Nintendo Wii U Console - Black Deluxe Set

I, like many people, first saw the Wii U at E3 2011 when Nintendo showed off a tech demo of the new thing they were working on. It was obviously a home console, as the graphics were way too good for a handheld system and the 3DS was still very new, and I, like many people, was intrigued. Even more so when it was shown that franchises such as the new and awesome Batman, Mass Effect, Tekken, and Darksiders would be coming to a Nintendo system for the first time ever, not to mention getting Bayonetta 2 exclusive. Then when the actual system was shown off at E3 2012, I knew I'd have to get a Wii U eventually, especially when Nintendo began talking about the games they had lined up for it and showing off bits and pieces of third-party fare like the new Warriors Orochi, Ninja Gaiden, the games MonolithSoft are making, and Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem, a collaborative effort between themselves and Atlus. And did I mention that Valve has said recently that they are interested in the Wii U? That's kind of a big deal. Anyway, even if none of this were true, I'd probably still have gotten it, as unlike some people, I still recognize a good, fun game when I see one. That, and I happen to want to see Nintendo succeed. Now, some people have complained about some things that Nintendo should have known better than, like wanting to confirm installation after downloading digital content rather than automatically doing it like on the PS3 and XBOX 360 and various other devices, and they're right. There's no reason for me to have to confirm a download by allowing installation after I already told the machine I wanter the content in the first place by buying and downloading it. I like the eShop a lot better than Playstation Store, it looks better, it navigates better in my opinion, I just think it was a shame for Nintendo to make that decision and hope that if they can change that with a system update, they do. Another gripe I've seen that I have to agree with is the menus. It can get a little confusing at times, so some streamlining and clean up is in order there, too. It's not terrible, though, so if an update does come addressing the issues as others have pointed out in better detail, then the menus should look the same but for those changes. One thing I would like to touch on as a point of contention from at least one other reviewer's review, and that's the automatic shut off when the system is idle for too long. I don't know if he and his family just missed it or if they didn't notice during the first update that it could be done or whatever, but he was complaining about the system automatically powering down when he downloads stuff, only for it to lock up and only download when he tells it to stay on while his content loads, but it is possible to go in to the System Settings and tell the system to not power down at all when idle. I noticed during system updates that it said that the automatic power down would be temporarily disabled, so I went into System Settings, and sure enough, there was a setting for the automatic power down. I have it set to Do Not Use. Anyway, I don't have many complaints about the Wii U besides the two things I've already stated. The ability to play games on a touch screen and without a TV is cool, the menus are easy enough to navigate before the confusing parts that other reviewers detail better, and most of the "hardcore" games already out for it, like ZombiU, are in fact rated highly by gamers. One thing I would like to talk about that I see other people saying when it comes to the Wii U, they say it has "last gen" graphics when the "next" generation of consoles hasn't officially begun yet, and that the Wii U is still underpowered and doesn't have third party support and all this. And I see all of that and I have to call BS. For one thing, on the subject of third party support, EA is madly in love with with Nintendo these days. Anything they can release on a Nintendo system, they're going to have made for a Nintendo system. Namco Bandai is making the new Super Smash Bros., and several developers are collaborating with Nintendo to help keep the cost of making games down. Then there's Bayonetta 2, which is exclusive to Wii U because Nintendo bought the company who made Bayonetta because they wanted to make a sequel but were about to be shut down. And that's just what we know so far. MonolithSoft has two games slated for Wii U, only one of which we know a lot about, that being The Wonderful 101. The other, which I'm just going to call X, all we have of it is the trailer, and the trailer doesn't tell us much besides that it looks like it's going to be totally awesome. Then there's Valve. PC and 360 players know Valve. Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Half-Life, that Valve. Yeah, they've expressed an interest not too long ago in possibly making a game for the Wii U. And again, with the Wii U only being a few months old, there's still plenty of time for developers to come out and say they are in fact on board with it. Remember that Nintendo is notorious for being secretive and keeping their big announcements under wraps until the time is right to announce them. Remember also that E3 2013 is just around the corner and that we never thought we'd see Tekken on a Nintendo system, or Assassin's Creed for that matter. Then there's the complaints about how much power the Wii U seems to lack and it's graphics. I would contend that the Wii U is probably more powerful than Nintendo is ready to let on, why I don't know, but Ubisoft says that ZombiU only uses about a quarter of the system's ability, and it's on par with games like Arkham City and Darksiders II in terms of how it looks. And then there's the system's actual ability. How powerful is it? Couldn't say, but look no farther than it's contemporaries to see just how much a system's processing power actually matters. The PlayStation 3, great system, I love it, I think I'll keep mine even if I do get a PS 4. Powerful system, but it did not sell as well or receive as much third party support as Sony had hoped it would. And before that, Microsoft's own original Xbox, which owes it's existence to the GameCube, was the most powerful system, and it too did not do as well as it's creators had hoped. So does a system's processing power and other technical factors really matter? I should say not, as if they did, the original Xbox and the PS3 would have been the winners of their generations, but they weren't. And then you have the fact that Nintendo has said that the Wii U is not a new system. Yes, they said that they would in fact be making an HD Wii, but they also said that if they did, there'd have to be more to it than just a graphics upgrade. It sure looks and feels like a new system to me, but if they're working on something that is going to be considered their answer to the new PlayStation and Xbox out this Christmas, then I guess I can see why they would play it conservative and have it be on par graphics-wise with the PS3 and 360, rather than going all out. Either way, I got this system because it looked like it was going to be fun, and using the controller to play the various games in NintendoLand has indeed been a lot of fun. I don't have anything else for it yet, but there are a few indie games availabe via the eShop, indicating indie developers may not be having problems developing for the Wii U, and Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 is available via the eShop, and to my knowledge only the eShop but maybe just digitally. Either way. I know I spent more time talking about the console wars, but that's only because my review of the actual system was always going to be short and sweet. The Internet Browser works almost exactly like a computer, which is great for those who want to browse a site without having to turn on their computer if they have one, which is quite useful as between that and an active community of gamers, anybody who gets stuck in a game can either ask for help in the game's community via Miiverse or looking for a walkthrough online, and they can do it all without having to exit their game. And then there's Nintendo TVii, which lets users program their Wii U to act like a TV Guide of sorts as they compile lists of their favorite shows and channels from their cable or satellite provider if they have one. And games and apps and other features are accessed by having their own block on the touchpad's main menu, meaning that whatever they want, be it a game, the internet browser, YouTube, Netflix, or whatever, they just have to click it on the touch screen at the main menu. I personally love the Wii U. The motion controls and touchpad gaming alone have certainly changed the game for the much more interesting, and then the graphics prove that Nintendo can play the graphics game, too.

Ah the Wii U. How underrated you are. I know what most are going to say: the Wii U is dead, you should get the Switch. Though we'll detail that in a bit. Let's first talk about the console itself. The Wii U is Nintendo's first HD console, so if you're the kind who needs that HD, you finally got it here; (though graphical quality in games never bothered me much). The Wii U also supports traditional composite output, so whether you have an HD tv, or an older one, this console will work on it. It can even work on a dvd player with comppsite plugs or on a laptop or pc through a capture card. The system is home to a gaint hoat of games. While I'd argue Nintendo is still more on the expensive side compared to other consoles (say, the ps3) when it comes to ir's games, there's good reason for it. Most of their games are top notch. On top of the quality of the games, you have a vast host of them to play, as not only do you have Wii U games you can play, you also have the E Shop, which is host to many Virtual Console titles of the N64, NES, SNES, GBA, DS, and a few selects from the Wii (which can be cheaper then buying the original Wii disks). There's also indie games if that's your thing. On top of all of that, it has the Wii built into it, so you can play all of your Wii games on it from the disk through the Wii Menu. Which of course opens even more options. The best part involving this, is you can display all Wii games on the gamepad and tv, allowing you to play on just the gamepad with your tv off on ANY Wii title if you so choose, even splitscreen, and with the gamepad sporting it's own sensor bar (essentially making it a psuedo Switch). Though I can hear many of you now: this is all well and good but we already kbow this stuff and why buy this when we can get Switch? Well, while admittedly many games from Wii U have been ported to the Switch, and while it's POSSIBLE that the FREE online multiplayer capabilities of the Wii U COULD get shut down, there aren't too many online Wii U titles that support online as it is, and the console is still a good buy in it's own right depending on what you're looking for. Even if free online mulriplayer and even if (as unlikely as it is) the E Shop on Wii U both cease and absolutely all support for this console dies out, I'd still say it's worth purchasing. Not only can you (currently) get most of the Switch's games on Wii U (cuz they're Wii U ports), there are some experiences you can only experience on the Wii U you won't get on Switch. On top of that, off-TV play is supported in a lot of games allowing you to play on the gamepad itself, games that support 2 player without the need to split the screen, Mario Maker and Splatoon can still be enjoyed even IF Nintendo shuts all support down; (albeit Splatoon will be limitedto Sinfle Player Campaign, Amiibo challenges, and Battle Dojo, and Mario Mario would be limited to creating levels yourself or playing the built in levels, bith would still be enjoyable), as every other Wii game would, you can watch youtube, crunchyroll, and browse the internet; all in all, the system isn't nearly as bad as everyone claims it is, and is cheaper then Switch with even more retro experiences then Switch has so far. In regards to people who say to get a Switch rather then a Wii U, for the price of the Switch ($300), I got this Wii U console from Amazon Warehouse, an ethernet adaptor for it, and many games, whereas if i were to have instead gotten Switch, I'd have only had 1 game, and that's assuming I had an extra $60 on top of the original $300. While this console may be 'dead', as many say, so too are the Playstation 2, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64, yet you don't see people bashing those as they do the Wii U, do you? The Wii U is a fantastic console, in spite of it's failure from a marketing standpoint, and I'd recommended it to anyone looking for a versitile local multiplayer console with a large game library.

So no offense many loved it personally I hated the Wii. When I got home from work last thing I wanted to do was fling my arms all over like a monkey an act like I was hahving fun. I ended up selling the Wii an bought a Xbox an PS3 which I love. The new ZombiU for Wii U did catch my eye though an the fact that the console is OMG yes finally HD!!!, is why I purchased a Wii U. Well I ordered the Wii U from Amazon last week an got it yesterday. First thing I noticed when taking it out of the box is the quality. I don't pick sides like alot of people do with consoles, I just buy the console that has the games I think look good. But growing up usually it was a Nintendo console we all liked to play. For quality I will def give the Wii U a 5/5 it is quiet an quite hefty for the size which is half of what the Xbox 360S is an solid feeling. It can be laid flat or upright however you prefer. The deluxe set I purchased came with a sensor bar if you wanna play your old Wii games with the nun chucks but.........hell no I kept that in the box haha. Next the controller which is what i was most worried on is now laid to rest. It is comfortable to hold the layout might take a little getting use to but one thing is for sure the quality of the controller also is better then any consoles controller i've ever seen. The features of the console an controller are also great. I see some amazing uses in the future with this controller. For features i'll have to say a 4/5 because it doesn't have a dvd/blu ray player but Nintendo is all about gaming an they do offer Netflix an more to watch so that rating could be looked at both ways. One very cool thing is the game cd's are Blu Ray so they can't get scratched which is great for kids. Now for how the console looks an plays. First game I played was ZombiU an honestly it is probably the best zombie game i've played. It looks as good as any zombie game for the Xbox or PS3 but where it shines is it's features with the controller. I also know Ubisoft mentioned that ZombiU only uses about 25% of the Wii U's power an if so I can't wait to see what future games will look like. The game controlled great an the sound was superb I will def have to say a 5/5 with my first game. Nintendo has a console that can do a billion things over what the original Wii could an is so much different yet backwards compatible for if anyone wants to play there old Wii games. If they do this right Nintendo's Wii U could be quite amazing an the winner of the next console wars. I would recommend the Wii U to anyone it finally got the horrid taste of the first Wii out of my mouth an is so much fun.

This was my first console since the Xbox 360 which I received 6 years ago, so hopefully this would be a worthy successor. My Wii U arrived in a box containing the console, all cords necessary, the sensor bar, Game Pad, and a Wii controller, you will probably not get one of those because I got it second hand. I had a little trouble setting up the graphics because I needed to change it from SD to HD or else it was black and white. After that I put in my new copy of Mario Kart 8. All of the games I have tried have required a little installation but it isn't that big a deal, some are a couple minutes, others are an hour, it just depends what game it is. My first Wii U gaming experience was on Mario Kart 8 as I said. The graphics on it were sublime. It played like a dream, no crazy noises, no glitches or anything. I then attempted to use the browser to view Youtube videos. Surprisingly, it worked like a dream, it runs the desktop version of websites and is easy to maneuver due to the touch screen on the controller. The two apps I have on it are Netflix and Youtube. Both of these are about what you would find on any other game console, clunky and not fun to use. Netflix is only available on the app because the console, as expected, can not run Microsoft Silverlight. As for build quality, it's pretty good, the console is very small and has a glossy candy-shell plastic, as does the controller, so if you commit a crime make sure to wipe it down because I'm sure it would hold your fingerprints for years! The controller has an interesting layout with the sticks being above the buttons, and the triggers, unfortunately only click, not variable press. It would be better for games were you have to decide how much you need to do something (racing games for example). The audio on the controller isn't good, but what do you expect? The screen on the controller is pretty good, not as good as your TV most likely, but good for when you want to use it. The games on it are very good. Nintendo has always had very good exclusive games and this is definetely no exception. But what if you want to play games such as your Call of Duties, your Battlefields, or your NBA 2Ks? Well unfortunately this console does not carry most AAA titles available on other consoles, and the indie developer scene is also pretty barren, but if you're in it for great Nintendo games, this is it for you. The Nintendo Store also carries classic games from consoles' past, all the way back to the NES. Overall, after owning it for over a month, I would recommend this to someone, but if your'e looking to play popular new releases with all of your online friends this may not be the one for you (the online is 100% FREE, but the friends and parties features lack). You could also pick up a cheap Xbox 360 to go a long with it on the side ;)

I recently purchased this console for my nephew and it's already collecting dust in the shadow of his Xbox 360. This product feels rushed to market with so many cut corners that basic amenities modern gamers have become accustomed to are nowhere to be seen. The OS is slow, poorly laid out and filled with all sorts of hurdles and 15-20 second loading screens every time you want to explore ANYTHING with it. After enduring the painfully slow day 1 mega-patch on Nintendo's anemic servers and installing all sorts of additional patches to make the system work as advertised, I found it to be highly underwhelming. Hulu+ causes the system to periodically lock-up completely (requiring a hard reset - unplugging it and then plugging it back in), the F-Zero mini-game that came bundled with the Nintendoland title constantly causes the system to prompt the user with a controller re-configuration while pausing the game (I believe this is due to the user's hands covering up the IR emitter on the top of the controller - something difficult to NOT cover up when instructed to hold the controller sideways) and the other titles just don't really feel like anything more than old Wii games with an up-scaled resolution. Compatibility is still an issue as well. The "Pro Controller" (the Xbox 360 controller-like peripheral for the Wii-U) isn't even supported by games like New Super Mario Bros. U! The shared sound between the Wii U controller and the TV is disorientating and annoying (not to mention, it nullifies any advanced sound system many home theatres use). This console doesn't offer anything that hasn't already been available for many years (with time to be refined and improved -- something Nintendo has failed to do with any of their software/hardware). As someone that has been a Nintendo fan since the original Famicom/NES, it pains me to give such a harsh criticism to the company that helped dig the video games industry out of a New Mexican landfill. Nintendo is banking on the nostalgia factor and, sadly, the gamers in this household don't live in the past (where this console belongs). Save your money and either hold off for the truly "Next Gen" hardware rolling out next year or wait for something worth purchasing from Nintendo's game catalogue.

Everything was neatly packaged and clean. Works like new. Glad I can play Twilight Princess again.

This system would have been the culmination of everything I wanted in a console during my childhood. The gamepad is an enigma that starts out slightly awkward but soon you have it sitting in your lap or aiming around the room with it and you soon realize this is what Nintendo is selling. In a world where the XBOX and PS have the same everything there is no reason for me, as a PC gamer, would ever consider wasting the money. However buying the Wii U has been the best purchase I have made in a long time. Last Christmas I picked up a brand new 32 GB version with the Mario Bros game for under $150. People just wanted the XBOX and PS to come out and get those. Since then Nintendo has dropped into our laps Mario Kart 8 with DLC that actually is good value (8 new tracks for under $20), as well as Mario 3D world which is a great game. The HD version of Zelda and lets not forget the best version of Smash Bros to date, which allows the end user to fight using the gamepad, the regular Wiimote, the Wiimote with nunchuk, the Classic controller or Classic Pro or with an adapter used or new GameCube controllers. Nintendo has really hit a home run for me and my family. I love the Ninendo characters and XBOX and PS have nothign close to that commonality and transfered nostalgia that Nintendo has with the Wii U. And 100% correct it makes NetFlix and Hulu+ and Amazon Prime Video so much better with the touchscreen to search or even read descriptions without having to enter then exit another page. At $300 its a great buy. Pick up all the cheap regular Wii games too there a ton of great games for that system that you can drop in too as well as downloadable older titles. Its a really solid system and if Nintendo decides to make a new console in the coming years I think it should just be a faster Wii U with higher Def Gamepad screen because everything else is on point. I have my SLI GTX 780's and an i7 to play Shadow of Mordor on so I highly recommend this product for those of you who are PC gamers. I haven't had a thought of a single regret re: this system. Captain Toad is tons of fun too. my 5 and 8yr olds love the system as well. I can watch TV and my son can switch the game over to the gamepad and pick up playing like nothing. Its just...amazing. Great job Nintendo.

I expected it to be in better shape. I expected it to be in a box based on the photo and description. Both of those things are not true, and it did work just more wear and tear than expected.