Time to upgrade Wii to Wii-U?

[GOOFY D]

Is Nintendo pretty much slowing its production of games for the Wii platform and moving towards Wii U. We have a Wii and were looking to purchase Disney Infinity. I understand there are some serious limitations on the Wii version (only allows 1 player unless in Toy Box). We are wondering if it is time to upgrade to Wii-U (i.e. is it inevitable in the short term?) and purchase the Wii-U version to both avoid the limitations and move to a more supported platform. Will the Wii be a dinosaur shortly? It is a big investment to move up, but the other choice would be to change to PS or XBox which would mean losing all the games accumulated for Wii (including Skylanders and Skylanders Giants). The system is for an 8 year old boy. Thoughts?

 

[wiigirl]

Personally I my daughters love the WiiU way more than the Wii. I would say go for it.

 

[dhardawa]

Our Wii died about a week ago and I debated buying a WiiU, but really couldn't see that there was a lot to gain other than a higher price tag and a tablet the kids would fight over. I also don't see the gaming critics raving over the WiiU and wonder if it won't soon be replaced. I didn't want to go to an Xbox/Playstation because we have so many Wii games. In the end, I ordered another Wii.

 

[excitedfamof4]

We are curious about this too. Our kids still enjoy playing our Wii on a regular basis. How does the WiiU work? How does it enhance the games that are currently used on the Wii?

We also don't want to shell out the money for a WiiU if it is going to be a dinosaur here soon too. I fell for the Wii Draw and it was a huge let down...so we are very hesitate to purchases the WiiU.

 

[erin22]

We are curious about this too. Our kids still enjoy playing our Wii on a regular basis. How does the WiiU work? How does it enhance the games that are currently used on the Wii?

We also don't want to shell out the money for a WiiU if it is going to be a dinosaur here soon too. I fell for the Wii Draw and it was a huge let down...so we are very hesitate to purchases the WiiU.

Well the U Draw tablet, was a third party game for the Wii, where as the Wii U is Nintendo's latest console so that isn't a very good comparison.

Games will stop being made for the Wii very shortly if they haven't already because that is a generation old console at this point. Any new games going forward will be for the Wii U. Much the same way that games for the Nintendo DS are not made very much anymore and anything new is for the Nintendo 3DS.

The Wii U is backwards compatible so you can still play all your old Wii games on it, but if you want to continue to by new Nintendo games you will have to upgrade in the very near future.

 

[BrianL]

I am a gamer and Nintendo guy, so I'll try to explain in non-gamer terms.

The Wii U is a new console, marked as such by a significantly more powerful CPU/graphics processing ability, including HD Graphics. It also had the Gamepad, a tablet like controller that enables certian functions and with many games allows you to play without needing the TV (like a portable console, only not portable). It comes with the system. The Wii U plays its own games designed for the system and does not enhance in any way games for the original Wii. It will play Wii games, and use your Wii remote controllers (for both Wii and Wii U games), but they will still be Standard Definition and be identical to the experience on Wii. You can transfer all of your saved games, downloaded titles, and Mii characters tot he Wii U with a one-time transfer.

Those are the facts, but there is more to consider. The Wii and Wii-U are both positioned as Family style consoles. They do not cater to the gamer demorgraphic that loves Call of Duty (though CoD IS available on Wii-U) and online multiplayer (it does that too, but the community is rather small). Hardware-wise, like the Wii, the system uses more modest specs, making it about equivalent to the PlayStation 3/X-Box 360 in the graphics department (PS4 and XB-ONE both coming out this month are significantly more powerful under the hood).

That all tends to be a turn-off to the gamers, but it is not necessarily a reason to not buy the platform. The Wii, despite being the weaker of the bunch, was actually very popular and was supported throughout its lifespan, mostly with family-friendly games though. You might miss out on a Resident Evil or Bioshock, but if it is primarily for your children this is not a problem. Both XBox and PlayStation attempted to emulate the family-friendly titles of Wii, and XBox at least captured some of that market with Kinect, their camera-sensor that allows controller-free play. The new Xbox One has Kinect built into the base package, so it is also something to consider.

Wii U likely will be reasonably well supported. Even though it is not selling like gangbusters as its predecessor did, history shows Nintendo has a habit of supporting consoles, and with a lot of better games on the way (Mario Kart for example) it should be a safe bet for families, and cheaper than an Xbox One or PS4. Certainly, games for the original Wii are coming to a stop, so upgrading soon is warranted. If you want the best visuals, online play, and more adult games (though plenty of kid-friendly titles are on all systems), a PS4/XB-ONE is a better bet. If you like family games, Wii Sports, Mario, and the ability to play off the TV, then Wii-U is your bet (and it still has plenty of adult and online games).

Sorry for the long post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[BrianL]

We are curious about this too. Our kids still enjoy playing our Wii on a regular basis. How does the WiiU work? How does it enhance the games that are currently used on the Wii?

We also don't want to shell out the money for a WiiU if it is going to be a dinosaur here soon too. I fell for the Wii Draw and it was a huge let down...so we are very hesitate to purchases the WiiU.

You can see my above post for more detail, but to answer your questions:

The Wii U Gamepad is more like an iPad than the uDraw. It had a full LCD touchscreen and can display information or full games on it. Think of it like playing a DS, with he TV as a top screen, and the pad as the bottom. It must be within a certain range of the base console to operate.

It does NOT enhance Wii games, but it will play them and all your saves and such can be transferred. They will still be standard definition graphics for Wii games, while Wii-U games are HD.

Hope that helps.

 

[BrianL]

Is Nintendo pretty much slowing its production of games for the Wii platform and moving towards Wii U. We have a Wii and were looking to purchase Disney Infinity. I understand there are some serious limitations on the Wii version (only allows 1 player unless in Toy Box). We are wondering if it is time to upgrade to Wii-U (i.e. is it inevitable in the short term?) and purchase the Wii-U version to both avoid the limitations and move to a more supported platform. Will the Wii be a dinosaur shortly? It is a big investment to move up, but the other choice would be to change to PS or XBox which would mean losing all the games accumulated for Wii (including Skylanders and Skylanders Giants). The system is for an 8 year old boy. Thoughts?

In response to Wii-U being a "dinosaur," well it already is in terms of hardware, but that never stopped the Wii. Chances are very good it will be well supported for around 5 years (the average console lifespan). It is also cheaper ($299 - $349) than either the PlayStation 4 ($499) or X-Box One (also $499). Buying a PS3 or XB360 at this time is unwise as they will not be supported much longer with the new ones on the shelves.

 

[mrsp1030]

We love the Wii U over the Wii and our boys ages 7, 5 love it more than the Wii also. We got a deal on Black Friday last year and are definitely happy we purchased it. This year they are getting Infinity and are so glad we already upgraded.

 

[ImDMous]

I definitely would concentrate on a newer platform than buying another Wii. On Oct 20 or so they announced they would stop making the Wii, so I would imagine they will stop selling games for that platform pretty soon also.

Whether you want to stick with Nintendo or move to a more gamer-centric XBox or Playstation depends on where you think your sons interests lie and how long you want the console to last before you are ready to get another one. If you just want one to get you a few years through his tweens, the Wii U might be a fine choice. If you want an environment that will take him all the way through high school, I might wait a few weeks for the new XBox or PS to come out.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I just got the Disney Infinity. We have a PS3 and Wii and I didn't know what to buy. I asked my husband's friend who is big into video games and also a very technical person. He said to definitely go with the PS3 because it has better reviews and the graphics are so much better. I would say don't wait too long to make your choice. Especially if you go to a PS3. I had to go to three stores before I found it. There are much less PS3's than the XBOX or WiiU to buy. Three left when I got mine. Found mine at Target. Used the coupon in the toy catalog.

 

[LilyWDW]

Unless your kids are quite young, I wouldn't buy another Nintendo console. The Wii U is already dated and is expected to not come anywhere near the sales of the PS4 or Xbox One. The outlook is not great for the Wii U.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Wow, we have a wii from many years ago and don't use it a ton. I had no idea people pay $500 to play video games!

 

[LilyWDW]

Wow, we have a wii from many years ago and don't use it a ton. I had no idea people pay $500 to play video games!

I spend more then that on a computer...

It is a $500 system that does more then play a couple of games.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I spend more then that on a computer...

It is a $500 system that does more then play a couple of games.

I spend much more than that on a computer also. I just had no idea how expensive game systems are. I am thankful my kids aren't into them, now that you all have enlightened me.

 

[Eastern]

Those are the facts, but there is more to consider. The Wii and Wii-U are both positioned as Family style consoles. They do not cater to the gamer demorgraphic that loves Call of Duty (though CoD IS available on Wii-U) and online multiplayer (it does that too, but the community is rather small). Hardware-wise, like the Wii, the system uses more modest specs, making it about equivalent to the PlayStation 3/X-Box 360 in the graphics department (PS4 and XB-ONE both coming out this month are significantly more powerful under the hood).

Yes, my teens are disappointed that the community is small for CoD on Wii-U. I think they mainly play Super Smash Brothers on it?

I would discuss with my children what they want to do with the system before buying it.

 

[msmama]

I assume I can stream Netflix and amazon through the WiiU just like I did with the old Wii but can anyone confirm that for sure?

 

[BrianL]

I assume I can stream Netflix and amazon through the WiiU just like I did with the old Wii but can anyone confirm that for sure?

yes netflix and amazon are available on Wii U. Works pretty well too amd HD is available.

 

[GOOFY D]

Thanks for the input thus far.

 

[Egdisney]

We bit the bullet and bought wii u today. My hubs can't wait and will hook it up when he gets home from work. We bought some games but will keep those back for Christmas. I will let you know what we think tomorrow