Review of Nintendo Wii U, 32GB Deluxe Console

Approximately 32 phone calls to numerous local stores, and finally I got hold of a sales rep at Best Buy that had 5 Nintendo Wii U Deluxe 32 GB consoles in the store, which they were allowed to sell. I consider it luck, considering how highly sought after this console has become. Getting hold of one will only become all the more difficult with the holidays quickly approaching.

With a quick jump in my car, and a ride up to Best Buy, I could only pray that out of the 5 they had left, I would be lucky enough to get hold of one. 45 minutes later, and $400 poorer, I nearly skipped to my car with my shiny new toy.

What Is the Nintendo Wii U, a New Handheld Game? Or A console?

It is both (sort of), and frankly before I even got hold of the Wii U. I was led to believe that this console was just a new handheld added to the gaming market. This was primarily due to the way that many store ads had it promoted. Their ads would be displaying this large handheld, which led myself, and many others to believe that it was nothing more than a new shiny handheld Wii. Another gimmick right before Christmas.

The fact is, that the Nintendo Wii U is a whole brand new sparkling console. That fancy pants handheld you see in all of the magazine ads is simply the sleek new game controller.

Another question I had before actually ever getting hold of a Nintendo Wii U was whether or not I needed my old Nintendo Wii console in order to get this new one to work. The only reason I mention this here is because I had a friend ask me that exact same question.

Will I need my old Nintendo Wii to Get The Wii U To Work Properly?

The answer to this is no.

However if you want to transfer game data over, you will need it for just that. The Nintendo Wii U is compatible with old Nintendo Wii games. Unless you do not mind losing old game data, than your Nintendo Wii will basically become an obsolete pile of rubble. You however can keep it, if you were a fan of playing old GameCube games on it. The choice is yours.

Now with this all out of the way let me dive right into the nitty gritty.

The Nintendo Wii U 32 GB Deluxe Console is probably the best route to go when deciding on which model to purchase. There are 2 versions right now for sale, you have the basic model which comes in white, but only features 4GB of storage. If you go this route, you will inevitably need to purchase an external hard drive.

With the 32GB Deluxe Wii U, you will literally be spending just $50.00 more, and it is hands down going to save you more money in the long run.

This version comes in a high gloss black color, it comes with a charging stand for your controller, stands for your original Wii motes, and Nintendo Land which in my opinion is the perfect introduction game for you to learn how to use the new touch screen game pad controller. In a sense it is similar to the original Wii's, Wii Sport game that came with the console.

What Does The Wii U Offer That The Nintendo Wii Does Not?

There are a lot of things the new Nintendo Wii offers to gamers, but the haunting question that I myself had, and many others will have is whether or not it is worth buying yet another console to add to the TV stand.

What the Nintendo Wii U has done, was a nice attempt at bringing back a huge genre of gamers that they failed to include when it came to the Wii U. Hardcore gamers were neglected like no other, with the Wii just focusing on child like games, with graphics that were less than impressive.

The Wii U actually introduces a sparkle that Twilight fans would appreciate; with... wait for it...high definition!!! Yes, there is an HDMI port, and comes with an HDMI cable right in the box. Wallah! Beautiful!

Nintendo Wii U is also an attempt to keep up with the upcoming console releases that Sony and Microsoft are rumored to introduce come 2013. As of right now, up against the Xbox 369 and Sony PlayStation 3, the Wii U seems to hold a brightly burning candle.

The Game Pad

In all the magazine ads, I easily spotted the game pad, and it looked rather enticing. However a magazine ad does not necessarily give you the actual feel for the game pads size. In fact, I thought it was a lot smaller than what actually came out of the box.

Before me stood a rather large, controller. This sucker is about 10 inches long, with a huge 6.2 inch touch screen that begs for attention. It's pretty alright, but does the super huge controller feel right?

The answer to this is yes and no.

The controller in hand feels comfortable, and the way they built it with added curves underneath the hand held make it very comfortable to hold in hand for long periods of time.

The touch screen is very responsive in the Nintendo Land game that was included, and I wasted away hours playing the mini games which all added to my new gaming experience.

The game pad itself does however reek of something a little cheap, and it is primarily due to the high gloss plastic they used, which is nothing more than a finger smudge collector. It is also very light, which gives off the impression of cheap plastic-easy to break if dropped on a hard surface.

Other Issues With the Game Pad

Immediately when stepping out of the realm of playing Nintendo Land, and the new Super Mario U, stepping into a bigger game like Assassins Creed 3 became a little more flaw filled. I immediately hated where Nintendo placed their buttons on the right side of the game pad. The placement of the A and B buttons are just off, and all wrong. Even after hours of playing, it was still a tedious thing to have to get used to, and added more frustration than anything. I can only hope that in the future they release a new game pad with proper button positioning.

The biggest issue with this game pad however goes to the battery life. It is absolutely terrible! On my days off I could easily kill 5 hours playing a game I enjoy. The game pad however only has enough juice for roughly 3 hours of game play before you need to re-charge it. There is also no indication during game play that your battery is running low, like the Wii Motes did on the original Nintendo Wii.

Basically in the middle of game play, the screen just goes black. That's your Que to rest it back into the charging cradle. You can however play while it charges, but that is just difficult, and frustrating.

With these flaws aside, let me move on to the new concept of playing on the hand held game pad, and on the actual TV screen.

The Nintendo Wii U Will Use Both The TV and Game Pad, But Sometimes It Does Not Need To Hog Up The TV At All!!!

Different games call for different means of playing. The Wii U incorporates playing games on both the hand held and on your TV. But in some games it also allows for you to not have to use the TV at all. It is basically like having the console in your hands for a more portable experience, and to not hog up the TV the entire time while playing.

Other games however will require the TV. It simply depends on what you are playing. When it came to the new Mario U game, I could simply click the TV off, or allow others to watch TV, while I happily went about my gaming on the game pad.

Other games will switch back and forth, while you are looking at the handheld, the screen may tell you too look at the screen, and vice verse.

For some this may be frustrating, and others a new and cool element to gaming. I personally had absolutely no issues with it, and I liked how multiple player games incorporated each screen differently for each player.

Included Applications:

Upon first starting up the Nintendo Wii, the included game applications are Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Mii Maker, Daily Log, Parental Controls, Health and Safety Information, System Settings, and Wii U Chat.

You will also find Miiverse, shopping, internet browsing, and a large array of other applications right on the start-up main menu.

Overall:

It is not a wonder as to why the Nintendo Wii U is sold out, with a waiting list of purchasers. The new console is cool, very cool. Granted it has a few things that could be re-polished. For now, I am happy to have gotten one this early on in the game, with no worries about having to battle lines to obtain one as the holiday draws in.

The new high definition graphics will grab your attention, and the line up of games is sure to impress. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on Pikmin 3. A game I have been waiting for, for the original Nintendo Wii, will now be released on the Wii U.

Is It Worth The Money?

It is worth the money in my opinion. Even the deluxe model is affordable. I can only imagine what prices we will be looking at in 2013 for when it comes to Sony and Microsoft's consoles. Nintendo has always been fair, and when it comes to the Wii U. The price is very fair.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this one. The only issues I see when it comes to children playing, is whom will hog the touchscreen controller, and whom will have to use the old Wii mote. Another concern of mine is how much money a new touchscreen game pad will cost if you were to break yours.