Nintendo Wii U Pro Reviews

$299 can buy you a lot of home entertainment these days, and for our money, the Wii U falls a bit short to recommend.

For Nintendo fans looking to finally enter the HD era, the Wii U may seem like a beacon of light in an endless downpour – and if you're coming from the Wii, it will be quite impressive, indeed. Not only are the publisher's own properties sleeker than ever before, but third-parties can finally deliver the great games they've been making for other systems in recent years. But gamers who already have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 may struggle to see much of the appeal for now. Many of the Wii U games are lightly enhanced ports, with just a few noteworthy originals. And the online interface and streaming media options aren't quite as polished or robust as what's seen elsewhere. for many, an early system purchase hangs on the quality of Nintendo's own offerings and the handful of other unique experiences, but it's difficult to point to a brilliant, system-selling game that justifies a new console purchase. There's great fun to be had on the Wii U right away, but we struggle to call it an essential purchase for those still enjoying games on other platforms.

Nintendo promised consumers a modern HD gaming console, and the Wii U delivers on that promise ... in some respects. Games look gorgeous (HD Mario!), the risky controller is another successful control innovation and there's a ton of promise on the horizon. But there are also some major missteps and half-baked ideas: a befuddling Friends List / Miiverse connection, a complete lack of many system-wide console standards (group chat, achievements, the ability to play non-game disc-based media) and a game controller that lasts only 3.5 hours. It's for these myriad reasons that we can't suggest buying Nintendo's Wii U just yet. It's a complex, innovative console that feels a few months short of primetime -- what's there is compelling, but its novelty will likely wear off with folks used to their consoles doubling as media centers; Nintendo promises its TVii functionality will launch next month, which could change this equation dramatically. For now, it won't hurt to wait a month or two until the stocks replenish and Nintendo finishes its launch.

There are a host of nifty features, handy gimmicks and flies in the ointment you could pontificate over, but the bottom line remains the same as it always has for Nintendo; the games are key. The hardware merely facilitates developmental jumps, primarily in gameplay rather than graphical terms. This is why the generational leap is so hard to gauge for consoles from this manufacturer. The build quality of the console is good, but the GamePad highlights how one man’s “lightweight” is another man’s “flimsy” but we doubt either would find it truly uncomfortable for traditional gaming, which is half the battle won. The restrictions some may find with regards range and battery longevity are hard to dismiss, but each drawback must be viewed in the context of the whole - a unique gaming experience. It isn’t tablet gaming, it isn’t motion controlled, it’s aiming to be both and though there are annoyances, there are no truly damning flaws at this stage that can’t be overcome, either by how you play-and-charge, incremental changes to the OS or the use of peripherals. It’s now the norm to expect the first iteration to be rough, how soon people forget the mammoth Xbox pads (although we actually liked the Duke), the red ring of death and a Sony pad that lacked force feedback needing a freebie attachment to make the triggers properly usable.

The Wii U, Nintendo's first step into high-definition gaming, is an ambitious console that's brimming with potential, even if some of the most interesting features aren't available at launch.

While technologically, the Wii U sort of feels like the step you'd take before you get to motion controls in the Wii, that doesn't mean it doesn't totally fit into Nintendo's ethos of interaction. It's fun. It's something your family will enjoy using. If you're looking for a network-enabled media center, like the Xbox or Apple TV, though, definitely wait before purchasing this. The demos we've seen have looked pretty decent, but not being ready for launch isn't a great sign. Same goes for the robust third party support of traditional, big-time games that never quite made it to the original Wii. It could be that everything will work wonderfully once it's out, but being cautious never hurt anyone.

The Wii U has a lot of potential, but do you need another (massive) controller sitting on your coffee table? I'm willing to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. But while it seems other consoles are going for smaller controllers - or no controller at all - Nintendo is taking a gamble with its big new pad.