One-of-a-kind gaming experiences... and frustrations.
You probably haven't realized, but the Wii U is a bit like a giant Nintendo DS.
The TV is the top screen. The GamePad is the touch capacitive bottom screen. The GamePad even packs the same freakishly long feature list as the Nintendo DS. It's got touch and stylus support, a camera, a microphone, a gyroscope and accelerometer… all the usual suspects.
But the Wii U also combines many of the best parts of the Wii - including Wii Remote support and the eShop.
But does all this make for a good console, or just a dust collector?
The Hardware
Nintendo has never been in the business of making the most powerful consoles, and the Wii U likely won't buck this trend.
The Wii U has 2GBs of DDR3 SDRAM, one is dedicated to the OS and system functions, while the other is dedicated to gaming.
The processor is an IBM Power multi-core processor, but its specificities and true power is still under wraps. Fortunately, the GPU isn't. It's a fully capable AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU. Depending on which version you get, the system comes with 8GBs of storage or 32GBs of storage, both of which can be expanded via SD cards or external hard drives.
Unfortunately, without knowing just how many cores the processor has or what its clocked at, it's hard to tell just how powerful it is. But the power of the device is secondary to the new ways you can game with it.
The Wii U's appeal will rest in its first-party software and the novelty of the Wii U GamePad.
While the Wii U has a fairly solid launch lineup, none of the current software is genre-defining, like Mario 64 or Halo (with the possible exception of Nintendo Land, maybe). That means early adopters will doubtless pin their hopes on the GamePad, in much the same way Does it deliver?
Yes and no.
While the GamePad is an exciting controller that offers all the features you want and then some, it comes with its caveats.
The GamePad is light and ergonomic. It's only around 1.1 pounds, lighter than an iPad (1.4lbs), and it has comfortable ridges and grips. But it also feels a bit cheap. Shaking it audibly rattles the face buttons, and the triggers aren't analog, unable to gradually accelerate in driving games or fire faster or slower in shooters by holding them at various degrees.
The GamePad's 6.2" display adds gameplay mechanics we’d only seen in Nintendo handhelds, and still may also underwhelm tablet owners who are used to higher quality displays. Its resolution is only 158ppi - about the same resolution as the first iPhone - and doesn't support multi-touch. But the GamePad is more than the sum of its parts - and each part is a new gaming possibility.
The GamePad is at its best when it's delivering a new way to interact with your games. The ability to play a full console game – like New Super Mario Bros U, while others do something on the TV is as awesome as it sounds. Using it as a second display for solo experiences wowed me far less frequently than when I used it for asymmetrical local multiplayer. Games like Nintendo Land's Luigi’s Mansion, in which one player can see things on the GamePad others cannot, makes fun use of this dynamic.
But, at least for now, genuinely new experiences are the exceptions, not the rule. Few single player experiences utilize the GamePad quite as ingeniously.
Some of that can be written off as developer's limited time with the GamePad..In time, good ideas and development will inform more good ideas and development and the GamePad will be a more effective tool.
The GamePad cannot charge from the Wii U - and that means you'll need to free up an additional outlet to charge it - and this will be a pretty big deal for some. Many rooms won't accommodate another device in need of an outlet, and the GamePad will need to charge frequently.
The GamePad's battery isn't great. An average charge lasts about three to five hours – as compared to other tablets like the iPad, which frequently last over 10 hours of use. A full charge takes about 2.5 hours. In my tests, the battery lasted about four hours.
If your living room can't accommodate charging while playing (and at 8.5' the cord's not going to stretch from every living room's outlet to couch), this one problem could quickly lead to a constantly drained GamePad battery. Fortunately, when the day comes that your rechargeable battery doesn't last even that long, you can replace it yourself.
