Ten Thoughts As Wii U Arrives

Ten Thoughts As Wii U Arrives

Musings from the land of Nintendo.

It's finally here. Almost six years to the day after the highly successful Wii launched, Nintendo has ushered in its sixth console generation with Wii U. Over the past couple weeks the entire IGN staff has brought you a variety of thoughts on the system experience, and its games, with plenty more to come. But it's only been over the past several hours that we've actually been able to check out Wii U in its full, native environment, with the OS completed thanks to a 'Day One' Update.

With that in mind, here are a handful of new observations on the basic Wii U experience.

1. Adding Friends Is (Sort Of) Easy

Friend Codes are dead. It's about time. Nintendo has opted for a far simpler 'Nintendo Network ID' solution that is much like other consoles. You can send out requests (through Miiverse) or do a quick direct exchange, which bypasses the need to wait for a request to arrive - which in our experience can take a bit of time. You can add up to 100 friends.

Requests, however, need to be made through Miiverse - and only Miiverse. You can then view those in Miiverse or through the Friends List hub. Direct exchanges can only be made in the Friends List. Why those limitations, we have no idea. That definitely needs some work.

2. The Nintendo Network

Though Nintendo really didn't talk about this (or a whole bunch of Wii U features) before launch, the Nintendo Network is a really simple concept that binds everything from eShop access to friend requests and more. You'll need a working e-mail address and can easily sign up directly from your Wii U. Miis that are bound to the Nintendo Network have a blue background from the selection screen. Also - your Mii/User Nickname (mine is Rich-IGN) is not your Nintendo Network ID (what your friends need to know - mine is RichIGN) is not your e-mail address (not telling you that!). Just so that's clear.

If you're registering your kids or little brothers and sisters, Nintendo will ask that you supply a credit card for a $0.50 charge. Kind of odd, but it's a reasonable verification system on Nintendo's part - though it can simply be defeated if you lie about your age. But then you'd be a horrible person, wouldn't you?

3. Loading... Loading... Loading...

Here's one frustrating quirk of Wii U's menu system - there's quite a bit of loading. It's not unusual for 10, 20 and even sometimes 30 seconds to pass as you move from option to option, even when you're simply returning to Wii U's main screen. Sometimes it doesn't take long, sometimes it does. More curious is the fact that you don't always know if the system is loading - you just see an icon that sits on your GamePad. Some sort of animation - even Wii's swirling blue circle - would be better than nothing.

Of anything I mention here, this is the one thing that simply must change. Figuring out options and OS quirks is one thing. Waiting forever for basic apps to open is another.

4. The eShop

Whenever you dive into Nintendo's eShop - now or in the future - be prepared to see a LOT of content. Full retail games, basic information on all games (3DS and Wii U, including titles only available in stores) and, of course, the indie-published, eShop only content like Trine 2 and Little Inferno.

On the whole, the new eShop is reasonably easy to navigate, but like most digital shops, things get tricky if what you want isn't readily available on the main page. For example, I'm still not sure if there's a hub somewhere that houses all game demos. If there is, I couldn't find it, not even with a search for the word 'demo.' Nintendo probably has a little learning to do in terms of organization, but this layout is far better than what's on the 3DS - the quick button shortcuts are a nice touch too.

Things do get a little weird when we move on to...

5. Download Management

Once you buy a game, Wii U will start to download that software in the background. That's good, but the system then moves any further information about that download - and the necessary prompt to then install it - into the Download Management menu. This is accessed by pressing the Home button. Once you know it's there, you're fine, but not having a quick link to that from the eShop is a little odd.

Regardless, downloads can be done in the background while you're doing other things. But installs cannot - and Wii U is a bit clueless when it comes to install times. For example, when I installed Trine 2, the system told me I had a mere 4 seconds left - for at least several minutes. You do get a progress bar, and that seems far more reliable, but the console ought to be able to give me a proper time estimate and not something picked out of thin air.

Incidentally, it appears as though System Updates can also be applied in this way - downloaded in the background and then installed while you wait. The Day One update, however, was something that took over my system - and it took a while - 70 minutes in total. (But those speeds will vary - we've heard of New Mario, over 2GB, downloading in just 20 minutes; formal tests have pegged the update at about half that.)

6. Miiverse

Nintendo's social infrastructure was down earlier today, but of all Nintendo's various Wii U apps and elements, Miiverse could be the biggest and most important. It's far simpler than you might expect, effectively acting as a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, albeit one dedicated to just Wii U games. Communities are created based on specific games, you have a activity feed based on your friends' updates and messages, and can also send friend requests directly through Miiverse.

The overall UI of Miiverse could use a bit of streamlining. The friend requests hub should connect directly into the Friends List, and not being able to do anything but accept and reject is too limited. Why can't I see all my friends? Why can't I add friends? Nintendo has a ways to go here.

And the fact that I keep getting random Miiverse errors is obviously something that could get better. But on the whole, Miiverse could be pretty remarkable, particularly as it weaves its way into more and more games. It'll be great for indie devs too, allowing them to create direct communities for their games - right within the host system itself, not on some far off message board. That's remarkable.

Miiverse can also be opened over another application, so if you want to jump into a community to talk about something in the midst of playing a game, you can.

7. Wii Mode

Backwards Compatibility is very simple on Wii U, even though it might be a little disappointing for some folks. After installing the update, you'll have Wii Mode active on your system. Loading 'Wii Mode' basically restarts your Wii U as a Wii. Your GamePad turns off. Your Wii remote (which the system will check to make sure you have one paired) will be your primary input. Your Pro controller won't work, but your Classic one will. It's SD, not HD. There's a Wii Shop Channel, which still uses Wii points and asks you to use your Wii-based controllers.

But some things, even though they worked on Wii, won't work here. There are no GameCube controller ports. GameCube games will not work. So there are some limitations. Still, you'll be able to play most of your old content, including Virtual Console and WiiWare - once you transfer them over.

8. Internet Browser

Perhaps the best element of Wii U's browser is that you can boot it up through the Home menu while you're doing something else. I can have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles running on my TV, Doctor Who going on Netflix, and still take a look at IGN.com. The ability to do that type of multitasking is excellent, as it means you can take a glance at an IGN Wiki for help before quickly diving back into a game. Simple.

Wii U's browser doesn't support Flash, but that standard is quickly being removed by many sites (IGN included). You can also do quick searches through Google or Yahoo, open up tabs, and zoom in on text, if you want. The browser is also rather speedy, which is appreciated.

9. Netflix

I'm not sure that Netflix will be as big of a deal on Wii U as it was on Wii, but as I type this I'm able to bounce between watching Invader Zim and Doctor Who on the GamePad, and my girlfriend is still playing Halo 4 on the TV. I could technically boot up the service on my laptop, but the versatility and dual-screen nature of Wii U is definitely great here - and so is being able to touch the screen to start, stop and generally interact with the program. More of this, please.

10. Final Thoughts

You're likely going to see a lot of criticism leveled at Nintendo in the coming days and weeks. It has just introduced a new system and a new OS to the world. There will be flaws. There will be glitches. There will be times when features freeze or the arrangement of certain options makes absolutely no sense.

These problems are only amplified by the fact that Wii U's emerging environment is inherently lining up against rival operating systems that have been iterated upon for six and seven years. It's only natural that our familiarity with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will make us scratch our heads at what Nintendo has done. (And honestly, neither of those system's are perfect - I'm still confused how the 360's latest interface took a significant step backwards in usability.) The publisher's user interface choices no doubt made sense when they were in development, but there's nothing like releasing something to the public - and then fixing and adjusting from there.

Some of the above flaws are irritating. Some are a bit baffling. And they absolutely need to be addressed. But what's more critical than the current state of Wii U is how Nintendo reacts in the future. Because it's a social, digital content, Internet, entertainment and gaming hub, Nintendo must continue to refine the Wii U's base experience. There is a massive amount of potential here - and plenty more that can be done in the future. The mere fact that I can play Assassin's Creed III while I watch Homeland is remarkable. That I can check a website for help or interact with other gamers from my console's controller is such a clever twist on the familiar gaming environment.

Nintendo is onto something here. The system has some very good - even great - launch games. And many just around the corner will likely be even better. More importantly, you can see potential in so many parts of the console, including its OS. But there are problems - some small, some big. And now the spotlight is on Nintendo to perfect what it's started.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

Source : http://www.ign.com