Nintendo Wii U Reviews: Consumer vs. Critics; Who Should We Believe?

Nintendo's Wii U appears to be off to a rocky start with customers and critics.

CNet said while the Wii U offers a unique two-screen gaming experience on a tablet controller dubbed the GamePad, some OS loading times are too long, and the GamePad has a very short battery life.

"Despite some clever dual-screen gaming mechanics, the Wii U's lack of compelling exclusive software and an overall unpolished user experience make it tough to recommend in its current state," the reviewer wrote.

But, one user urged people not to believe CNet's reviews because the console is "fantastic."

"I am absolutely loving my Wii U so far," dodongotunks wrote on Nov. 20. "I played it with my friends a few nights ago, and we had more fun with Nintendo Land than any party game has offered in half a decade."

On Amazon's review board, one user gave the console "a solid four stars."

"It didn't give me the knock-my-socks-off experience that unboxing the original Wii gave me, but I see a ton of potential if game developers can truly use the new features that the GamePad (combined with other peripherals like the Balance Board and Wiimotes) offer," the reviewer wrote. "I will definitely be a fan."

Another user said customers should wait before purchasing the console.

"As it stands right now we're doing the same thing we did with the 3DS which is paying to beta test," the user wrote. "I'm hoping a update to fix the sluggish UI is right around the corner. If you can get past the issues I listed above however the system is very promising as it currently is the start of the 'next gen' (though it only took us 5 years to stop calling current gen 'next gen'). Ontop of that Nintendoland and Mario U are fantastic games to hold you over till games like Pikmin 3 come out. And hopefully by then Nintendo will shed some light on what there plan for 2013 and beyond is."

Tech Spot's Stephen Totilo called the system "a bold new player on the scene."

"Consoles are hard to judge on their launch day, Totilo wrote. "It has a strong but not stunning launch line-up and it starts its cycle with the instant blemish of one promised feature-the vaunted Nintendo TVii service-not being available on day one."

Kyle Wagner of Gizmodo recommends the Wii U.

"It's fun," Wagner wrote. "It's something your family will enjoy using. If you're looking for a network-enabled media center, like the Xbox or Apple TV, though, definitely wait before purchasing this. The demos we've seen have looked pretty decent, but not being ready for launch isn't a great sign. Same goes for the robust third party support of traditional, big-time games that never quite made it to the original Wii. It could be that everything will work wonderfully once it's out, but being cautious never hurt anyone."