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So Netflix randomly decided to drop touch screen support from their Wii U app

Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
Just confirmed with one of their customer support people that this was actually intentional and isn't coming back. They cited some sort of "issue" it was causing, but I'm not particularly convinced they didn't just decide they didn't want to put effort into supporting it anymore (they did just make minor changes to the UI which I suspect correspond to when touch support was dropped). This is incredibly annoying, because it means I can't just sort of reach over and poke the screen to stop it from skipping the credits or scrub through the timeline with the touch screen anymore.

I have to say I'm very disappointed with Netflix lately. First they won't make a Switch app and now they're killing off the (already diminished compared to launch) touch screen functionality in their Wii U app.

The absolutely comical part of this is that the sign in screen, and only the sign in screen, still works with the touch screen, presumably because that didn't change at all in the recent UI refresh. So I can still use Netflix's super crappy (compared to the built-in one) custom keyboard to enter my email and password with the touch screen, but nothing else.
 
Porygon

Porygon

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,024
Mexicali
Also the app is laggy as hell, it takes like 30 seconds to process an input, it's more noticeable at the end of a chapter
 

IamPeacock

Member
Feb 9, 2018
790
Belgium
I'm actually amazed Netflix still pumps out upfates for Wii U. I mean, how many people are still using their Wii U for Netflix?
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
IamPeacock said:
I'm actually amazed Netflix still pumps out upfates for Wii U. I mean, how many people are still using their Wii U for Netflix?
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*raises hand*

I mean, without a Switch app, there's really not a better option for me right now. Especially since the web version is crippled to 720p if you're not using Edge for some reason (probably DRM).
 
kikuchiyo

kikuchiyo

Member
Nov 9, 2017
778
There's opportunity cost for every version of the Netflix app - and there are many. That cost must be high for the weirdo interface of the Wii U, for little payoff.

I'm surprised it took this long.
 
TheYanger

TheYanger

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,152
Pokemaniac said:
Just confirmed with one of their customer support people that this was actually intentional and isn't coming back. They cited some sort of "issue" it was causing, but I'm not particularly convinced they didn't just decide they didn't want to put effort into supporting it anymore (they did just make minor changes to the UI which I suspect correspond to when touch support was dropped). This is incredibly annoying, because it means I can't just sort of reach over and poke the screen to stop it from skipping the credits or scrub through the timeline with the touch screen anymore.

I have to say I'm very disappointed with Netflix lately. First they won't make a Switch app and now they're killing off the (already diminished compared to launch) touch screen functionality in their Wii U app.

The absolutely comical part of this is that the sign in screen, and only the sign in screen, still works with the touch screen, presumably because that didn't change at all in the recent UI refresh. So I can still use Netflix's super crappy (compared to the built-in one) custom keyboard to enter my email and password with the touch screen, but nothing else.
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If they were being 'lazy' and not wanting to supoprt it anymore, they wouldn't be REMOVING a key feature. If they said it's an issue, it almost surely had to be, and one big enough that they'd revamp the app to remove that support.
 
hibikase

hibikase

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,820
Didn't they do this a long time ago?

The Netflix app on Wii U used to be great, it was custom made for it and integrated with the gamepad in a very logical way.

But then eventually they just replaced it with the exact same UI as the other consoles and completely killed off any of its original features.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
kikuchiyo said:
There's opportunity cost for every version of the Netflix app - and there are many. That cost must be high for the weirdo interface of the Wii U, for little payoff.

I'm surprised it took this long.
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They brought the Wii U interface in line with the other versions a long time ago. And seeing as a ton of devices they do support (like TVs) have pointers, mapping the touch screen to that would be pretty trivial.

TheYanger said:
If they were being 'lazy' and not wanting to supoprt it anymore, they wouldn't be REMOVING a key feature. If they said it's an issue, it almost surely had to be, and one big enough that they'd revamp the app to remove that support.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

They didn't really remove touch screen support per se, since the sign in UI still works with it. They seemingly just didn't bother to define touch zones for the buttons when they did the recent UI refresh a month or so ago.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
hibikase said:
Didn't they do this a long time ago?

The Netflix app on Wii U used to be great, it was custom made for it and integrated with the gamepad in a very logical way.

But then eventually they just replaced it with the exact same UI as the other consoles and completely killed off any of its original features.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Even after they brought the UI in line with other consoles, you could still use the touch screen with it. Now you can't even do that.
 
TheYanger

TheYanger

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,152
Pokemaniac said:
They brought the Wii U interface in line with the other versions a long time ago. And seeing as a ton of devices they do support (like TVs) have pointers, mapping the touch screen to that would be pretty trivial.



They didn't really remove touch screen support per se, since the sign in UI still works with it. They seemingly just didn't bother to define touch zones for the buttons when they did the recent UI refresh a month or so ago.
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Ok? So what I'm saying is, if they claim there were issues with touch, they still put in MORE work to change it, than to just ignore it. That speaks to that being right rather than a lie, it takes them no work to leave the app as it was. It takes more work to retool it. They wouldn't do that if there weren't a good reason, hence they're probably being completely honest about it .
 
Possum Armada

Possum Armada

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,630
Greenville, SC
Pokemaniac said:
They brought the Wii U interface in line with the other versions a long time ago. And seeing as a ton of devices they do support (like TVs) have pointers, mapping the touch screen to that would be pretty trivial.

They didn't really remove touch screen support per se, since the sign in UI still works with it. They seemingly just didn't bother to define touch zones for the buttons when they did the recent UI refresh a month or so ago.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If it was trivial then it would still be there. It probably isn't worth the resources required to fix the issue for the hundreds of people who use Wii U's to access Netflix.
 
Nostremitus

Nostremitus

Member
Nov 15, 2017
7,777
Alabama
IamPeacock said:
I'm actually amazed Netflix still pumps out upfates for Wii U. I mean, how many people are still using their Wii U for Netflix?
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It replaced my PS3 as the bedroom Youtube/Netflix device. The Gamepad touchscreen was a game changer for this use case. Sucks that Netflix fucked it up. I don't see how anyone thought the UI update was worth losing touch functionality over, though... That's just poor decision-making on Netflix's part.
 
Htown

Htown

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,319
Yeah the update is terrible.

They should have left it as it was.

The new version also hangs every time you try to do something during playback, whether it's pausing the video, backing out of the end credits, skipping back and forth... it's all awful and doesn't work. It just doesn't do anything with your inputs most of the time. I can press a controller button to try to pause, leave the room to grab something and come back, and the video will still just be playing like nothing happened.

It's barely functional anymore, touch controls or no touch controls.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
SirMossyBloke said:
??

Just download the app on Windows. It's great.
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Yeah, that's super helpful when my PC is running Ubuntu 90% of the time. (And isn't even connected to my TV since I don't have enough HDMI ports even with a switch.)

TheYanger said:
Ok? So what I'm saying is, if they claim there were issues with touch, they still put in MORE work to change it, than to just ignore it. That speaks to that being right rather than a lie, it takes them no work to leave the app as it was. It takes more work to retool it. They wouldn't do that if there weren't a good reason, hence they're probably being completely honest about it .
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If they were going to change the UI anyway, which I suspect they were since the stars are gone now, then it's less effort from them to just not define any touch areas in the new version than actually make sure they're set up correctly.

The situation really reads like they wanted to update the UI but didn't want to put enough resources into it to do it right.
 
maximumzero

maximumzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,922
New Orleans, LA
IamPeacock said:
I'm actually amazed Netflix still pumps out upfates for Wii U. I mean, how many people are still using their Wii U for Netflix?
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That'd be me. Hulu and Netflix, all the time. A shame there's no HBO Go app or I could ditch my 360.

It's a bummer that you can't navigate the app with anything but the game pad in the first place, unless that's changed recently and I haven't tried.
 
Jaded Alyx

Jaded Alyx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,369
Blue said:
Aren't Chromecasts like $20 these days?
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Maybe....but I never had strong enough reason to buy one since....the Wii U was serving the purpose.
​

xJavontax said:
you don't have ANYTHING else to watch Netflix on? The Wii U has been one of the worst ways to watch Netflix for literally years
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I have my laptop and my tablet. Neither of which are connected to my TV. What's been so bad about Netflix on Wii U, before now?
 
julian

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,773
Netflix used to be great on Wii U. I haven't used it in a while since the Wii U isn't hooked up to the TV I tend to watch Netflix on, but people dismissing this I doubt touched it. It was vastly superior to most other Netflix apps I used.

Doubt it'd work in the browser, but have you tried that? Might need to change the browser client for it to recognize it.

Maybe they changed a library that handles the touch controls and that didn't gel with the Wii U. If it improved their code base and/or performance for their most popular devices, they probably deemed it worthwhile.
 
Syriel

Syriel

Banned
Dec 13, 2017
11,088
Pokemaniac said:
They didn't really remove touch screen support per se, since the sign in UI still works with it. They seemingly just didn't bother to define touch zones for the buttons when they did the recent UI refresh a month or so ago.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There are two major parts to nearly every Netflix app. There is the baked in UI (login, logo screen, etc.) along with the core playback and security bits (non-UI elements) and there is the main UI. The latter is not baked in, but is downloaded when the app is fired up.

Any device which differs too far from the standard is going to need a custom UI fork. Devices which need custom UI forks have to justify the cost of maintenance.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
xJavontax said:
you don't have ANYTHING else to watch Netflix on? The Wii U has been one of the worst ways to watch Netflix for literally years
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Other devices I could watch Netflix on:
  • Wii (only 480p)
  • PS3 (a device even older than a Wii U and not substantially more convenient to use)
  • PC (running Ubuntu most of the time so I could only get 720p)
  • 3DS (lol)
  • Phone (tiny and would have to track down an obscure adapter to get it on my TV)
The only other practical alternative is the PS3, but I'm not really sure how that's supposed to be better.

julian said:
Netflix used to be great on Wii U. I haven't used it in a while since the Wii U isn't hooked up to the TV I tend to watch Netflix on, but people dismissing this I doubt touched it. It was vastly superior to most other Netflix apps I used.

Doubt it'd work in the browser, but have you tried that? Might need to change the browser client for it to recognize it.

Maybe they changed a library that handles the touch controls and that didn't gel with the Wii U. If it improved their code base and/or performance for their most popular devices, they probably deemed it worthwhile.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The Netflix website requires EME which the Wii U browser doesn't have.
 
Syriel

Syriel

Banned
Dec 13, 2017
11,088
Pokemaniac said:
Other devices I could watch Netflix on:
  • Wii (only 480p)
  • PS3 (a device even older than a Wii U and not substantially more convenient to use)
  • PC (running Ubuntu most of the time so I could only get 720p)
  • 3DS (lol)
  • Phone (tiny and would have to track down an obscure adapter to get it on my TV)
The only other practical alternative is the PS3, but I'm not really sure how that's supposed to be better.

The Netflix website requires EME which the Wii U browser doesn't have.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Of all your devices, the PS3 would be the best choice for Netflix playback in terms of quality and functionality.
 
Rizific

Rizific

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,949
huh, i came across this like two nights ago when putting on a cartoon for my daughter in my son's room. could have sworn the wii u netflix app had touch screen support.
 
AztecComplex

AztecComplex

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,371
The real news here is that Netflix continues to support the WiiU and even had Vita support and yet no Switch App in sight. What gives?! One says ask Nintendo and the other says ask Netflix! Who's to blame?

It's Nintendo isn't it? It's totally them.
 
The Argus

The Argus

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,291
If you live in the US just buy a Firestick if Netflix is that important on your TV. They'll be like $20 or so during prime day even for no prime users. Hell you can get a Roku for even cheaper and the app is even faster than the Wii U's. Shits dead yo.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
SirMossyBloke said:
How the fuck was I supposed to know you run Ubuntu? Mind reading?

You'd mentioning running it on Chrome and also Edge.
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I never mentioned Chrome. You really shouldn't assume Chrome is someone's standard browser. I use Firefox as my default browser.

I could see how the way I mentioned Edge could be misinterpreted as me using Windows 10 as my main OS, though.

Syriel said:
There are two major parts to nearly every Netflix app. There is the baked in UI (login, logo screen, etc.) along with the core playback and security bits (non-UI elements) and there is the main UI. The latter is not baked in, but is downloaded when the app is fired up.

Any device which differs to far from the standard is going to need a custom UI fork. Devices which need custom UI forks have to justify the cost of maintenance.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

For years the app has literally been the standard UI but with touch support. Is touch support really that much of a divergence?

Syriel said:
Of all your devices, the PS3 would be the best choice for Netflix playback in terms of quality and functionality.
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I don't really see how it would be better than the Wii U app if I don't have a surround sound system.
 
bananas

bananas

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,856
Pokemaniac said:
Other devices I could watch Netflix on:
  • Wii (only 480p)
  • PS3 (a device even older than a Wii U and not substantially more convenient to use)
  • PC (running Ubuntu most of the time so I could only get 720p)
  • 3DS (lol)
  • Phone (tiny and would have to track down an obscure adapter to get it on my TV)
The only other practical alternative is the PS3, but I'm not really sure how that's supposed to be better.



The Netflix website requires EME which the Wii U browser doesn't have.
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The fuck? How are those your only options? Is it 2009 or something?

Go buy a Fire TV stick or Chromecast, dude. They're hella cheap.
 

Fanuilos

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,132
I guess it makes sense if they want to do the minimal work required while still having it on Wii U. There's so many devices with touch screens though. How odd, maybe the Wii U wasn't play nice with some updates they made across the service?
 
flatearthpandas

flatearthpandas

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,134
I was kind of wondering about that since it's what I use in my bedroom. It's also slow as balls to respond to button presses. Oh well
 
finalflame

finalflame

Product Management
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,538
OP you seem pretty disagreeable. Like tons of other people have noted, Chromecasts are like $20 and would do a helluva better job than your WiiU. Otherwise, the PS3 app still works great. You legit just cash shit from your existing mobile device, it's great.
 
Edge

Edge

A King's Landing
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,012
Celle, Germany
Pokemaniac said:
Other devices I could watch Netflix on:
  • Wii (only 480p)
  • PS3 (a device even older than a Wii U and not substantially more convenient to use)
  • PC (running Ubuntu most of the time so I could only get 720p)
  • 3DS (lol)
  • Phone (tiny and would have to track down an obscure adapter to get it on my TV)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Excuse me? The PS3 is fantastic for using Netflix and once was the best multimedia machine available and still in some ways has a better Blu Ray player as the PS4. Just use that for it, I don't know how it run on Wii U but I would trust the PS3 way more to play movies in the best 1080p quality possible than on the Wii f'n U.
 
OP
OP
Pokemaniac

Pokemaniac

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,944
Edge said:
Excuse me? The PS3 is fantastic for using Netflix and once was the best multimedia machine available and still in some ways has a better Blu Ray player as the PS4. Just use that for it, I don't know how it run on Wii U but I would trust the PS3 way more to play movies in the best 1080p quality possible than on the Wii f'n U.
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It's just 1080p video. I think the only notable things the Wii U app is missing are surround sound,which doesn't matter to me, and full ranger RGB, which doesn't make a whole lot of difference as long as everything is configured properly.

Plus starting up the PS3 and opening the Netflix app is a slower and clunkier process than starting up the Wii U and opening its Netflix app.
 
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