Wii U: Buckle Up.
- September 13th, 2012
- By MogKnight
Nintendo just announced the official release date for the Wii U in North America: November 18th. Right before the Black Friday rush and the start of the Holiday season, Nintendo is banking on making their sales (and trust me, it will sell) during that rush and I’m sure everything will be fine and dandy.
Of course, there are plenty of things to be concerned about, plenty of things to be happy about, and plenty of things to be upset about.
After watching and listening throughout the many “conferences” that Nintendo has been holding in the past year, I only find myself more confused rather than excited for the new Wii U console. In a way, yes I am fairly happy to see what Nintendo is bringing out with this, but I have to continually remind myself that this is not next-gen but half-gen if even that.
We can be excited about the myriad of ports, the exclusive titles that seem a bit far and few between, and the functionality of a media center that– really, has already been done to a somewhat lesser degree (or more so, since I believe Microsoft has big plans for their Smartscreen technology). In the end, we have Nintendo coming back as a third pillar that has not been seen since the GameCube days.
Let’s sit back and think about this for a second though: Do we really need a third console? I mean, that is what the Wii U essentially is that the Wii wasn’t: A console that is within the same tier as the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. What does the Wii U offer that’s different from the other consoles? Sure, a GamePad that functions as an extended screen. Maybe Nintendo’s charm with the Miiverse? I hope their online functionality isn’t terrible!
Truth is, I want to be excited for the Wii U. I love to see new consoles, I love to see new things that are fresh. Unfortunately, the Wii U is not something I’m too excited about, it’s not something I can tell my friends and yell at them going “HEY! THIS IS THE HOT NEW SHIT!”
It’s too early to say anything with any certainty, but I’m sure many share the same sentiments about the Wii U. I’m also a bit concerned about how Nintendo doesn’t seem to be “ready” at any point from when we first heard of the Wii U (E3 2011) to now. As of today, we have 66 more days until the Wii U comes out. I think only 3 launch titles have been confirmed, and while the launch window is big and features a good list of games, I certainly hope what is being offered is not going to be all there is during the next 3 months, otherwise I don’t see a reason to buy a Wii U right now when other consoles already have some of these games and functions.
Now that I think of it, how would I recommend a Wii U to a person that doesn’t own a 360 or a PS3? I’d probably just tell them to buy a 360 or a PS3.
Better buckle up Wii U. Just because you’re already about to land down doesn’t mean you will catch any breaks from here on out. You have got a lot to prove.
