10 Things You’ll Love and Hate About the Wii U

(These pieces, 10 Things You’ll Like About The Wii U and 10 Things You’ll Dislike About The Wii U, were originally posted at NYGameCritics.com.)

On Sunday, the Wii U, Nintendo’s newest game console, went on sale throughout North America. Many of our critics took the trek to Rockefeller Center to check out the event being held there. Without any fanboyism or favoritism, here are 10 things you’ll like about the Wii U.

1. Games are presented in high definition graphics, a fine step forward.
2. The GamePad functions as a TV remote control and your cable guide appears on it. Its touchscreen can be pretty effective, too.
3. You can play your old Wii games on it. Super Mario Galaxy, baby.
4. Nintendo Land is better than expected because it explains an essential thing: how to use the GamePad. The single player mini games aren’t bad, either.
5. MiiVerse lets you share screenshots from games with friends.
6. You can play games on the GamePad without turning the TV on.
7. It connects to the Web.
8. You could probably stream a webcast via the GamePad camera and WiFi, if Nintendo ever sets that up.
9. It’s a powerful machine that rivals the workhorses PS3 and Xbox 360, something Nintendo needed to do.
10. There are creditable games for adults (like Zombi U) and kids (like Scribblenauts Unlimited).

Not everything is roses, though. Here are 10 things you’ll dislike about the console.

1. Short battery life on GamePad is the worst of any console or handheld. Two hours was my minimum and three was my maximum.
2. The GamePad controller is too complex with buttons galore.
3. Not all apps are available on launch day. Where’s the promised TVii service, Amazon and YouTube, for instance?
4. The GamePad is too heavy. It will affect your game play over time.
5. The GamePad takes a long time to recharge.
6. Games take a longer time to load than on the Wii.
7. Not all game music and audio comes through the GamePad when you use it without your TV.
8. It’s harder to set up and get going than was the Wii.
9. Software update takes soooooo long to download, well over an hour.
10. What an arduous process it is to move your old game profile and info – from the Wii to the Wii U.