.99 you will get the basic set which has a white Wii U console, gamepad, HDMI cable, sensor bar and 8GB hard drive. The deluxe set is a $50 bump up in price to $349.99 and comes with a black Wii U, gamepad, HDMI cable, docks for the console and controller, sensor bar, AC adapters, 32GB hard drive and will come packed with NintendoLand.
Nintendo is giving you a good amount for the deluxe set but it is still about $50 overpriced to me. I was expecting a $249/$299 combo.
Yes, It Is Really Called TVii
Now don’t let the name fool you, this actually is a pretty cool service. The Wii U will allow you to view all your content from your Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime services not just on your console but on the gamepad as well. You will also be able to watch live TV and set your DVR timers from the Wii U.
The show Modern Family was shown and as the show played on the TV you were able to see bullet points of what was happening on the show and could mark favorite parts of the show, put emoticons on them to show how they made you feel and even tweet or connect to Facebook the parts of the show you liked. This is a good show of just how different the Wii U gamepad can be when it is used for things besides games.
Even sports were given the Wii U treatment with highlights shown from last year’s Alabama/LSU game (Roll Tide) and live scores were shown on the gamepad as well as what looked like stats and even campus locations shown on maps.
What About The Games?
Nintendo had a pretty good lineup of games to show but it wasn’t a whole lot different from what was shown at their multiple E3 press conferences.
They did have the announcements that Bayonetta 2 would be coming as a Wii U exclusive and Activision showed off some playable footage of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 which showed off how you can do multiplayer using the gamepad as a seperate screen. This actually excited me about the future of online multiplayer in games on the system because it gets rid of the need for splitting the television screen in two.
It seems like as of today that Super Mario Bros. U and NintendoLand are the only launch day titles known right now. Nintendo said that more will be announced closer to November 18 but that doesn’t instill confindence for day one purchasers. Anyone that has bought a Nintendo system knows of the dreaded term “launch window” title. And that was thrown around a lot today.
So What’s The Verdict?
The event today left me honestly exactly 50/50 about the Wii U. As a Nintendo fanboy it is hard for me to resist a day one purchase but there are still some wants that need to be fulfilled.
What I liked:
- The gamepad really looks like it could be a true innovation if used properly.
- Nintendo TVii, despite the stupid name, was a really cool service that I could actually see myself using.
- The game lineup looks good even with the “launch window” phrase.
- I can’t believe I actually want to play Lego Undercover
What I didn’t like:
- The price. If I get one it will be the deluxe set and $349 is still $50 over what I was expecting to pay on the high end.
- That dang “launch window”. We know that with Nintendo that can become a very long wait.
- The feeling that Nintendo themselves still are not sold on if the Wii U is the next step in gaming.
- I did not hear how much an extra gamepad would cost. Which most likely means expensive.
Did today’s event convince you one way or the other on a Wii U? What about the price point? Let us know what you think and stay here for more Wii U updates as they come.
