Poll: Wii U or gaming PC?

Supernova1138

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I'd go for the PC simply because you actually get third party support with it. The big problem with the Wii U is Nintendo is pretty much the only developer making software for it. As such, the pace of releases are very slow, and if you want to play anything aside from what Nintendo puts out aside from a few indies that get ported to Wii U, you're largely screwed.

Unless you're such a huge fan of Nintendo's franchises that you are willing to pretty much sacrifice playing anyone else's games in order to play Nintendo's stuff, I'd say go for a newer PC.
 

Blitsie

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Go for the PC, as an owner who plays the hell out of both, the Wii U is an amazing console I can highly recommend (depending on your gaming tastes) but you will get TONS more out of a good gaming rig, especially with games like Witcher 3 out and the upcoming Batman and Phantom Pain (among many others I can't remember now) which you will want to play on highest graphics settings.

Definitely grab the Wii U later though if you can, its got some genuinely worthwhile exclusives.
 

BreakfastMan

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PC, obviously. Love the WiiU, it is a great system with a lot of great games, but the PC wins by sheer number of games. You are guaranteed to find a lot you will love just by the sheer numbers of PC games alone. It really isn't a contest.

Get a WiiU later when you have the money though, it is well worth it.
 

gorfias

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CrystalShadow said:
I'm looking into VR
That changes things again: I do not know of any console with VR. Windows 10 is coming. This VR may be a radically new and worth while experience. I do think what you are describing (perhaps a quad GTX 970 in SLI?) and whatever a VR headset is going to cost, well, more than my allowance!

Best of luck!

EDIT: Oh my aching wallet!!! http://www.roadtovr.com/sonys-ps4-vr-headset-impressive-valves-new-details-emerge/
 

CrystalShadow

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Gorfias said:
CrystalShadow said:
I'm looking into VR
That changes things again: I do not know of any console with VR. Windows 10 is coming. This VR may be a radically new and worth while experience. I do think what you are describing (perhaps a quad GTX 970 in SLI?) and whatever a VR headset is going to cost, well, more than my allowance!

Best of luck!
well, here's what oculus is currently suggesting:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 SP1 or newer

That's not some random thing though, they intend to get everyone that develops VR stuff to work towards a common target.
And they expect to hold that as the recommended spec for VR for quite some time. (like a console life cycle of sorts)

That's high-end-ish stuff.
I would think, from memory (I am an amateur dev, though way too lazy most of the time to get anything worthwhile done), that SLI configurations are a no-go for VR at the moment. (Something about the way they split data causes additional lag that messes things up).
Not entirely sure about that.
But if so, it would suggest aiming for the most powerful kind of single-gpu setup you can manage.
Still, a 970 or AMD 290 isn't that awful, long-term. It's just a touch outside of the mainstream, mid-range, budget-conscious kind of builds I'm used to trying to create...
 

tstorm823

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I feel like a bunch of people didn't really read the specifics of your question.

You have a PC. You have no Nintendo. If you get a new PC, you spend a bunch to get access to a few new games beyond what you can already have. You get a WiiU, you spend less money and you get access to a decade of Nintendo games. And if you had a Wii, you already have all the peripherals and a catalog of games.

Get a WiiU. Get the Splatoon bundle. Sink a hundred hours into that. Be happy.
 

gorfias

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CrystalShadow said:
well, here's what oculus is currently suggesting:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 SP1 or newer
Any idea of when it is coming out? My rig has similar specs to those you list.

SLI configurations are a no-go for VR at the moment. (Something about the way they split data causes additional lag that messes things up).
Not entirely sure about that.
AMD's Crossfire technology is supposedly far inferior to the SLI tech. But I don't know how even SLI would work with VR. I'm pretty new to the concept even though it's been around for a bit.

I added this: EDIT: Oh my aching wallet!!! http://www.roadtovr.com/sonys-ps4-vr-headset-impressive-valves-new-details-emerge/
 

CrystalShadow

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Gorfias said:
CrystalShadow said:
well, here's what oculus is currently suggesting:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 SP1 or newer
Any idea of when it is coming out? My rig has similar specs to those you list.
It's not entirely clear to me, honestly, but they seem to be aiming for commercial release early 2016.
I expect valve and sony to have similar targets.

Personally, I'm hoping for a fove headset, although that's another devkit rather than consumer device. (it has workine eye tracking)

SLI configurations are a no-go for VR at the moment. (Something about the way they split data causes additional lag that messes things up).
Not entirely sure about that.
AMD's Crossfire technology is supposedly far inferior to the SLI tech. But I don't know how even SLI would work with VR. I'm pretty new to the concept even though it's been around for a bit.

I added this: EDIT: Oh my aching wallet!!! http://www.roadtovr.com/sonys-ps4-vr-headset-impressive-valves-new-details-emerge/
Crossfire appears to marginally more flexible, but sli is more reliable...
For general gaming.

For vr though, I have this vague recollection that crossfire uses a method of seperating the workload that has lower latency, and is more suitable for VR, even if generally less reliable.
Even so, at the moment I wouldn't trust any multi-gpu setup.

Rendering quirks aren't just a nuisance in this case. They can cause severe nausea.
Not something you really want to take too many chances with.
Latency, especially round-trip latency of the head tracking-render-screen update cycle is absolutely critical to making VR bearable, let alone actually any good.
 

Quazimofo

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altnameJag said:
WiiU. I mean, you aren't going to get a decent PC for the same price point, so by getting the WiiU, you've got your PC games, as well as getting back your old Wii games and the WiiU library. Getting the PC will only add the capability for new PC games, leaving your Wii and virtual console games to languish.
Pretty much exactly this. You seem to have more wii/wiiU games in mind you actually want to play that are already out, so it seems to be the better choice for you.

Not to mention,a point which really can't be stressed enough, a gaming PC to play stuff like Xcom/the witcher on med/high graphics will cost a FUCKTON more than a wiiU (as in, at least triple the price, and even that's only possible if you find every part for like 30-50% off). Save that for christmas time when you'll have not only the free time to deal with assembly, but the games you are looking forward to will be actually out and with reviews/gameplay so you can make a properly informed purchase. Not to mention all of the sales on everything because of the holiday.
 

Revnak_v1legacy

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So you already have an outdated laptop? Then get a WiiU. Getting a good PC will more than cost twice as much, and will only expand your library to include a handful of AAA games, assuming that your laptop was relatively high end when you got it. A WiiU adds in at least that many games you can't get elsewhere at a much lower price point.
 
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well, it sounds like you are going to be getting both at some point, so for now I would get the wiiU since you have a laptop that can at least play most games on decent settings, it sounds like there is enough on there to keep you satisfied (xenoblade and virtual console amongst other things) for a while, and in the mean time you can save up your leftover cash and build a nice mid-range PC in the near future once some of the part prices have gone down.

I'm not sure if you are in the US or not, but whenever you're ready to build/(buy a pre-built or have a friend make it) then feel free to make another thread and many escapist users can help you get the most bang for your buck and get the best deals. (black friday is a godsend for PC parts usually, can get a bunch of them 25-50% off most times if you shop around)
 

Albino Boo

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Come on be a smarty, come and join the PC party. Become a member of the master race and look down on the console proles and have the butler bring you tea on the terrace.
 

Adam Jensen_v1legacy

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Get the PC. It's got a lot bigger and better library of games. If you want to play your Wii games you can. Dolphin emulator is almost perfect.
 

Bad Jim

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Get the Wii-U now. When you can afford a new PC, the cost of the hardware will have gone down. You're missing out a little bit by only having an old laptop, not nearly as badly as someone without a PC to game on at all.
 

Callate

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I would say Wii-U, but based on this:

In a year, the PC you buy with the same money will be better; the Wii-U will be the same.
 

gorfias

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albino boo said:
Come on be a smarty, come and join the PC party. Become a member of the master race and look down on the console proles and have the butler bring you tea on the terrace.
This gen it will be harder than ever to justify the consoles. I'm loving them, but just found out PS4 and XB1 hard drives almost full with a 1/2 dozen games.

And the Steam Controller is coming out soon. Another reason to spend money on gaming. My wife is going to kill me.
 

Flames66

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PC all the way. I have not tried a Wee yoo, so I might be a little biased, but PC appears to have far superior variety, freedom and, if you have the coin, capabilities than any available console. Even if you cannot afford the best of the best of the best, Sir (like me) you can get yourself a reasonable PC for the price of a console.