PDA

View Full Version : To Wii or not to Wii



straycat
7th-November-2006, 02:12 PM
As any self-respecting games-loving geek knows, the latest round of Console Wars is just starting to hot up. The 360's been out for a while, the PS3 is speeding its way towards release, and ... the Nintendo Wii (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii) is due for release (in the UK) on December the 8th.

For those not in the know, Nintendo have always had a reputation for doing things... a little differently. This time, while their rivals are concerned mostly with producing the most powerful games consoles known to man with the most incredible graphics, sound blah blah blah blah, Nintendo have smugly announced that everyone else has got it wrong, that what's really needed is some original thinking about the way we play games, and how to evolve things in a more useful and entertainment-oriented fashion.... and are trying something quite radically different. And then giving it a truly silly name. (yes, it's pronounced 'wee')** :what:

Anyway - if I actually described what they've done, it'd take all day, and there's lots of places to read about it on the web if, like me, you're geeky enough to be interested. (and if you are, you probably already have. Why am I writing all this? Must be self-indulgence :wink: )

Oh yeah. That's it. I thought that in the true spirit of the forum, I'd make a poll to see if anyone else is as sad as me :grin:

Needless to say.... I'm getting one.

**Unless you live near Newcastle, when you can call it the Nintendo Wye-aye.***
***Or Scotland, when you can legitimately go into a shop and order a 'Wee Nintendo'

azande
7th-November-2006, 02:26 PM
I'm thinking about it, very undecided between Xbox 360 and this one. PS3 is definitely too expensive

Will
7th-November-2006, 02:27 PM
Definately going to get the PS3 (with the built in Blu-Ray player), so I cannot justify buying the Wii as well.

David Franklin
7th-November-2006, 02:42 PM
Definately going to get the PS3 (with the built in Blu-Ray player), so I cannot justify buying the Wii as well.Thanks for the update. Because you know, I was wondering whether Will will Wii...



I'll get me coat...

Jamie
7th-November-2006, 02:45 PM
I think the Wii is the best idea the gaming industries had since "Alex the Kid" it'll put the fun back into games.

I unlike many others, actually like playing with LESS spectacular graphics for a better game, I don't think graphics is what makes a game at all. Unless you're an 8 year old with an over active imagination we're never going to think games are "real", unless we delve into the V-R things but let's not go there right now.. Gettin back to the point, games aren't real, so why try to make them real? Games are just that, entertainment value, I think it's much more important to enjoy the game because of a good plot line, or just because it's fun.. Not because we sit and go.. oooh, pretty graphics..

I love the idea of the controllers, absolute gaming genious, I have a feeling that if anyone gets a Wii, they wont go back to "ordinary" gaming, because it'll be so different.

I'm planning on getting a Wii because they look so much fun! PS3's and XBox's just don't do it for me!

P.S. Geekiness ftw!!

straycat
7th-November-2006, 02:56 PM
Thanks for the update. Because you know, I was wondering whether Will will Wii...


We will muster the concentration, and we will will Will to Wii, which will make Will Wii, whether Will will Wii or no...



I'll get me coat...

Can you nab mine, while you're at it?

BobbyA
7th-November-2006, 03:59 PM
I've put my name down for a wii too! It looks like a right bunch of fun!! :) I think Graphics are just getting over hyped. Yeah its nice to have nice graphics but at the end of they day its all about fun! The Wii looks like it will deliver on that!

Side thought: Imagine if you could strap on 2 Wii Controllers to your knees, another 2 to your Upper Arm and attach 2 nunchucks in each hand! You could make some sort of dance game out of that! I dunno i'm just having wacky ideas now! :D :D

Jamie
7th-November-2006, 04:00 PM
I've put my name down for a wii too! It looks like a right bunch of fun!! :) I think Graphics are just getting over hyped. Yeah its nice to have nice graphics but at the end of they day its all about fun! The Wii looks like it will deliver on that!

Side thought: Imagine if you could strap on 2 Wii Controllers to your knees, another 2 to your Upper Arm and attach 2 nunchucks in each hand! You could make some sort of dance game out of that! I dunno i'm just having wacky ideas now! :D :D

It's those kinds of ideas that made the Wii possible tbh.

Beowulf
8th-November-2006, 09:41 AM
erm.. nope.

not really a games console type of guy. I have my old Xbox and that rarely gets used. I'm monumentally bad at computer games :rolleyes:

killingtime
8th-November-2006, 05:33 PM
I won't get one initially. I also don't plan on getting one at all but inevitably a game will come out for it that draws me to it and so I'll buy it. I own all the other recent consoles (just got a DS on Sunday) and PC and in many of those cases I've thought "I shan't bother with that console" and then Eternal Darkness comes out on the Cube and off I go to the shops.

Oblivion was my draw to the XBox 360, I figured I'd get out of the PC upgrade race... but now I want to upgrade my PC anyway.

Groovemeister
8th-November-2006, 06:05 PM
Wii is on order. I play games on my PC mainly but I am so board with them the lack of imagination does my head in and I loose interest in the games. Just bought Star wars empire at war and have played it about 4 times and turned it off every time because it's nothing new.

I can see the Wii becoming the new boardgame because of the interaction required I hope for me it will make me want to get back into enjoying computer games again.

Xbox is great but only just matches my PC's performance anyway and PS3 is just going to be to exspensive.

azande
8th-November-2006, 07:24 PM
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess trailer (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/03/todays-hottest-game-video-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-t/#comments) and review (http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/744/744044p1.html)

straycat
8th-November-2006, 11:30 PM
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess trailer (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/03/todays-hottest-game-video-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-t/#comments) and review (http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/744/744044p1.html)

Mmmmm. That was the review which prompted me to post this poll....

The two N64 Zeldas were among the best games I've ever played - and this one looks set to beat 'em hands down...

It's too bad they're releasing this a month late (late being 'later than suits me') - a new console and copy of Twilight Princess would be the perfect convalescing tool. Oh well. Have to think of a new excuse for December...

knightengale
10th-November-2006, 03:10 PM
The Wii looks amazing fun. Games like Wario Ware , Monkey ball, Wii Sports, Zelda all try and make games fun again.

Another good thing is the price. Nintendo have already said they will be making almost no lose on the wii.. where as you ahve Sony with the extremely expensive ps3 and are still making a huge lose on each one.

Also the fact that Nintendo have make it so the cost of developming for the console is alot cheaper an not the £20 million & 5 years needed for each game.

Long live the Nintendo Revolution :grin:

Also azande thanks for the linke to the review of zelda not read that one :respect:

(My first post completed :clap: )

killingtime
10th-November-2006, 04:40 PM
The Wii looks amazing fun. Games like Wario Ware , Monkey ball, Wii Sports, Zelda all try and make games fun again.

Well for me games never stopped being fun. I enjoyed the squabbling that went with a lot of the party games I had for the GameCube, I'm sure I'll look forward to that as well.


Another good thing is the price. Nintendo have already said they will be making almost no lose on the wii.. where as you ahve Sony with the extremely expensive ps3 and are still making a huge lose on each one.

Well that's not really a good thing for us (unless you are worried about the company going bust) but I remember an outcry when gamers were told that Nintendo were selling the Wii at profit and people were saying it was showing that they had a lack of commitment to the console. It just sounds like good business practice to me.

However I'm not convinced about the attached for the Wiimote but then, unlike the original suggests, it looks the they probably won't be as required as first thought (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=165) (ok I couldn't resist linking to that).


(My first post completed :clap: )

Welcome to the forum :cheers:.

azande
10th-November-2006, 09:07 PM
Because we are in the geek corner... unpacking the Wii! (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/weekend-of-wii-part-i-unpacking/)

straycat
10th-November-2006, 10:37 PM
Because we are in the geek corner... unpacking the Wii! (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/weekend-of-wii-part-i-unpacking/)

:drool: :drool: :drool:
(although that may just be the drugs talking)

azande
12th-November-2006, 12:37 AM
And part two, Interface and Games (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/weekend-of-wii-part-ii-interface-and-games/)

azande
13th-November-2006, 12:58 AM
Part three, Zelda in-depth (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/weekend-of-wii-part-iii-zelda-in-depth/)
and
Part four, Excite Truck in-depth (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/weekend-of-wii-part-iv-excite-truck-in-depth/)

ducasi
14th-November-2006, 03:39 PM
I'm still wondering whether to get a PS2... :whistle:

straycat
14th-November-2006, 04:02 PM
I'm still wondering whether to get a PS2... :whistle:

Well - if you do, wait 'till the PS3 is out. They'll be dead cheap by then...

killingtime
14th-November-2006, 04:06 PM
Well - if you do, wait 'till the PS3 is out. They'll be dead cheap by then...

Sony have said March, maybe, if the US sales die down and their shipments increase. I think some time approaching Christmas we'll see PS3's in this country.

The PS3 does look interesting. I can play my PS2 games on it :clap:, install YellowDog Linux :clap: (maybe), play with cell processors :clap: and live on the street because I bought one instead of paying my rent :clap:.

Lee Bartholomew
14th-November-2006, 07:00 PM
Dont buy a console. Spend the money on your PC.

Better games, Better Graphics, More Flexability and you wont have to send it back within two months due to a 'faulty laser'

<A href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6146328.stm">take a look at this</A>

Lee Bartholomew
14th-November-2006, 07:02 PM
Another attempt. bl00dy computers. lol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6146328.stm

straycat
14th-November-2006, 07:32 PM
Dont buy a console. Spend the money on your PC.

Better games, Better Graphics, More Flexability and you wont have to send it back within two months due to a 'faulty laser'

<A href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6146328.stm">take a look at this</A>

But since this thread is about the Wii in particular, not consoles in general, and we've already established that better graphics aren't what the Wii is all about, I'm not really sure why this would persuade me, especially since the PC can't offer the Wii's control system, which is what this is really all about...

Besides - my PC already plays Homeworld, Cataclysm and Half-Life 2 just fine, and it even manages to run my websites in IE so I can test them (the only practical job I ask of it) - why would I want to spend more money on it? ;)

straycat
14th-November-2006, 07:33 PM
Another attempt. bl00dy computers. lol


Try a Mac. They're easier ;)

killingtime
15th-November-2006, 01:05 PM
Dont buy a console. Spend the money on your PC.

Better games, Better Graphics, More Flexability and you wont have to send it back within two months due to a 'faulty laser'

Game incompatibility problems, random crashes and the knowledge that in a couple of years time your game might not work due to MS updating DirectX or you changing OS. As for the better graphics it is debatable. If you are willing to spend the same amount on a graphics card as you can buy a whole console for then yes but otherwise the consoles are "up there" at the moment. As for better games... I'd agree but there are always those console exclusives that pull me in. I'm a big Final Fantasy fan and, one day, that's going to draw me to the PS3.

On another note, Wii related, they announced a second system with DVD playback (http://hdtv.engadget.com/2006/11/14/nintendo-confirms-dvd-enabled-wii-in-07/) that someone who doesn't have 17 different DVD playback devices might be interested in, I guess.

As for the controller system the PC could offer such a controller system but a game designer would have to take a big risk if they were only offering that sort of controller (that is you'd need to go buy some hardware to play their game).

azande
18th-November-2006, 08:00 PM
and part five, Closing thoughts (http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/nintendoswii-part-v-closing-thoughts-for-now/)

straycat
1st-December-2006, 10:15 AM
OK. So I'm a geek. But this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkB3Flck9_8)is ... just ... taking things a little far... (scary)

killingtime
8th-December-2006, 12:21 PM
Right, so who is getting one today then?

Interesting PS3 vs Wii realization for myself. I own a PSP and DS and my DS sees quite a bit more play time (maybe because it is newer) but also because it just seems more fun.

straycat
8th-December-2006, 12:26 PM
Right, so who is getting one today then?

Interesting PS3 vs Wii realization for myself. I own a PSP and DS and my DS sees quite a bit more play time (maybe because it is newer) but also because it just seems more fun.

Maybe. I have one on order, and the shop say it should be in either at lunchtime, or Monday...

StokeBloke
8th-December-2006, 04:26 PM
Mine's just arrived.... see you all in the new year :grin:

straycat
8th-December-2006, 04:29 PM
Mine has not - looks like next week. Probably just as well - I have a lot to get done this weekend...

StokeBloke
8th-December-2006, 05:18 PM
I pre-ordered and got two wiis today. I have just sold the second one on eBay for double what I paid for it... that leaves one frii wii for mii :D

I'm planning on doing the same for the for the PlayStation 3 :wink:

BobbyA
9th-December-2006, 03:32 AM
Been playing mine all day.. Missed a freestyle tonight to play with some friends (from dance!) :)

its been great fun!

killingtime
11th-December-2006, 12:36 PM
Been playing mine all day.. Missed a freestyle tonight to play with some friends (from dance!) :)

Does that mean that DJs aren't allowed to play Wiis?

straycat
11th-December-2006, 03:51 PM
Mine arrived today. 'Tis sitting by my desk. Woohoo!

Although I'm not sure my excitement will be shared when I get home... :whistle:

Beowulf
15th-January-2007, 09:01 AM
To Wii or Not to Wii?

After reading this story on the BBC news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm)... I think I'd choose to Wii

andystyle
15th-January-2007, 10:55 AM
I was browsing the web the other night and I found a video clip of someone using a Wii controller to move the cursor in Half-Life 2 (which, might I say, is excellent. Started playing it recently, utterly hooked). Now, assuming this guy doesn't have a friend off-screen moving a mouse, that would indicate Wii technology can be used on the PC - after all, the controller is just another type of console - which would make me very happy indeed.

Anyone else know of this?

killingtime
15th-January-2007, 11:37 AM
I was browsing the web the other night and I found a video clip of someone using a Wii controller to move the cursor in Half-Life 2 (which, might I say, is excellent. Started playing it recently, utterly hooked). Now, assuming this guy doesn't have a friend off-screen moving a mouse, that would indicate Wii technology can be used on the PC - after all, the controller is just another type of console - which would make me very happy indeed.

Anyone else know of this?

Yup it's using the DarwiinRemote (http://blog.hiroaki.jp/2006/12/000433.html). Unfortunately it doesn't support triangulation yet. So when you move left it moves the mouse cursor left (at whatever rate) so not a great way to use the Wiimote. What you really want is the ability to point to a location on the screen (for applications and RTS's anyway) and that's where the cursor moves too. A bit like what happens on the Wii at the moment, really.

andystyle
15th-January-2007, 11:53 AM
No doubt someone will try and get this sorted so it is a contender - it would be a feasible replacement for the tried-and-tested mouse and keyboard combo (if that's the way you're inclined)

killingtime
15th-January-2007, 12:22 PM
No doubt someone will try and get this sorted so it is a contender - it would be a feasible replacement for the tried-and-tested mouse and keyboard combo (if that's the way you're inclined)

I'm sure they will get it sorted.

I'm not convinced about it being a contender against mouse and keyboard for FPSs though. As the cursor always remains in the centre of your view (that is that the target tends to appear at the infinity point on your perspective) then the Wiimote would move the whole of the character around when it moved (rather than being a point on the screen it aims at). I'm not convinced I'd have the accuracy I want with it. Point and click with it on RTSs and such could be cool though.

andystyle
15th-January-2007, 01:01 PM
Whether it comes on PC or not, I'd still consider getting a Wii. I mean, you have the two controllers - can you imagine how satisfying it would be to have a 'proper' fight with sword and shield?

straycat
15th-January-2007, 03:12 PM
I'm not convinced about it being a contender against mouse and keyboard for FPSs though. As the cursor always remains in the centre of your view (that is that the target tends to appear at the infinity point on your perspective) then the Wiimote would move the whole of the character around when it moved (rather than being a point on the screen it aims at). I'm not convinced I'd have the accuracy I want with it. Point and click with it on RTSs and such could be cool though.

Accuracy will certainly not be a problem for FPS games - you just need a slightly different aiming mechanic - namely the cursor is be able to roam the screen. Moving it near the edges of the screen will cause the view to move. The tough part to get right there is to balance between the player turning when they're just trying to point... vs not getting quick enough rates of turn. Apparently, Red Steel does suffer from the latter problem, while the upcoming Metroid Prime III has that one sorted.

From playing Zelda though, i can testify that using the wiimote as an aiming device gives you absolute pinpoint accuracy - it's streets ahead of using a mouse.

Overall, I'd say the Wii has exceeded my expectations. it's amazing fun, especially with a group of friends - and I have had quite a few friends who weren't into computer games in the slightest playing and loving it....

Highly recommended.

andystyle
15th-January-2007, 04:19 PM
*sighs*

I'm trying to save money...that didn't help! :wink:

Groovemeister
15th-January-2007, 04:40 PM
I've got a Wii shoulder from playing baseball and Tennis. I have brought a number of games but the sports games(other than Zelda) it comes with is the one I play the most.

Wii play is a bit of a waste of time other than getting the free controller.

straycat
15th-January-2007, 07:17 PM
I've got a Wii shoulder from playing baseball and Tennis. I have brought a number of games but the sports games(other than Zelda) it comes with is the one I play the most.

Wii play is a bit of a waste of time other than getting the free controller.

Funnily enough, I bought Wii Play... and (other than making serious use of the extra controller) I haven't touched it. Sports - only played it with friends, but we're finding tennis & bowling incredibly addictive.

And yeah - most of the time's been spent on Zelda, which one of the best games I've ever played...

Beowulf
16th-January-2007, 07:20 PM
So the Wii's good then? I'll have to see about getting one.. in about 10 years 2nd hand on eBAY or something ;)