nintendowiiu
Latest
Wii U system music gets collected into unofficial nine-track album
Want to relive the labors of setting up Nintendo's new console? How about taking the aural route? DJ Cutman has cut together an unofficial greatest hits album from the Wii U's built-in soundtrack, encompassing memorable 'hits' like the firmware update and menu tunes. We've embedded one of Nintendo's decidedly relaxed tracks after the break, while there's a little bit more info (and some download links) for the unofficial project at the source below.
The Daily Roundup for 11.22.2012
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nintendo Wii U (finally) gets YouTube app, works on GamePad too
If you managed to grab a Wii U ahead of today's festivities, you'll now be able to fall into carb-heavy slumber while watching your favorite YouTube hits. Users can browse through the GamePad but also beam the video content through to their big screen, all in a navigation setup resembling its predecessor's YouTube client, although shortcuts are now more visible along the left edge. Download the app for free, direct from your Wii U menu, starting today.
PSA: Nintendo Wii U day-one patch now live, includes entire online infrastructure
It's well past midnight, you're home with your brand new Nintendo Wii U -- now what? Well, you've got yourself a hefty firmware update to download should you wish to do anything other than play disc-based Wii U games. Say, for instance, you wanna check out Nintendo's Mii-based social network, Miiverse? You're gonna need that update. Or you want to check out the digital storefront, the eShop? Update. Browse the internet? Up ... you get the picture. The file download clocks in at just over an hour (at least on our retail units ahead of launch), and the install takes another five minutes, so we'd suggest you grab it ASAP before the rest of the world is trying to hungrily snap it up as well. Remember: your brand new Wii U can do literally nothing outside of build Miis and play disc-based games before the update, so don't go freaking out when your console seems to be missing a few key functions out of the box. And no, this doesn't include Nintendo TVii, which Nintendo says won't arrive until some time in December. We'll update this post with more specifics as we explore the update further, so keep an eye out! Update: The update includes, from what we've seen thus far, the entire eShop, Miiverse, an internet browser, and access to Netflix. Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and YouTube remain conspicuously absent, but should be available "in the coming weeks" (per Nintendo's update earlier this week). Backwards compatibility is also packed in the update, in form of the entire original Wii menu (which makes us feel like we just downloaded the entire Wii console to our Wii U -- the future!). The Wii U actually fully resets to launch the Wii menu, and can only be navigated using a classic Wii remote control. Kinda bogus, but it sure is nice having a full Wii built in to the Wii U. Update 2: Netflix is a separate download required (an update) for use.
Wii U's Nintendo TVii, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus pushed to December (update)
When Nintendo's Wii U launches this weekend, it won't arrive with most of its primary multimedia features -- namely, Nintendo TVii, Amazon Instant Video, or Hulu Plus. All were said to come pre-loaded on the new console, but reviewers found out early that a launch day patch would enable the functionality. As it turns out, that patch will actually arrive at some point in December, bearing Nintendo TVii, with the rest of the apps arriving "in the coming weeks" (no hard date is given for any of the apps). The console is still expected to launch with Miiverse, Nintendo Network, and backwards compatibility with the Nintendo Wii -- none of which is currently enabled on the Wii U (presumably still arriving in some form of day-one patch). We've reached out to Nintendo to see if those things are still planned for launch. Update: Netflix reps tell us the app will be available "when Wii U ships," but won't be part of Nintendo TVii "until Q1."
Editorial: Why America's most popular gaming genre likely won't work on Nintendo's new console
When first-person shooters made the transition to consoles from PCs over a decade ago, they weren't very good. Or even just good. Despite being today's go-to genre for blockbuster console game franchises (Call of Duty or Halo ring any bells?), the first-person shooter got a rough start on consoles. Game developers -- used to the precision allowed by a mouse/keyboard setup -- had no idea how to design shooters with console gamers in mind. Early approximations like Nintendo 64's GoldenEye and Perfect Dark from Rare were held up as the gold standard for years, while PC gamers snickered and stuck with their superior control mechanics. Bungie's sci-fi shooter Halo: Combat Evolved heralded the launch of Microsoft's Xbox in 2001, and it marked the end of Nintendo's short-lived console FPS dominance. The first Halo game and its developer Bungie Studios are to thank for the modern console FPS -- a streamlined, slower version of its PC progenitor that stands on its own. In the decade since Halo: Combat Evolved launched, Bungie and many, many other game development studios have honed and perfected FPS gameplay on consoles, to the point where it's the leading sales genre in the US (for the past five years, with the exception of 2008, according to NPD). Nintendo, however, has taken a back seat in this genre -- starting with the GameCube and even more so with the Wii, Nintendo eschewed first-person shooters for the better part of the last decade. Beyond the company itself not publishing or developing within the genre (the lone exception being its Metroid series), third-parties mostly offered watered down ports for the last two Nintendo consoles.
Nintendo Wii U GamePad vs. tablets / game controllers: fight!
The Nintendo Wii U GamePad -- aka "that tablet-looking controller from Nintendo" -- is a strange beast. Perhaps that 6.2-inch resistive screen out front made you think it's a tablet? It's not a tablet. Perhaps those dual analog sticks and slurry of buttons made you think it's a game controller? It's certainly not just a game controller. Of course, that's not stopping us from making both comparisons. Below you'll find a hybrid of our usual "fight!" structure, with one gallery dedicated to comparing the Wii U GamePad against its distant tablet-based cousins, and another comparing the GamePad to its controller side of the family. Wondering just what we think of the GamePad and Nintendo's new console? We'll have a full review of the Wii U -- and its bizarre hybrid controller -- early next week. We've got some early impressions of what's already impressed us, and an extra close look at the Wii U game discs as well, if you just can't wait.%Gallery-170910% Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
Take a very, very close look at the round-edged Wii U proprietary discs
There's something immediately striking about Nintendo's Wii U proprietary disc format that's hard to notice in photos -- it's got rounded edges, both outside and in. It feels different than any other disc we've handled before; Tim swears he's seen a round-edged disc in the wild, but we've never seen such a thing ourselves. It's as if the folks at Nintendo took sandpaper to every edge of every disc, making them all the more friendly to the touch. It's a little detail, but it's a nice one. As we learned when the console was initially announced, the Wii U's "proprietary high-density optical discs" hold up to 25GB of data -- equivalent with that of Sony's single-layer Blu-ray format on the PlayStation 3, and much larger than the Xbox 360's dual-layer DVD format. Of course, all logic and statistics aside, having now handled a round-edged disc, we never wanna go back. We've taken some super up-close photos of Wii U karaoke title Sing Party, as well as comparison shots alongside its hard-edged Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 brethren, which can be found in the gallery below. Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
Nintendo's Wii U tablet controller and the death of your TV's remote control
Turning on an Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / Nintendo Wii: Walk to living room, pick up television controller. Turn on television, select input / applicable volume / etc. Put down television controller. Pick up gamepad. Turn on power. Select profile. Five steps. Let's compare this to Nintendo's new console, the Wii U. Walk to living room, pick up Wii U tablet controller. Press TV button on controller, power on television, select input / applicable volume / etc., power on console. Select profile. Just three! At the risk of sounding like late-night TV pitchmen, we must emphasize how important this is. It remains impressive after days of using the console at home. Ever since we (as a society) first plugged computers called "gaming consoles" into our televisions, we've been following an archaic process of swapping remotes and pushing buttons and all sorts of needless busywork. Nintendo's Wii U tablet controller thankfully streamlines that process in a small, but tremendously meaningful way: during initial console setup, you're prompted to sync your television and the tablet controller, allowing the tablet itself to control the TV's power, volume, channels, and input directly. And let's pause to emphasize the importance of this step as part of the initial console setup, rather than background functionality to be sussed out later on -- this fundamentally transforms how the vast majority of soon-to-be Wii U owners will interact with their Wii U. The console instantly becomes the de facto media unit, interacting with your cable box, DVR, and various digital streaming offerings, as well as directly controlling your television.
Nintendo Wii U vs. Nintendo Wii: fight!
The first thing we noticed about Nintendo's next console when we last got our hands on it was the length -- the Wii U is Nintendo's longest console yet. Sure, sure, there's a tablet controller and HD graphics and yadda yadda yadda. That's immaterial. What matters here, folks, is how the new hardware -- the console itself -- physically stacks up against the first Wii. As you'll see in our gallery, length is the least of the Wii U's changes: in the Wii U, Nintendo added two more USB 2.0 ports up front and rounded out its hard right angles, for starters. Around back, the port layout of the Wii is nigh-on identical with that of the Wii U, albeit with the fan moved an inch (or so) to the right, making space for HDMI output. This is an HD console, after all. Wonderfully, unlike the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the Wii U includes an HDMI cable right out of the box. Not a huge deal, but it sure was a baffling move when Sony and Microsoft both skimped on such an important detail. The only other change we spotted (outside of the power port being flipped from horizontal to vertical) is the lack of GameCube controller ports up top. Say sayonara to those old Wavebirds, as Nintendo's moving on to its new tablet controller and its updated Pro Controller. Take some super close-up looks at all the minute differences with us below.
Wii U Deluxe Digital Promotion will give gamers a $5 credit for every $50 spent on downloads
If a copy of Nintendo Land, 32GB of internal memory and a black paint job weren't enough for you to drop an extra $50 for the Wii U Deluxe Set, Nintendo's hoping fresh details on its Deluxe Digital Promotion will further sweeten the pot. When deluxe console owners buy a game through the firm's eShop or purchase a download code at a brick-and-mortar store, they'll receive roughly 10 percent of the price in points. For example, gamers will net 599 points for a title with a $59.99 price tag. For every 500 points, users can snag a code redeemable for $5 in eShop credit useable on the Wii U or 3DS digital storefronts. The house that Mario built will keeping track of points between the system's launch day and December 31st, 2014, but won't issue credits until the promotion's website launches sometime in December. Look out below for more details in the press release.
Nintendo Wii U to be sold at a loss, 3DS starts to turn a profit
Mario's alma mater may be looking at its next big console to bolster its stumbling net income, but it won't be raising its bottom line on hardware alone: Nintendo says the Wii U is going to be sold at a loss. While this is par for the course for most game consoles, loss leader products are somewhat of a new trend for Nintendo, which only started selling hardware at a loss recently. On the upside, company CEO Satoru Iwata says the 3DS is back in the black, finally selling for a tidy (though unspecified) profit after dropping its price late last year. Nintendo expects business to pick up down the road, but says circumstances will keep it from attaining "Nintendo-like" profits in this fiscal year.
Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U
Nintendo's reported its financial results for the first of half of the year, and things are still a little rocky. Net sales in the last six months have decreased 6.8 percent compared to the same point last year, while net income continues to drop, this time by 27,996 million yen. As of September 2012, Nintendo has now sold over 22 million 3DS units (three million more since last quarter), while the Wii remains just shy of the 100 million milestone, settling at 97.2 million units sold. Nintendo looks to be in a similar position to last year, with customers still waiting for the company's next big console to appear -- and the gamesmaker hoping they will. Laying blame at the strong yen, the company has dramatically cut its forecast for the rest of the year, down from 20 billion ($250 million) to 6 billion yen ($75 million), pinning its hopes on 3DS sales ahead of the Wii U's global launch later this year.
Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context
Nintendo's top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing the Wii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they've made this time 'round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some nice teardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don't want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.
These are the 23 games launching with the Wii U on November 18
Nintendo's nailing down a specific date for nearly half of its Wii U "launch window" lineup, and it's the same day that the console arrives in North America: November 18. 23 games will land at retail alongside the Wii U this November, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, and FIFA Soccer 13. Minigame collection Nintendo Land will launch with the 32GB, $350 version of the Wii U console, and will also be available separately on Nov. 18 -- all Nintendo first-party games will be available digitally at launch as well. Earlier this month, the company revealed just over 50 titles planned for the Wii U's "launch window," which comprises November 18, 2012 through March 31, 2013. The full list of all titles is just below.%Gallery-165242%
Shocker: Nintendo Wii U said to be region-locked
The forthcoming Wii U console from Nintendo will be region-locked, just like the original Wii and the 3DS, Nintendo UK told Eurogamer. That means you won't be able to play obscure (or early) Japanese imports on it, and customs officials won't get anything to break up the monotony of seized cigars and bushmeat.
Switched On: The iPod's modern family
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. If you bet that Apple was going to turn the square, occasionally wrist-strapped iPod nano into a MOTOACTV-like watch that would provide a glanceable window into iPhone apps, you lost. Clearly, Apple could have gone that route. It teased in the last generation with an expanding selection of watch faces and used this generation to add Bluetooth and enable a thinner design via the new Lightning connector. Nevertheless, Apple decided to forgo the embryonic smartwatch market. Indeed, it returned to the larger, longer iPod nano school of yore, but with the single-button design of its iOS mobile devices complementing a multitouch interface. The watch faces may be gone, but the new iPod nano regains the ability to play video while retaining photo display and Nike+ integration. It has become the equivalent of the lineup's feature phone, albeit with a better user interface. Examined in context, the new clip-free iPod nano looks more at home as a midrange option between the tiny iPod shuffle and the now larger iPod touch.
Turtle Beach Ear Force NLa and N11 stereo Wii U headsets hands-on (video)
Nintendo may be MIA at TGS this year (as usual), but that hasn't stopped Turtle Beach -- it brought a pair of Wii U headsets to the show anyway. We dropped by the outfit's booth to take a peek, finding seemingly empty boxes in lieu of product. Turns out they weren't so empty -- the Ear Force N11 and NLa headsets are so lightweight, we didn't even notice they were there. After a brief unboxing, this editor wrapped each set around his head, finding the headband tension of both the over-ear N11 and the on-ear NLa to be just as light as the accessories themselves, squeezing my skull with only the gentlest of pressure. The sets' earmuffs seemed built for comfort as well, soft, and not the least bit irritating. Staff on hand told us that the internals weren't quite final, but sound quality aside, we could easily see settling in with either of these products for a long, comfortable gaming session. Both sets arrive later this year -- $35 for the white, on-ear Ear Force NLa cans, and $50 for its black over-ear cousin. See our impressions for yourself in the video after the break.
Unity and Nintendo partner to bring Unity Engine, and its 1.2 million devs, to Wii U
Unity Engine is best known for supporting mobile and digital games, but Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason sees his company's game development engine as more flexible than that. Nintendo apparently does as well, partnering with Unity on a worldwide licensing agreement that offers first- and third-party developers Pro level engine access to Unity's tools for Wii U development. The partnership also grandfathers in the existing 1.2 million Unity licensees to the Wii U platform, which Helgason tells us is, "extremely easy" to port to -- Unity's calling the partnership an "excellent opportunity" to port existing Unity games from "thousands of studios currently developing mobile and social games." The partnership's effects aren't immediate, however, as Unity Engine's Wii U support won't go live until 2013, which tells us that we won't see any fruit from the collaboration until some point in 2013 at the earliest. When pushed, Helgason wouldn't out any potential games headed to the Wii U via Unity, nor would he offer up names of studios interested in working with Nintendo's next console. It's not hard to imagine big Unity games like Slender and Rochard ending up ported to the Wii U, of course, but it sounds like we'll have to wait a bit longer before we hear which games will benefit from the partnership first.
Turtle Beach releasing entry-level Ear Force NLa, N11 stereo headsets for the Wii U faithful
Turtle Beach, the company that builds high-end audio gear for gamers immaterial of their bank balance is pushing out a pair of headsets for Nintendo's latest baby. The Ear Force NLa is an entry-level headset that's been customized to work with the Wii U GamePad, while the EarForce N11 is a little more serious -- with angled 50mm speakers with extended bass. Both units are also compatible with the company's DS and 3DS handhelds and will arrive in Q4 of this year, with the NLa setting you back $35 and the N11 a marginally heftier $50. Update: We've also heard that the NLa will be available in the UK in November, costing £40, while the N11 arrives in early 2013.
