Since the Wii U's release on November 12th of last year, it has been at the center of some mixed criticism and a lot of discussion about Nintendo's current business model. It launched with some good games, but it's taken the entire first year to expand from that and to really start getting some strong and unique titles. At $349.99 for the 32GB "Deluxe" model, it has had a hard time hitting its target market in competing with the PS3 and Xbox 360. That may not change with the upcoming Xbox One and PS4 but the Wii U is seeing a $50 price drop on September 20th, and either way it shouldn't be dismissed just yet.
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The system is a nice piece of hardware; it feels sturdy and not at all cheap, despite being thin and streamlined. Even after being on for hours at a time, it doesn't get hot or run loudly. It has HDMI and composite outputs (it comes with an HDMI cable), an SD card slot and 4 USB ports. The Wii U comes with either 8GB or 32GB of system memory that can be expanded with a USB hard drive (all the way up to 2TB), so plenty of memory can be added if you ever need that much. Being able to buy a base system with some memory and expand it so much should actually be cheaper than what current systems have been doing at least. Even though it has a USB slot, you cannot use SD cards for game downloads- that is just for Wii stuff and game saves.
Much of the discussion and controversy is based on how it compares to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and the upcoming next gen systems. Honestly, Wii U games look just fine, with very modern and clean HD graphics. New Super Mario U looks very sharp and ZombiU (like most launch titles) had good things and some sloppy things in the graphics department. I have yet to experience any frame rate issues at all which is a big plus, and more important than other parts of a game's presentation. So is it truly under powered? On paper, yes- but remember that at the 360's launch, some of its games just kind of looked like Xbox games. The Wii U has some games that look like current PS3 games. But look how far those systems have come in 6 years: the hardware in the Wii U is more current than both the PS3 and 360 and it shows promise. Games on the way and the ones released since launch have shown some very nice HD graphical presentations and it can really only get better as years go on. Nintendo has a knack for pulling the most out of their systems- just look at Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii.
The actual gameplay is very interesting and very new, and at the same time feels familiar. Most of the WiiU experience (at least for now) involves the GamePad, which gives a dual screen experience (your TV and the screen in your hand). Each game puts this to use differently and can be as complicated a dual screen experience as the DS, or only used for maps and inventory or extra buttons and/or just for allowing off TV play. ZombiU uses it for inventory and maps mostly but it is also used for in game events and as a camera- all cool features that help flesh out the game. It also allows for mini events like lock picking to take place on the GamePad screen while your game on the TV switches views for optimal awareness of your surroundings. Nintendo Land makes uses of the Gamepad with more camera control, full gameplay, secondary buttons, and as an input device. Balloon Trip (based on Balloon Fight from the NES), has you using the touch screen to control the wind to move your character. This is a very relaxed approach and very reminiscent of many DS games and will likely show up in many casual titles. More recent titles like Pikmin 3 used it as a map and for off TV play; the map always being ready allowed for fast multi-tasking. Of course some games may not use the GamePad at all; possibly those developers targeting more "hardcore" crowds will forego it entirely. That would be a shame; the GamePad doesn't really slow anything down and allows for more options. But using both the Pro controller and having the GamePad sitting on its stand to be used for other things could be an interesting feature as well.
The GamePad is an impressive controller and comfortable to use. It isn't too heavy and the grips make it easy to hold up, relaxed in your lap or with one hand. All of the (familiar ABXY) buttons feel very responsive. The D-pad feels classic and well-sized and the joysticks are very responsive and smooth and click well when used as buttons. The shoulder buttons- not triggers like the Gamecube controller, but rather buttons like the Wii classic pro controller- are well made. There is a camera built into the controller which works well, in addition to loud and clear speakers. Battery life is not an issue- by the time your battery is exhausted you should probably be letting your system have a break anyway. And while the GamePad can't be charged by the system, the dock with the deluxe bundle makes charging it easy and looks nice on display.
The screen on the Gamepad is the main focus and really brings a lot to the table. It is as responsive as the DS and 3DS touch screens, just a lot bigger and with pretty good resolution. It isn't going to be as clear as your HD TV screen but it doesn't look sloppy either. I also found that reaching for quick touches with my thumbs is easy (even with my shorter fingers). The last thing it does is work as a remote for your cable box and TV. You can switch the input on your TV or turn up the volume while playing without needing to get up or use another remote.
Nintendo has finally taken a big step into online gameplay and connectivity with the Miiverse. Sure, you have video chat, and friend lists but the MiiVerse integrates everything when you turn it on or play games. MiiVerse as an app is essentially where you manage your friends and profile but it also functions as a giant Nintendo forum or social hub where you post twitter-like updates and photos of your gaming experiences. It also allows you to chat with friends; hopefully later on it will be able to give you a notification when your friend responds.
While this is all cool, how it integrates directly into games is the best part. When playing New Super Mario U, MiiVerse updates can appear on the over world map relating to each level. Or when you are sitting in the Mii plaza the Miis that appear are essentially talking using the MiiVerse posts. You may even see Miis show up in games; the best example right now is in Nintendo Land where they walk around your theme park plaza or show up in the background of the games. MiiVerse can be accessed on the fly while playing any game too, so you can always update it or see what someone else is saying about the game. When you switch to MiiVerse your game pauses and that screen is what you can post to MiiVerse if you so desire. Certain games can even implement a sort of achievement system where they ask if you want to post to MiiVerse when you do something cool; New Super Mario U does this now.
All of this is linked and used with a Nintendo Network ID, a.k.a. your username. This makes users easy to friend and find, a big and welcome change to the deservedly maligned friend codes. Unfortunately these IDs are linked to the console where you register them; surely this is related to some sort of privacy and protection policy, but inconvenient if your system should die or if you want to update to a special edition color later. Nintendo has hinted at changing this, but nothing has happened yet.
The Wii U is backwards compatible with the Wii and Wii U games support Wiimotes and other Wii accessories. Compatibility functions for Wii games cause you to boot to a new menu. You'll use your Wiimote at this point and only Wii accessories. Wii games do actually play in 1080p, as do all the menus and anything else. I played Goldeneye for a bit and you can see a difference, both good and bad. Some things in game look much smoother from the upscale but mistakes or ugly filters stand out more; the cut scenes looked really gross. This is because it is an upscale of resolution but no re-rendering is happening, no new filter or anything. This isn't like emulation where new rendering processes can be applied; it is just a resolution increase. So you'll get good things and bad things from playing Wii games on Wii U- it depends on the game. Either way the backwards compatibility is a nice and welcome feature.
To sum it all up, I'm pretty happy with my Wii U and feel like it has a promising future even after a very slow year. My Wii had its moments of constant play and heavy dust collecting and even if my Wii U meets that same kind of fate I don't feel like my money was wasted. The system had a decent price point which is only better with the recent $50 price drop and has already proved that it can be very fun and opens a world of new gaming possibilities. As the game library increases we will see some fun games; if you are a social gamer and a social network lover it may be a system to check out just for that. The only issues the Wii U has is a sparse library, which should improve, and the fact that despite being a nice piece of hardware it will not hold up as well during this next generation of gaming. It is a sharp HD system but due to the small gap in power it will eventually fall to being a system for Nintendo exclusives again.
If you are planning to buy a smartphone but have a small budget in your tight pocket, then you may want to pick up a used smartphone instead of a new one. However, buying a used smartphone can be a bit tricky if you don't have any experience whatsoever about this "field". You cannot just go up there to the smartphone store and make a random purchase without even checking the whole condition of that phone thoroughly. And if you got the wrong device, it might turn out to be a curse for you.
You might get a good looking used smartphone with a perfect case cover without any scratches on it, but you got no clue that maybe its internal hardware or its screen interface might not work anytime soon because there have been some critical damages inside of the phone caused by the previous owners. That's why, it's really important for you to avoid this kind of smartphone for your own good.
Talking about used smartphones, most people think that used smartphones mostly suck just for the sake that they are second hand smartphones. Well, the truth is, not all used smartphones that you find around the market are some damaged phones that don't work anymore. In fact, some of this type of smartphone still works just as great as new one. So it's irrelevant anymore to say that the quality of second hand smartphones will be that horrible.
Well, if you have made the final decision and are perfectly sure that this is the right time for you to buy your first ever used smartphone, then these are 15 useful tips that hopefully can be your first guidance every time you're planning to buy used smartphones in the future.
1. Run a Quick Scan on the Case Cover
The first thing to notice from a smartphone is definitely its case cover. Therefore, every time you meet some used smartphones on any store, make sure that you always run a thorough scan of the device. Try to see if the device has any physical defect or scratch around the body of that device. This must be done in order to know more about what that device has been through in the past when it was still used by the previous owners.
2. Make Sure that the Case Cover is Original
Used smartphones are usually plagued with the perception that their case covers will tell you the whole thing about their condition. Well, that is so wrong. You cannot judge the overall quality of used smartphones just by looking at how glossy its chassis or how flawless its screen. There is a huge possibility that the seller already covers them up with some new 3rd party case covers that obviously will make them look like new phones, right?
Therefore, as a smart customer, always equip yourself with the mindset that the sellers could always replace the original but damaged case cover with pussy888 apk some new 3rd party chassis in order to make sales.
3. Make Sure that All the Physical Buttons Work Perfectly
Physical buttons always become the fragile element on any smartphone that tends to be damaged easily if they have been pressed so many times by the pussy888 owners. That's why, when checking out any used smartphone on the store, always make sure that all the physical buttons, remember, all of them, can work perfectly, without any hiccup. The best thing to do that is by pressing each physical button over and over again. If you see that there is any button that gives a weak or delay response (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't) or even doesn't work at all when you press it, then the best
4. Always Check the Screen Sensitivity with the User Interface
The next thing to check from a used smartphone is the screen surface and the sensitivity of its User Interface. In this process, always run a thorough scan if there is any scratch around the screen and make sure that the touch screen still works perfectly. Test the touch response from each corner of the screen until the middle area. Do some mixed and random gestures on the screen over and over again, from:
And if you have a plenty of time, try to play some apps that are already installed on the phone, even high performance games and test the sensitivity of the screen interface. Remember, this is really crucial because most of the previous owners might already drop it on the ground for several times in the past, so it will directly impact to the sensitivity of the screen.
5. Check if There is Any Glitch or Weird Colors Reproduction on the Screen
Besides its sensitivity, the other important thing to check on the screen is the display. Usually, used smartphones have been dropped for several times by the previous owners. Therefore, it's really important for you to see the whole area on the screen to check if there is any glitch or weird line on color reproduction around the screen. If you see any of these, then the screen is not fine.
6. Make Sure that the Battery is still Pretty Good
There is no doubt that battery is one of the most important elements in smartphones. Most of touch screen phones, even the new iPhone, have weak battery life (with the exception of Samsung or Motorola flagships of course). Therefore, it's really crucial to always run a test on this sector every time you want to buy used smartphones. To name of few, you can do things like playing high performance 3D games or watching movies/videos to make sure that the battery is still in pretty good condition, if not great. If the battery drains pretty quickly even when you just open the photos or listen some songs (which are not really energy consuming activities), then there is something wrong with the battery.
7. Check if the Camera's Shutter Key (if There is Any) Still Works
Some of smartphones usually have the physical shutter key for shooting photos/videos, even though it can be replaced with the on-screen virtual button. However, on some phones, there is a feature that lets you capture photos with shutter key even when the screen is still locked (e.g., Sony Xperia S, etc). That's why, although you may not use it very often, always do a quick test on this shutter key by pressing it over and over again just to make sure that this button still works perfectly.
8. Ensure that the Cellular and Wi-Fi Connectivity Still Work Great
Connectivity is the other important element on smartphone. Without this sector, your used phone will be pretty much useless for you. You cannot surf the web, download stuff or connect the apps to internet. Therefore, always run the test of this connectivity feature by browsing the web with the pre-installed browser or any other apps that require 3G/4G and Wi-Fi connectivity on that used smartphone.
9. Check the Bluetooth, NFC or Any Other Off-line Connectivity
These connectivity features can be really important in the future because you like it or not, you will need Bluetooth and will use it very often to share contents like photos/music/videos/files with the other devices, while NFC is also really important for the future's mobile payment. Therefore, never forget to always run the quick test on Bluetooth, NFC or other several offline connectivity features on the phone.
10. Test the Sound Quality of the Speaker
Making a phone call is the reason why cell phone is invented in the first place. Without it, your phone shouldn't be called as a phone. That's why, if this feature doesn't work properly, then your used phone will be useless in the future. So it's also really important to always run the test of this feature by making a random call on other devices and hear if there is something wrong with its sound quality, signal or its loudspeaker.
11. Try to Send Text Message
Usually, if the cellular connectivity still works great, then there is a huge chance that you can also send text messages with that phone. However, don't get carried away and sending one text message wouldn't hurt, right? This is for your own good.
12. Check the Sound Quality of the Phone, With and Without a Headset
Most of phone users usually don't open wide the loudspeaker when listening to music or watching videos. They usually use a headset for most of activities that have sounds in it, like games, movies, music or anything. However, in order to make sure that everything is fine, just spend some seconds or minutes to check if the loudspeaker still sounds great or not.
13. Make Sure that the Charging Port Can Still Charge the Phone
Charging port is also the other most important thing on smartphone. If the charging port doesn't work and cannot charge the device properly, this can be really dangerous for you in the future. These days, most smartphones' charging ports are not just assembled with glue, but on some smartphones, this part is integrated deeply with solder. So be sure to always check the charging port of the device by plugging in/out the phone with the charger and see if there is slightly delay response on battery bar on the screen when being charged. Your phone is pretty much useless if it cannot be charged.
14. Check the microSD card slot (if there is any) to see if it still works
Despite the increasing popularity of huge internal storage smartphones, most phone users still think that microSD card slot as a really vital element on smartphones. This type of users tends to choose of having a smartphone with a small internal storage but can be expanded further with external microSD card. Therefore, if you're planning to buy a microSD-card-enabled smartphone, it's recommended for you to check if the card slot still works great or not. You don't want to buy a phone with little storage that can't read external microSD card, do you?
15. Ask the Seller if the Phone is already Jail-broken or Rooted
Jailbroken iPhone or rooted Android phones might be a good thing or bad thing. If you are a tech savvy user, then it's a good thing because you can still do heck a lot of technical stuff with your phone even without the assistance of retailer. However, if you are non-tech-savvy buyer, you really need to ask the seller regarding this information. Especially for iPhone, which you may want to ask the seller to revert back your used iPhone to a non-jailbroken version, so you can still bring it safely to the official Apple store if there is anything wrong with your iPhone.
Well, those are 15 tips that you need to know before making