Wii U Literally Can’t Stand Up

Demon_Skeith

Demon_Skeith

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Unlike a Wii, an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3, the Wii U console can't stand up.

You can't prop the system up vertically without it falling over. Horizontal is the only option. The new Nintendo console must lie on its belly like a Nintendo Entertainment System or a really lazy house cat

Why?

"I guess we could make a stand," Nintendo's senior game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, told me yesterday, laughing, "I think maybe it was because we didn't want people to think it was a Wii."

Just paint it another color then, I said, needling him.

His follow-up answer was more of a revelation: "It kind of goes back to our idea of the Wii U itself which is: ‘What is the role of the physical hardware?' And in this particular case we felt that the physical hardware is something that's becoming something that is less and less important from an identity perspective for a game machine.

"So, for example, with even something like Kinect you can have your hardware put away and out of sight and you can wave at the TV and maybe the game will come on or something.

"Similarly with Wii U, when we [considered the question] ‘What is the face of Wii U going to be?', for us the face of Wii U really isn't the console box itself. It's the controller; it's the Wii U GamePad. So just like a set top box is non-descript and tucked away, our feeling was that the Wii U hardware was something that could be tucked away and out of sight.

"The Wii U GamePad is really the face of the system, whereas, with the Wii system, we had really designed it so that that system itself really stood out when you looked at it."

source

It can't stand up because they didn't want it looking like the Wii? Fail. But I like the possible NES look.....
 
I'm half and half with it. I like the way it looks (reminds me of more classic systems, such as the NES like you said) but I love standing consoles up because I like the way it looks and it saves room when you want to have multiple ones set up at once. Not too big of a deal though, I'm sure some people will act like it's a major downfall but either way is fine by me. I kind of think I like the look of it more than the Wii.
 
I see the point though. The Wii U is going to be all about the controller. It looks amazing, but it will be up to the software developers to make it come alive. I like what I have seen so far, and I will give it a chance.
 
I personally like it on its side. It looks almost the same as the reinvented Wii version they released, I think that is why he stated about the Wii lol. But I don't mind either way, pretty simple for them to make a stand for it.
 
I feel that Nintendo is placing to much emphasis onto the look of the controller. While the aesthetics of the controller work well, I agree that they should not sacrifice the vision of a upright console based on the sole fact of not wanting to undermine the Wii U Gamepad. That being said I will probably have to engineer a stand myself so that the console can fit into my current setup; that is unless we receive news of a stand when we finally get details on the packaging and inclusions with the console at launch.
 
I think it's a pretty bad move. The controller isn't what's going to sell the console...the actual console will. So making the console itself cement its place in the minds of the consumer is a little thing they call "product positioning", and which Ninty should take into consideration.
 
I don't need a console that stands, in fact most of my consoles tend to lay on their side because that's how I prefer them. Moreover I agree with them that the interface is more important then the console and whether or not it stands like a momument to their brand or whatever.
 
My TV table is designed to hold consoles/players/decoders in horizontal positions so id doesn't matter.
Also while i think the design of the console is important, i think the controller is still more important. It's not like you watch your console while you play, while the controller is always in your hand.
 
Personally, I like how it's supposed to be put onto the side because my home doesn't have a lot of places just to put my Wii vertically. Besides, I put my Wii both vertically and horizontally when I move it around so it really doesn't bother me all that much.
 
People are definitely going to complain about this. However, I don't see the issue.
Sure, being able to stand your system up can be nice, but it doesn't really matter. (For me, at least).
The Wii U will still probably be a success. If the Wii U is not a success, I wouldn't blame this.
 
I like the system to lie on the floor because it's safer that way. People with animals their dogs and cats will knock over the system. It was a smart move in my opinion because you don't want people to break their system. Nintendo is taking it back to the old school with the horizontal look. The Wii U doesn't need all these gimmicks to sell consoles.
 
I find this funny that if it would stand up it would look to much like a Wii, but I don't really mind how it sits since I will be to busy playing around with the controller.
 
I don't have room where my xbox, playstation 2, and wii set so I think that would be a problem for me. There will be complaints about this, but I don't think the system is all that big, so I don't think that will be a big deal.

If all else fails and they continue to receive complaints about this, I'm sure they will come up with something to hold the wii U vertically.
 
I always kept my Wii lying horizontally for the... four(?) years I've had it, and I never really cared. So like a couple other people who posted here this (hopefully) shouldn't concern me...
 
Rasputin said:
I don't care if it stands up, lays down, levitates, whatever... I just want one!
Click to expand...

They should definitely make a console that levitates. Can you imagine the creaming of shorts that would result? Of course power bills would be through the roof and the household would probably begin glowing in the dark, but it would all be worth it. Levitation man!
 
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