Topic: Wii U launch discussion

Because I found something that expresses better my post

A quick browse on the internet showed me what I was already fearing: Some shops in Holland are totally ripping us off!
For example, some shops ask 63 Euro's for a single game while it should be 60! I saw even a shop that sold certain games for 70 (!!) Euro's!!

And then the console itself: I saw a basic bundle for 279, and a premium for 326. Those are nice prices, and there is the potential that it will go down a bit next year! But I also saw shops that sell the basic bundle at 313 (!!) and the premium at 365 (!!). It seems many shops still don't want to realize that it is crisis, and that nobody wants to pay this much (with the exception during christmas time)! As for the game-prices: We will get a 3DS situation: In Europe the 3DS games stay on the shelf because the people think they are to expensive! The shops have learned nothing!!

Well, at least I know now wich shops I have to avoid console wise. But it's trickier with games, since I can't take the train all the time to get those games. And in my area there is not much choice!

I'm curious as I didn't think this was getting released as the cpu is crap (or was that another game)

http://www.play.com/Games/Wii/4-/20429729/0/Metro-Last-Light/...

The CPU isn't crap, the reason these devs aren't supporting the Wii U is because Nintendo wants all devs to code for the GPGPU and leave the CPU of the Wii U out for other features of the game. This means fast loading times and better graphics, unfortunately devs have been coding for the CPU for other consoles for the last 6 years and are unfamiliar with this new processing unit.

@RetroGBHippie92
There would be no difference in hardware between the Wii U with its system-on-a-chip setup and separate GPU/CPU in terms of programming. The difference is in difficulty to manufacture (which means lower yields and therefore higher prices) and reduced power consumption. So they can make something more powerful that requires less cooling and is less likely to overheat. Nothing to do with the programming side of it.

AMD have an APU which they build and it's the same thing. They put a low-ish end GPU on the chip along with the CPU. Intel does similar and puts a GPU into their CPU these days but it's not as powerful as AMDs in terms of onboard graphics and probably isn't as comparable to what Nintendo is doing. Actually it's a bigger trend in general because all of the desktop/mobile CPUs these days have integrated memory controllers and all sorts. Gone are the days of a CPU just being a CPU.

@skywake

Except the Wii U's SoC is not just a CPU+GPU like the PS3 and XBox 360 have under their hoods, nor are AMD's APUs and Intel's SoCs that same way. They all contain a CPU+GPGPU, where the GPGPU is more than just a GPU, and has to be programmed separately from the CPU to take advantage of it.

@Discostew
I missed the boat a bit but I think you've gone a bit more off the track than I did. The GPGPU is not a different kind of GPU, it's the same as any other GPU. Apparently Nintendo expect people to write code to run on it rather than the CPU although where people got that from I don't know. There's no difference in the way the hardware works it's just in how they've put it together.

For Australian peoples, Kmart has a pretty awesome price on the Wii U. RRP is, as you know, $350AU for basic and $430AU for the premium. None of the stores before now have moved more than $2 lower than that price..... Kmart are advertising for $299AU and $379AU. Even if you have a pre-order somewhere else or are unlikely to get it at KMart for whatever reason it's probably worth printing that out and seeing if you can get a price match.

source: http://upload.ozbargain.com/2012/11/25/9923_001.jpg

@skywake Oh wow, that's pretty crazy.
I'll have to investigate a bit more tomorrow because saving $50 would be pretty sweet.

That is a word that only a dinkum Aussie would appreciate, mudjo, 'boganic' - brings to mind flannos, DBs, teenage Mums, and toddlers with mullets...

Meanwhile, back on topic, as I paid off my Wii U pre-order last week, the guy in EB in Perth said that if I found a better price, bring in the proof on pick-up day and they would price match

The bogan in KMart/Target/BigW is relative and varies depending on the suburb. Some places get the CUBs, others get the deros, others don't get much at all. Then again you're more likely to find CUBs at IKEA or Bunnings than the shops.

I went to london today and while I was there I decided to look for GAME in the hopes to try out a Wii U for the first time. When I found one all alone in the back it wasn't even switched on they had turned it off for a skylanders demonstration. I held the game pad in my hand but to be honest as it was weignted down with a big cable to avoid being stolen I couldn't get a proper feel of it.
I became a bit disheartend to be honest that its only 5 days away from launch in the U.K and theres no adverts on TV and no real buzz for Nintendo's next big system. A young girl even said ''can we get this add on for our wii mum'' not realising it was a new system.
Its got me wondering about the future of Nintendo in the U.K I went to the heart of London for 9 hours and only got 2 street passes on my 3DS as well.
It hasn't changed my mind of buying but made me think....

Got Zombie U the other day and for 30$ new (thank you old games that I never played anymore) And I'm loving it. The challenge is intense! Already on my 5th survivor.

And My Family is loving the Wii U, I even found a game that my dad (who never cared for games before) loves to play. I think that the Wii U is a more successful family device than the Wii was... at least for my family

Ok so question about the Wii to Wii U transfer deal. Is it alright if my SD card has VC games on it when I do the transfer? I know you'll have to redownload anything that isn't on the actual Wii menu but should my SD card be clear before transfering?

Who else loves Miiverse?

I have spent hours on it alone. It is addictive! The functionality and ease of use is excellent.

No, I did it with 6 channels of games on it and they all transfered fine. They WILL show up on the SD card menu... But you can't play them until you delete and re download.

@TheDreamingHawk
Alright, thanks. The transfer doesn't seem to take long either which is a pretty good thing.

And I think you're mistaking a GPGPU's capability with programmable shaders that have existed in GPUs for quite some time. They aren't the same thing, though general purpose computing on GPUs did come about because of programmable shaders.

http://igoro.com/archive/how-gpu-came-to-be-used-for-general-...

@Discostew
It's not a different kind of GPU it's the process of writing software to run on a GPU instead of the CPU. I'd like to know where your source is that Nintendo are forcing developers to program in that way rather than the same way they still can and always have.

Am I not the only one who's been having problems with Miiverse and Nintendo Network in general, like all week?

Somedays it works, somedays it doesn't. It's obviously a launch server issue that will be sorted out soon. I can't help but want to double check that I'm not the only one experiencing this though.