Wii U: I Have One, So Here's an Article
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I recently bought a Wii U (Deluxe), and you are getting an article about it.
Why I Bought It in the First Place
Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Breeze, and X (current working title for Xenoblade Chronicles follow-up game) are why I bought a Wii U. These games are not out yet, but I seriously doubt that the Wii U will see a significant price drop before DKC: Tropical Breeze’s current release date (November 2013). I thought, “Might as well get it now.”
The Bad
The Wii U gave me the worst first impression that I’ve ever had from a console. Sounds bold, but it’s true.
The first thing you need to do after turning the system on is syncing it with the required GamePad (the huge controller with a built-in tablet). My Wii U and GamePad hard-froze the first time I tried syncing them. It worked on the second try, but it’s a bizarre problem.
After the initial sync, I had to go through a lengthy setup process. That’s not so bad; I’m used to setting PCs up, and Windows setup takes a while too.
The worst part came after this setup: I had to download & install a system update. This initial system update took a few hours. Much like 360, PS3, and Wii system updates, you cannot cancel the update and you cannot use the system during the update.
I’m glad that I plugged my Wii U into an uninterruptable power supply. I live in an area with unreliable power, and my Wii U would have likely been bricked if the power went out during this two hour initial system update.
After the successful update, more system configuration came next. Oh boy!
The Wii U is better than my first impression, but I still think that there are a few problems with the Wii U, and I’ll just state those in a bulleted list:
- GamePad seems required to turn the system on; turning the system on turns the GamePad on
- GamePad is so huge and bulky that it puts the XBox ‘Duke’ (original) controller to shame
- GamePad’s touch screen feels very weak; I must purchase a screen protector
- It takes a long time to switch the system to Wii mode
- There does not seem to be that many good games out (right now)
The Good
The system itself seems quite good. Menus are responsive and downloads (other than that initial system update) are quick. I bought the system with two games: NintendoLand and New Super Mario Bros. U. Both seem like fun games so far.
The Wii-compatibility mode seems good. I tried Mario Kart Wii and Xenoblade Chronicles, and both games looked great being played on a Wii U. The Wii U seems to upscale Wii games, and the output looks better than Wii (component) through a cheap upscaler.
Nintendo eShop looks promising, but I have not purchased anything from it yet. I might update this article when I buy Earthbound!
The Excellent
Rayman Legends Challenges App is fantastic. It’s a demo for Rayman Legends with daily/weekly challenge levels. Judging from the demo levels, Rayman Legends will be as good as Rayman Origins (and that’s very good). The challenge levels are fun to play through to improve completion time, and resets on these levels are very quick.
It’s weird to say that an exclusive demo is the best part of the Wii U. It’s especially odd because Rayman Legends is scheduled for release on multiple systems. But I’ve had much fun with it.
The Stuff I Did Not Try
I did not try Wii system transfer. I read somewhere that it does not transfer Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl saves. Why bother with a scary-looking process when it won’t transfer saves for every game that I have? I am also unclear about if I can transfer Virtual Console games from a SD Card to the Wii U, so I decided not to go through the system transfer.
I also did not try Virtual Console. I’ve heard great things about it!
Should You Get a Wii U?
I don’t know! You should do some independent research into it if you’re thinking about buying one.