Hardware I'm thinking of getting a Wii U , but...

[Randall402]

I'm not a fan of Nintendo's consoles. Shocking, right? It doesn't matter what I play, I just simply can't get into it like I can on my Nintendo handhelds. For example, I feel like I have to force my way through Luigi's Mansion, while my 3DS tells that I have over 100 hours in Luigi's Mansion 2.... Anyway, my problem is that I'm not interested in it for the games it has , well, kinda, but the reason I am interested in it is because of the off-screen play you can do with Wii games on the Gamepad, and I don't wanna be let down by it if the Gamepad streaming sucks.(yes, I know you can't use the Gamepad as a controller, and you have to have your Wii U console on when using the Gamepad) Is it worth getting for this feature alone?

 

[BlackWizzard17]

Getting a Wii u just to play games off screen is kinda a waste of a console for one feature. If you don't have already then your better off buying a laptop that can run Wii games good if you just wanna play them. Let the Wii u come out with more games and see what software comes out and then that will decide if you want a Wii u for one feature, many features, or just not getting it at all.

 

[XiTaU]

buying a wii u for wii off screen play seems abit mad as ur just buying a $300 7inch tv.

 

[Luckkill4u]

Personally my gaming habits change all the time. I think the WiiU is a shame to all Nintendo fans but that's not saying its a bad console in my eyes. Ninty went the "gimmiky" way with the weird peripherals and controls (not saying its bad but too far from the norm). Handhelds is where Nintendo shines and thats why I'm not buying a WiiU and just sticking with my 3DS for Nintendo games even if that means i have to skip a few Nintendo AAA games.

I have been a console fan from the start of my gaming habit recently I have been playing games on my PC. Emulators to play my retro games and previous consoles plus I can get the best graphics and gameplay options. I have a choice between Keyboard, Wii, Dual Shock and Xbox controls. Oculus Rift will be nice too and I can always stream games to my Tablet/Phone if I so wanted to.

Consoles are starting to feel obsolete...

 

[mysticwaterfall]

Off Screen play is nice, but if your expecting it to be like on the 3ds where you can go anywhere you'll be disappointed, depending on the layout of your place. It's best in the same room or not too far away from that room, with as few walls as possible in between.

Is it a nice feature? Yes. But if you can't get into the console games, I don't think offscreen play is going to change that really.

Edit For Wii games alone, the answer is a flat out no. Playing Wii games off screen is horrible since you can't use the gamepad controls.

 

[Maxternal]

Is there anywhere near you with a Wii U demo station you can get on and try it out and see how you like it? I've heard the streaming is good as far as responsiveness but there's always a limit to the range, of course and, as said before, older, normal Wii games it's basically like a little TV since you still have to use the old Wiimote for them.

 

[Ray Lewis]

Is there anywhere near you with a Wii U demo station you can get on and try it out and see how you like it? I've heard the streaming is good as far as responsiveness but there's always a limit to the range, of course and, as said before, older, normal Wii games it's basically like a little TV since you still have to use the old Wiimote for them.

Off screen is awesome. Xenoblade is addictive. Some Wii games are also better looking on gamepad. I can sit on the couch playing games while the wife watches her shows. People knock the gamepad but it is really awesome. II've heard the same information as Maxternal. One huge trick is to keep gamepad plugged in and who cares about battery;-)

 

[Maxternal]

Off screen is awesome. Xenoblade is addictive. Some Wii games are also better looking on gamepad. I can sit on the couch playing games while the wife watches her shows. People knock the gamepad but it is really awesome. II've heard the same information as Maxternal. One huge trick is to keep gamepad plugged in and who cares about battery;-)

I'd think it would be great, personally, to be able to take my little gaming TV around for my Wii games and not have the wife/kids bugging me about their soap operas/cartoons ... BUT he seems to be looking for a gameboy-esque experience so unless I or someone else patents that way to strap the gamepad and nunchuck to the sides of the gamepad, I don't think it's QUITE what he's looking for.

 

[blaisedinsd]

The streaming works perfectly fine and range is the only issue. Any lag is supposedly less than you will have from an HDTV.

Wii controls also work great with the gamepad, I find the pointing to work very well.

Another issue, at least with HDMI, is that it does make you use the TV for some strange reason when you are entering vWii mode. It detects if the console is displayed on the TV and makes you select OK to turn on vWii gamepad streaming.

I say go for it if you are interested in this feature. There will likely be some Wii U games you will end up wanting to try as well. I absolutely love OFF TV play, it is a huge benefit to me that allows me to play much more console games than I would be able to otherwise and I get to avoid watching things like the voice.

I have high hopes they will eventually support the buttons for classic controller mode games as well.

 

[Maxternal]

Another issue, at least with HDMI, is that it does make you use the TV for some strange reason when you are entering vWii mode. It detects if the console is displayed on the TV and makes you select OK to turn on vWii gamepad streaming.

I hear if you go into the settings and tell it to send the signal over BOTH component and HDMI (even if you don't really have it plugged in?) it won't ask you that question since it no longer cares that it can't actually see a TV over HDMI because it figures it could just be connected to component this time (I suspect, though, that if you didn't have the TV turned on when entering vWii Mode you you wouldn't get any HDMI signal at all until exiting vWii mode again)

This is all just educated guesses according to what I've heard, though.

 

[blaisedinsd]

I hear if you go into the settings and tell it to send the signal over BOTH component and HDMI (even if you don't really have it plugged in?) it won't ask you that question since it no longer cares that it can't actually see a TV over HDMI because it figures it could just be connected to component this time (I suspect, though, that if you didn't have the TV turned on when entering vWii Mode you you wouldn't get any HDMI signal at all until exiting vWii mode again)

This is all just educated guesses according to what I've heard, though.

Cool, I didn't know you could do that. I will give it a try.

 

[nando]

I hear if you go into the settings and tell it to send the signal over BOTH component and HDMI (even if you don't really have it plugged in?) it won't ask you that question since it no longer cares that it can't actually see a TV over HDMI because it figures it could just be connected to component this time (I suspect, though, that if you didn't have the TV turned on when entering vWii Mode you you wouldn't get any HDMI signal at all until exiting vWii mode again)

This is all just educated guesses according to what I've heard, though.

you can only have the sound output to both. video is one or the other.