Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

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DeadWolf
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Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

Post by DeadWolf »

I was given one of these :hof: http://i.imgur.com/HXesv.jpg

The how I got it isn't important (it was a bribe). Already having the Wii that I had purchased back in '07 I really didn't have the need for another. The more I got to thinking about it the more I wanted to hook it up. My original Wii is heavily modified, and some games won't launch without a homebrew launcher. It would be nice to have an unmodified back up, incase my original blew up. (Don't ask about modifications.)

The trouble started when I opened the box. This being a used Wii I was expecting it to be missing pieces. I noticed that it didn't have a stand. My first thought was that it was left out along with the games (grumble grumble). Then, noticing the design, it is supposed to be horizontal. Not a big problem just a minor gripe. I go to take off the top pieces to reveal the Gamecube ports when it happened. There was no door... No Gamecube Ports! Was this a mistake? Did I happen to get a knock off?

A little frustrated that my new Wii lacked backwards compatibility, I decided to do some research. It was true! Nintendo did, in fact, strip away the Gamecube feature in order to release a cheap holiday bundle. The price difference was only $10 from the Mario Kar version that has the Gamecube features (black or white). The drives have even changed on the new models. The older ones (with soft modification) are able to play DVDs. These new holiday bundle Wiis can't play DVDs.

Now I was a little angry at Nintendo. They didn't seem to mention it. The new system shows a Gamecube disc in the Disc Channel. A lot of people are going to feel ripped off. Did they think we wouldn't notice? I looked on the box for any notification. I found it...

:hof: http://i.imgur.com/DibJ3.jpg

Not quite as sneaky as Sony, but still pretty underhanded. At my local stores, all the consoles are behind a case. There is no way to tell with out looking thoroughly at the box. Who would even notice that little strip or even expect it?

So forum, what are your thoughts on this? Do you think this could have been better handled by Nintendo?
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Kassidy
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Re: Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

Post by Kassidy »

It sticks to me of a push to have people repurchase GameCube titles on the Wii marketplace (shop, market, whatever it is called, not having one I have no idea). I guess the question is also how long do you continue backward compatibility (DS accepting GBA games faded out with the DSi, I believe?). That said, doing that kind of phasing out within a same generation of consoles I don't agree with.
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DeadWolf
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Re: Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

Post by DeadWolf »

At least with the DSi it was advertised that GBA was no more. The different name indicated that something had to be different about it. I knew full and well before getting the DSi that it wouldn't support GBA games because I was able to do research on it.

With this new Wii, it is advertised under the same name. You would have to look up that exact bundle, but why would you? If it is offered under the same Wii name, you would expect it to offer the same quality and features as before. I think if it was advertised as a slimline model, such as Wii Lite, then consumers would expect there to be a difference.

As far as keeping compatibility, a lot of people sold their Gamecube to get a Wii (I held onto my for the GBA player). If I used my Wii as a Gamecube, and lightning ran in on it, and the replacement I bought was this model, I would be pretty angry.
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Dr. Sheexy
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Re: Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

Post by Dr. Sheexy »

That's kinda shifty if you ask me. It should definitely be on there in big red letters on the front. Or listed as a Wii Lite or something like you said. That's funny I thought up the same name before getting to that part of your last post, haha.

Definitely could have been noted more prominently, that's for sure.

Aww man: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26632
Just searched for this cause I wasn't sure, but the Wii U won't have support for Gamecube Controllers. That makes me really sad, it's pretty much the best controller out there in my opinion.

I can't play Smash Bros. without the GCN controller, I just won't do it T_T
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manaman
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Re: Nintendo is pulling a Sony.

Post by manaman »

Not only is it very sad that GameCube compatibility is gone but it seems that white Wii systems are being phased out as well.

This came up the other day when my friend finally got a Wii. He asked me about the system and about GameCube compatibility because he has played mine many times. I hated to break it to him that he couldn't enjoy Luigi's Mansion like he had planned. I knew this had happened because the Nintendo blogs I follow had covered this change pretty heavily but outside of an invested fan-base, it seems this move went virtually undocumented.

Honestly, though, the worst thing for me is that I think white consoles look the best. Thankfully you can still get your white Wii Remotes and even the white GameCube Wii controller new.

Anyway, this really isn't a place to brag but I am very happy I have an older Wii and I plan on taking very good care of it. It still gets daily use so I hope it doesn't tire out on me. I want it to take a place of honor in my retro setup when the Wii U gets a place by the upstairs TV.

Peace,

Brian
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