The appalling music completely overwhelmed whatever they were trying to sell as cool and original, but maybe I'm just old.
No, it's terrible music. And this is coming from someone who likes dubstep (which this is not) and crazy electro (of which this is a terrible example).
WrrrrrrrrzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... "Okay, now spit."
Did you ever notice how if you say it just right "Wii U" sounds like a reaction to something really stinky?
I am disappointed they aren't retaining SCHPEENG! SCHPEENGSCHPEENGSCHPEENG! as their core marketing push.
Wow, that tablet thing is really huge. I didn't realize how big it was until that commercial. And nothing makes me think "American Idol" faster than holding a tablet while trying to sing. Why can't the words be up on the big screen again? What's up there while I'm doing my karaoke thing? Even less likely to buy it after this commercial.
Because karaoke is all about performing for your friends, and without the tablet all your friends would be stuck sitting behind you staring at the back of your head while you sing and perform. The tablet gives players the opportunity to face their friends, while still having access to the words and still giving other players/audience members the chance to see both the performer and the screen. This is why karaoke bars put the performer's monitors between the audience and the performer.
My takeaway from this commercial: THAT CONTROLLER IS SO BIG! Seriously, it's enormous, and in every shot where someone is actually using it as a controller all I can think is how giant it looks in their hands. At best it'll make certain things cooler (like karaoke) while making actual like games incredibly awkward to play. This is supposed to still be a game console, right?
Seriously look at this: It's like the size of a laptop. He is clearly unable to hold it comfortably, even for the commercial.
Which industry? It's a shame because I do still have a little bit of a soft spot for Nintendo, and I've had a lot of good times with the Wii. And I mean, it's cool if they want to make the best home karaoke machine on the market, but if that's what they're targeting they should be more clear about that, to the consumers and to themselves.
The size of the tablet was one of my complaints after trying it at E3. It's designed to be held with one hand on each side, but if you do that your thumbs can't reach the center of the screen. So to tap something you have to take one of your hands off the side, and now you're holding it by one side with one hand which is awkward. The games that have the most success will be ones that don't require you to switch between "controller as game controller" and "controller as tablet" on the fly. The more I think about it the more it reminds me of the N64 controller.
Guys, I don't know what you're all getting so worked up about. There is one very obvious solution to the problem of having too few hands to utilize all the controller's features at once. Just imagine these as Wii U controllers:
Okay, I admit I imagined you rubbing your penis all over the Wii U controller. What I didn't imagine was that your real solution was a strap-on.
If you enjoyed the American Wii U commercial, you'll probably enjoy the New Super Mario Bros U commercial:
Which makes it a lot like the Wii, really. I think the difference this time around is that while the Wii had a really easy to understand gimmick with clear appeal to the average person, this... doesn't. I mean, my mom bought a freaking Wii. I can't imagine her seeing this thing and even understanding what it is, let alone wanting to buy one. I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U ends up having sales comparable to the Gamecube. Or less.
Nintendo has uploaded a bunch of Wii U-related videos to its official YouTube channel. Unboxing the Wii U Deluxe with Iwata Wii U Chat with Iwata & Reggie Wii U Account System with Iwata There's currently a strange embargo on sites doing their own Wii U coverage, which apparently forbids them from showing any of the system menus and only very small chunks of game footage until the console's launch. Nintendo must want to carefully control how the system is portrayed, understandably.
It makes me think of Corso Riggs from SWTOR. WEE-OOO CAPTAIN! (Spoiler: making me think of Corso does not do your product any favors.)
Whoa, the Wii U comes out in 9 days? This thread is the only place I've seen any commercials for it. Maybe that's just a function of not watching children's programming, but I would have thought I'd be aware of it's imminent arrival somehow.
The combination of Nintendonauts and constrained supply means that this thing will be sold out for the rest of the year anyway. Why waste money advertising it?
I looked around for a Wii U a while ago (and off and on since), couldn't find any for sale that weren't coming from third party gougers (as opposed to genuine retail outlets -- which all seem to be sold out of pre-orders). It's not going to ruin my Christmas or anything, but it might ruin my birthday (which is 3 days before Christmas). DARK SOULS
Based on the way people I know who were strong Wii adopters are reacting to this thing, I feel like maybe it isn't going to be constantly sold out like the Wii was at launch. I guess we'll find out in a week.
Man, I put my hands on one of these at Gamestop last night and holy shit it is humongous. It's actually a little more comfortable in the default position than I expected, but diverging from that even a little bit makes it immediately awkward. Just trying to press the upper shoulder buttons is enough to make you cramp up. :/
This was pretty much known already, but it has now been confirmed that the Wii U will have no system-level achievement functionality. At least when Nintendo cripples their systems with underpowered hardware, they're doing it because they consider the cheaper manufacturing cost an acceptable trade-off. There's no trade-off in not implementing a relatively simple and expected feature that your competitors have offered for years. I guess it will just be one more bullet point that Nintendo won't have, like functional online or third party support.
That seems weird, their online support has always seemed like an afterthought. I wonder who is in charge of that part over at nintendo, they certainly could use a kick in the pants.
