Wii U

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Wii U

How will U play next?
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: NA: November 18, 2012
PAL: November 30, 2012
JP: December 8, 2012
CHI: December 10, 2012
MEX/SAF: November 29, 2012
BRA: November 26, 2013
Predecessor: Wii
Successor: Nintendo Switch
Competitors: PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Generation: Eighth generation
Discontinued: January 31, 2017

The Wii U (ウィー ユー, Wī Yū), codenamed Project Café, was a home video game console developed by Nintendo, the successor to the Wii, and the predecessor to the Nintendo Switch. Initially released in North America in 2012 and discontinued on January 31, 2017, it was the first eighth-generation home video game console and competed with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The console was announced in E3 on June 7, 2011.[1] It was marketed along with the Nintendo 3DS and as a home console that would allow gamers to play games on it off-TV with a controller with an integrated touch-screen, called the Wii U GamePad. The latter would also have other features like movement recognition which is also present on the Nintendo 3DS, and an NFC that would be used mostly for Amiibos.

Hardware specifications

  • CPU: Tri-Core IBM PowerPC "Espresso" @ 1.24 GHz
  • Memory: 2G DDR3
  • Storage: 8 / 32 GB internal flash memory
  • Display: 1080i, 1080p ,720p ,576i ,576p ,480i ,480p
  • Graphics: 550 MHz AMD Radeon-based "Latte"
  • Media: Wii U Optical Disc, Wii Optical Disc

Why U Can Play It

  1. Most of the system's exclusive titles are great, such as:
  2. The controller allows off-TV play, meaning that you can continue playing on your controller screen while someone else is using the TV. It can also be used in local multiplayer without resorting to split-screen.
  3. Despite being rather gimmicky, the GamePad is great, comfortable to hold, and lighter than its appearance suggests.
    • If you don't want to use it, you can use the Pro Controller for many games instead.
  4. The GamePad also gives dual-screen capabilities to the Wii U, a first among home consoles.
  5. The console is fully backward compatible with all Wii games, software, and accessories.
  6. Despite the small library, it still has some great third-party games such as:
  7. It's also the first Nintendo home console to have indie games, inducing:
  8. As Nintendo's second and last home console to feature the Virtual Console line, it offers an enormous quantity of games. It has titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, and Wii libraries.
    • Plus, it even has titles from the TurboGrafx-16 and MSX (Japan only) libraries as well!
  9. It was also the last console ever made to have free online, something its competitors, and even its successor, the Nintendo Switch, lacked.
  10. While there was still some produced, there was much less shovelware developed for it than for the Wii.
  11. The digital downloads are now licensed for an account, instead of a single console only. This allowed players to download their digital games back without having to buy them again after the console broke.
  12. The console is great to use for internet browsing.
  13. It had an actual, searchable friend system rather than the Wii's ludicrously convoluted system of exchanging 16-digit codes and then waiting for a central server to sync.
  14. It had Miiverse, which, while having some crappy rules, some toxic users, and some questionable content made an easily accessible hub for the communities of games that was closely connected to features in many games, as well as individual people.
  15. It was Nintendo's first console to support HD graphics with the use of an HDMI cable that supports up to 1080p.
  16. Unlike the PlayStation 4 which had no AV port, the Wii U could be hooked up to an old TV using an AV cable, though the latter wasn't included with it.
  17. The name isn't bad, despite making many people confused about whether the system was a new console or an add-on for the Wii. It also makes sense considering the "U" is likely meant to resemble the GamePad, and the "ii" represents two people.
  18. It has a better disc drive than the original Wii and can read discs better than it.

Qualities That U Cannot Play

Note: Wii U is a great and underrated console, these bad qualities will only focus on the reasons for said console flopping in sales.

  1. Poor marketing: This is the main reason for the failure of the system. Having gotten cocky about the huge success of the Wii, Nintendo did a terrible job in marketing the system, with it being less advertised than the Wii and the ads being excessively focused on younger kids and families. The ads also focused more on the GamePad rather than the console itself. (the console sometimes is barely visible in the ads as well). Because of the excessive focus on the GamePad, instead of the console itself which should have had more visibility, everyone thought that the Wii U was nothing more than a plug-in for the Wii, rather than a real, brand-new console.
    • Even though subsequent Wii U announcements, thankfully, made it obvious that it was a new console, the PS4 was leading in sales, and even the Xbox One (although, it has fewer sales than PS4) still sold more than Wii U.
  2. The name "Wii U" and the overly kid-friendly marketing made many people confused about whether the system was a new console or an add-on for the Wii (especially with how Nintendo made many Wii games and Wii accessories with the title Wii slapped on it). In contrast, the PlayStation's successor was called the PlayStation 2 which made it easy for everyone to know that it was a new console.
  3. It has poor third-party support due to its poorly designed hardware that made it difficult to program for. When the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released, developers immediately ditched the Wii U in favor of them since they both had more powerful hardware and were easier to make games for, this caused many third-party developers like Sega, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive and Konami gave only a few games (In Sega and EA's case), one (In 2K's case) or even no game for it, while Activision, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment gave better support than other developers. Some poor hardware designs include:
    • The PowerPC-based CPU was essentially just three Wii CPUs overclocked and thrown together onto the same chip (It didn't help with the fact that the Wii CPU was also just 3 GameCube CPUs overclocked as well, which meant that the Wii U was based on severely outdated technology). According to some developers, the CPU has less than half the power of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. They could have just used an AMD Jaguar-based CPU like their competitors and then developers would be fine with it.
    • It only has 2 GB of shared system and graphics RAM. Meanwhile, neither of its competitors had less than 8 GB of RAM.
    • The internal storage space is very small on standard models, with only 8 GB (with only about 4.5GB of that available to the user, as the rest is taken up by the OS), while deluxe models have 32 GB. Either option severely limits digital downloads of games. The only ways to expand storage were via an external USB hard drive or an SD card.
    • Unlike the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, it didn't get any hardware update versions like PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.
    • Just like its predecessor, the Wii U lacks an Ethernet port, requiring you to get an adapter if you want to use wired internet. If you are a Brazilian, you might know what we are talking about (for the latter video, skip to 8:24 to see it)
    • Also like its predecessor, it uses a proprietary disc format and cannot play DVDs or Blu-rays, unlike its competitors. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president at the time of the system's release, did not think it was worth it to pay licensing and patent fees because he found that such functionality would be redundant to DVD and Blu-ray players that users may already own.
    • The console's hardware was far weaker than the PS4 and Xbox One, overall. While many developers were willing to make downgraded versions of PS3/Xbox 360 games for the Wii due to its success, they weren't willing to make downgraded PS4/Xbox One games for Wii U due to the aforementioned issues with developing games for it and due to the large difference in hardware power. Finally, it was quickly overshadowed by the PS4 and Xbox One and even its successor, the Nintendo Switch, which also has more powerful hardware.
  4. Due to the poor third-party support, the console didn't get a lot of sports video games, unlike the other consoles. It never got a MLB or a NHL video game. Plus, it only has a single NBA video game called NBA 2K13. The same goes with the Madden NFL and FIFA series. Additionally, it never got a PGA Tour video game, and to make things worse, many of Nintendo's sports games like Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Wii Sports Club were lackluster, with the latter simply being a reskin of Wii Sports that was released for the Wii.
  5. Only about 781 games were released for this console, and most of the Wii U's games were also simply next-gen remade versions of Wii or home simply redone home ports of 3DS games, for example
    • Monster Hunter Ultimate 3 (Which it is 3DS port of Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii) on the 3DS was ported to Wii U and titled Monster Hunter 3G HD in Japan.
    • The Japan-only game Dragon Quest X was also ported to Wii U from the Wii, which the Wii U version can still be played online, as Square Enix still supports the Wii U version.
    • Wii Sports Club is an HD version of the original Wii Sports but you actually have to subscribe to the services to play the games! Even worse, you have to keep your console connected to the internet even when not playing online!
  6. Not even Nintendo themselves helped the system's library. While Nintendo gave it a large amount of first-party support, they completely ignored many of their IPs; most of the first-party games were either Mario games or Mario spin-offs. There wasn't even a new Metroid game and there was only one new Zelda game (Hyrule Warriors). Two of the other Zelda games released for it were only remasters and one of them was a game that was also released on the Switch. The inverse of one of the reasons the Sega Saturn flopped.
    • The only Kirby game to be released for the console was Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.
    • Some of Nintendo's franchises were lackluster on the console, such as Star Fox Zero, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, just to name a few.
  7. The GamePad was often underutilized or poorly implemented: even Nintendo's first-party games didn't use it much. The GamePad's battery life is also short, lasting only about 1-3 hours, while Nintendo Switch's Joy-Cons last 4-5 hours.
    • Sometimes the Wii U gamepad makes certain games worse, the most famous example would be Star Fox Zero.
  8. Despite knowing that the system was struggling, Nintendo kept the price at or slightly above $300 during its entire lifespan, when you can get a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One for cheaper. Unlike the Virtual Boy, Nintendo didn't reduce the price due to high production costs.
    • The same goes for many first-party games such as Mario Kart 8, which are, to this day, still sold at their launch price.
  9. The stylus is very slippery and loose meaning that you could easily lose it.
  10. Absence of games from iconic franchises that were on the Wii or other Nintendo systems for that matter, such as Mega Man, Worms, Final Fantasy, The Sims, Burnout, Story of Seasons, Shin Megami Tensei, and WWE just to name a few. Without these franchises, many people who were otherwise loyal to the 3DS or others were less willing to transition to the Wii U.
  11. While it certainly did not have as much shovelware as the Wii did, Nintendo exercised very little quality control over indie developer content, similarly to the Xbox 360. Games like IQ Test, Meme Run and Bigley's Revenge from Ninja Pig Studios, The Stonecutter, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood from Brave Rock Games, and The Letter ended up on the Wii U as a result.
  12. Very few of the PS3/X360 games released between the Wii U's launch and the launches of the PS4 and Xbox One were ported to Wii U. The games that were ported didn't have any real performance advantages, and were frequently stiffed on content compared to the other versions. A particularly infamous example was EA releasing Mass Effect 3 for Wii U, but not the Mass Effect Trilogy.
    • Most multiplatforms were either coming from the PS3/360 or were family friendly games like Skylanders series.
  13. The GameCube controller adapter released for it only worked with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. It doesn't even work with Wii games that supported GameCube controllers on the original Wii.
  14. Just like the Wii and the 3DS, it's region locked, but fortunately it is the last Nintendo home console to have regional lockout. It is also the last home console in general to have region locking.
  15. As fine as its Virtual Console lineup was, it was still lackluster to what the Wii offered. At the beginning of its lifespan, it only offered NES and SNES games and would eventually get games from the GBA, Wii, DS, and N64. Ever since the Wii Shop Channel launched, it offered games from many more platforms, including non-Nintendo platforms.
    • Game Boy Advance and DS would've been more fitting on the 3DS's VC library, since those systems are handheld, while the Wii U is a home console.
  16. Speaking of Virtual Console, There were no visual options to adjust how the games looked like the NES Classic and SNES Classic, and the NES and N64 games were locked to a dark filter for epileptic reasons along with forced widescreen and blurriness.
    • Another problem that the N64 emulator has is the inability to emulate a controller pak, just like the one on the Wii and Switch, which means that some features like ghost data in Mario Kart 64 are unavailable.
    • DS games are miserable on Virtual Console. Each of the display options is terrible. Either one of the screens is too small to see. Also, they look terrible on a TV screen because it's all pixelated. It would've made more sense to put DS games on the 3DS Virtual Console.
  17. Wii Mode is very clunky and slow. You can't quickly access Wii games, unlike GameCube games on the original Wii. You also can't use any of the Wii U controllers while in Wii Mode.
  18. Because the console was discontinued in early 2017, shortly before its successor, the Nintendo Switch came out, most services and multiplayer online games would be shut down on the 3DS and Wii U.
    • The Monster Hunter: Frontier G was officially shut down on December 18, 2019, along with PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions, after going free-to-play for its final month.
    • The Wii U and 3DS eShop were shut down in Latin American countries on July 31, 2020, making it impossible to download classic games in those regions, this doesn't affect North and South American, Japanese, and PAL regions until March 2023.
    • Similar to the 3DS, the YouTube app was redesigned, making it impossible to watch videos.
    • Since March 31st, 2021, the Super Mario Maker level sharing feature from the Wii U version has been removed.
    • As of June 30, 2021, players can no longer access Netflix on the Wii U and 3DS.
    • The 3DS and Wii U eShop ended credit card support in all countries starting January 18, 2022. However, if you merge your NNID with a Nintendo Account, you can add currency that way.
      • On February 15, 2022, Nintendo announced that they will end the 3DS & Wii U eShop support in late March 2023.
      • And to make things worse, the online server will be shut down on both 3DS and Wii U on April 8, 2024, meaning you can no longer play online. Luckily, thanks to Pretendo Network, you can still play online.

Reception

While the console garnered mixed-to-positive reviews even from critics and was well-received for the improvements over the Wii, it was a massive failure and considered by many as the most underrated game console, only 13.56 million units were sold as of December 31, 2016, which is lower than Nintendo's previously lowest-selling home system, the GameCube, which was 21.74 million.

Nintendo learned from the mistakes and would improve almost everything with the Nintendo Switch. The production of the Wii U was discontinued on January 31st, 2017, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild went on to be the last first-party game released for it. While the Nintendo Switch lacks backward compatibility unlike its predecessors, Nintendo is currently porting Wii U titles to other Nintendo platforms, such as Mario Kart 8 and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was ported over to the Nintendo Switch, Hyrule Warriors and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World were ported to the 3DS, with extra content and all previously released DLCs in the Switch version, to the point that some of them outsold not only their original versions but the console itself such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe selling 43.35 million copies on the Switch alone, which is almost 2 times higher than the original game and its console combined.

The Wii U has a rating of 3.93 on GameFAQs, while it still has positive, it is currently the lowest-rated Nintendo home console. (not counting the Virtual Boy, which was the portable system)

Videos

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Good/Decent Examples of Wii U Games

First-Party Titles

Third-Party Titles

Bad/Mediocre Examples of Wii U Games

First-Party Titles

Third-Party Titles

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eToRfMrjbzM&ab_channel=1UP

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