Nintendo Wii U, 10 Years Later - Retrospective Review

[@91Tech]

Something I forgot to mention in the video that's pretty cool- following poor sales of the Wii U, Nintendo Execs actually took pay-cuts, with President Satoru Iwata himself taking a 50% cut in 2014. Just a level of accountability you don't usually see in any industry, thought that was worth a mention. Also, to clarify- Nintendo Network Premium was a loyalty program, but online itself was free. My explanation wasn't clear. Thanks to those who pointed this out!

[@James73hsj]

Wow i never knew that wow that’s cool

[@tjl1007]

Correction the Kinnect was a huge success but was short lived. This is why the Xbox one originally shipped with the kinnect in mind.

[@The_MEMEphis]

@@tjl1007 there were no games for it so it definitely wasn't a success

[@Gabriel_Cook]

14:02 Correction: The Wii U absolutely does stand on it's side. It has two stand attachments that your younger cousin likely lost.

[@BeingKyleBusch18]

You're incorrect. This did happen but it wasn't the wii U but the Nintendo 3DS was the product in question. 07.29.2011 was the date this article was posted.... "NINTENDO'S PRESIDENT AND board of directors have volunteered to take substantial pay cuts in the wake of the Nintendo 3DS markdown, company president Satoru Iwata said at an investors briefing on Friday. Iwata's salary, reported last year to be around $770,000, will be cut by 50 percent. Iwata earned significantly more last year in bonus pay, which he said would be reduced this year because of the company's declining profits. Members of the board, including Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, will take lesser cuts of 30 percent and 20 percent. "The deduction of the fixed compensation is what we volunteered to do in order to show our sincere attitude and to fulfill our responsibility," said Iwata. "We really must recover our financial performance and take Nintendo back into the position in the marketplace where it is well appreciated." On Thursday, Nintendo slashed the price of its Nintendo 3DS portable game system from $250 to $170, citing slower than expected sales and a desire to rapidly increase the installed base prior to the holiday season. In his opening statement before fielding questions, Iwata explained Nintendo's reasons for the timing and amount of the price cut."

[@Bludgeoned2DEATH2]

It breaks me heart that Iwata-san never got to see the immense success of the Switch. He personally took responsibility for the WiiU’s failure and cut his down salary so his employees wouldn’t go without a paycheck due to low sales. The gaming community lost an old Giant and legend in gaming with his passing 😢

[@MemeRaider]

Knowing Iwata, he would be disappointed with some of the business decisions though.

[@keeperscove8056]

@@MemeRaider thats the hard part about having good and powerful legends in a Company because there the only light in that company and during there time that company eventually gets greedy and the only reason there practices aren't as potent is because of these good and powerful gaming gods so when they no longer accociate with the company thats when they swoop in and crap everything out,

[@70smebbin]

the wii u made reggie retire from nintendo

[@Hfhfhfufhf]

@@70smebbin have you even played the Wii U?

[@justnetz4504]

Ever since Iwata sadly passed, the company feels lifeless, the Wii U, even through it failed, was full of life with UI and same with the 3DS/2DS systems. The Switch feels so basic and like they’re being safe with it.

[@Miumiu0404]

Props to Nintendo for supporting the Wii U even though if was failing. I wish Sony did the same thing for PS Vita.

[@jackson5116]

because in 2015 it stopped being produced at a loss, and started turning a profit, but most overlook that, and only focus on 2013 and 2014's losses (2012's loss actually came from 3DS believe it or not, as they posted their first loss in March, 2012, 8 months before Wii U even hit the shelves!).

[@ben2808]

Jesus Christ loves you!

[@ben2808]

@@jackson5116 Jesus Christ loves you!

[@albertsmith99]

ah the psvita. So much potential gone to waste. It's my favorite portal console, especially modded. You can have all your games on the go.

[@skycloud4802]

And Sega with Dreamcast. That system had more life in it than Sega was willing to bet on.

[@Stonley890]

I got the Wii U in 2016, so I missed a lot of the initial online stuff like TVii and Miiverse, but I had a lot of fun playing with friends on Nintendo Land and super Mario 3D world

[@joethegoat7731]

Didn’t miiverse shutdown in November 2017?

[@mistersurrealist]

I also got my Wii U in 2016 and Miiverse was DEFINITELY still online back then.

[@Sasuke_Car]

I was about to get it in 2023 im a wait for next year's

[@cadez8386]

Lol I just bought one in 2024, so I missed out on basically everything. Saying that however, now I have 100 games, 36 of which are Wii U games, the rest are all vc games including Wii and GC. Not only that but I also Pretendo, so I didn’t really miss out on much. I can still see real time, real life posts from miiverse via juxtaposition on my Wii U menu. It really brings it to life and I love the Nintendo charm. Pretendo also includes online play and other things. It’s really awesome how far the modding community has gone.

[@Angelbonilla1982]

Problems with wiiu disc are very fragile!! Any little scratch it would not work at all!😢😢

[@Ziggy7800Pro]

I love my wii u! It was the first system I bought after my house fire where I lost most of my video game collection in 2012. So it means a lot to me. Great video!

[@nsgames24]

Sorry about that, man. At least you had something to play, though.

[@MR.BONES007]

As a gamer that hit hard

[@Ziggy7800Pro]

@@MR.BONES007 Did me too at the time But it's been many years later. Way better now.

[@MR.BONES007]

@@Ziggy7800Pro it's just Idk what I would do without my game collection I mean the money I put into it the time it would break me.

[@Ziggy7800Pro]

@@MR.BONES007 yeah it did me too but remember it is just things. Things can be rebought, lives can't. No one died thank God. My wife was home at the time with are three kids. This was the day after Christmas and I was working overnights at Walmart. It started in the morning and she woke up to nurse my youngest then smelled the flames and got every one out. We did lose some pets though a hamster Mily( my kids got her for Xmas) and are cat Goku. I still miss him. Like I said things are way better now, I got most the games back.

[@ShinobiSyns]

The WiiU does stand up like the Wii you just have to have the 2 little stand/legs it came with. I love the WiiU! Got me back into Nintendo console gaming and most first party games are still so beautiful

[@notcyfhr]

fact except the only way to get one is have a boxed wii u because everyone forgot about them

[@Some-guy-on-the-internet]

@@notcyfhr I'm sure you can buy third-party replacements for cheap on eBay.

[@notcyfhr]

@@Some-guy-on-the-internet true

[@FubarKen]

​@@notcyfhrI actually found mine yesterday in an old box, still in original plastic bag with blue tape around them. 😅

[@nsgames24]

Despite its flaws, I still have a heart for the Wii U. Years later and I still love it. ❤

[@PikangsFutaba]

Indeed, I got it mostly for Smash Bros 4, but I got a few games I liked from said platform (excluding Nintendo proper ports or remasters like Zelda Wind Waker and Twilight Princess or even multiplatform games, some of them got ported to the Switch like Pokken and Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but still), it's also a great console with homebrew (and honestly, was that even a suprise?).

[@M64bros]

@@PikangsFutaba Same here. I remember every day after middle school I would go to the youth center and I would connect my 3DS to the Wii U and play Smash Bros for Wii U with my friends along with my amiibos. Good times

[@reuterdsouza]

That's me with the Vita. Love the homebrew community, they're single handedly keeping it alive.

[@Danny-xe2sg]

Same

[@sherzanman1188]

There is only 1 flaw of the Wii U the battery life of the game pad😔

[@IOwnMyWiiULEGIT]

I’ve owned a Wii U since November 2013. It’s still my main console going into 2022. Beat Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and 100%’d Super Mario 3D World on it this year; it’s been a blast and I still play it often.

[@SPG8989]

That's sad

[@IOwnMyWiiULEGIT]

@@SPG8989How?

[@IOwnMyWiiULEGIT]

@@MileTailsPrower157Nice! Still going strong!💪

[@Ashley-u3q4w]

Same

[@eynorey]

14:02 The WiiU _can_ stand upright, originally it came with two little plastic stands in the box that you can place it on and make it stand upright.

[@MacG4Nut]

You're right, it can. Something clicked in my head when that was mentioned. I saved my original box (a bad/good habit I have) and they're in there. (Wii U Deluxe 32GB with Super Mario Bros U and Luigi U.)

[@eynorey]

@@MacG4Nut nice! Definitely a good habit :) I don't have the box anymore :/ But still have all the accessories!

[@supermahmoud]

Yes it can, but only the Deluxe model, Basic didn't have those.

[@zombee38]

@@MacG4Nut i'm like you i saved the original box so i bet for sure that the little stands are in there as well 8-)

[@DocTime56]

Only the black, 32GB model came with the plastic stands, if you bought the white, 8Gb model you had no standa

[@OhtaniEvolution]

Personally, one of the most underrated consoles! I had enjoyed a lot thanks to WiiU.

[@gagatai]

Same as GameCube. The 9th gen nowadays fill with bad and mediocre cross platform games, WiiU and GameCube remind us of how many great exclusive and fun title there were used to be and we didn’t cherished.

[@MrOfflineAlways]

As a person who owned the Wii U from 2014 onward, it’s was great honestly (until 2016, but my parents [i was a teen at the time] never bought me more games anyways). I had bought a Wii U for Smash Bros and Mario Kart since I didn’t owned the ones on Wii and I would get the chance to get new games with the console. They where really fun, even took the console with me during my senior year of high school when I had free time to play Smash for Wii U’s 8 player smash with 7 others (it was ideal cause people who had the 3DS version of Smash could connect their 3DS’ to the Wii U to use as a controller).

[@greg8214]

I can relate so bad to the « never bought me more games anyway »

[@QJSquall]

Man, sorry to hear that, buddy....

[@Golemoid]

Wii U, perfect system for people who won't buy any games, because there aren't any.

[@NintenDub]

@@Golemoid lmao. Hilarious comment

[@solo6396]

Damn. My dads a gamer as well so we would go to GameStop every 2-3 months which was usually the amount of time it took us to beat the game from our last trip. I guess I had it good.

[@ct6852]

Really enjoyed the Wii U. The controller and console felt heavy and substantial. The graphics felt like a major improvement. And Mario Kart 8 was one of the most fun, most replayable games of all time. Worked perfectly with the motion controls.

[@theformerkaiser9391]

The battle between Reggie and Iwata will always be my favorite moment of the Wii U/3DS era.

[@bearzdlc2172]

it will never ever be the same or come close to how awesome and silly they used to be

[@Zorgot.]

Man, I wonder what could've been if the Wii U was successful. Like I love pretty much everything about it, I love the Miiverse, I love how it had a console and a tablet that you can use in your room while the console is connected to the TV. I love the time before everyone had smartphones and this stuff was like magic almost, it's like primitive times nowadays, but it's such a charming time too. Like everything from the DS to the Wii U, that whole era had such a charming feel to it. I don't know how to explain it, I just love that era of technology where it's before everyone is connected online, but you still could feel the connection to other people with stuff like streetpass or miiverse or whatever. I know it's not practical at all, but I just love that feeling and love thinking about what the world would've been like if that was a normal thing. I can't really get over that feeling I have for it, nor do I know how to explain it still after throwing up all of this text just rambling about this lmao. But hopefully someone who reads this understands what I mean, I wish I got to experience that time more, and I really really miss that time.

[@Thelango99]

The Wii U even had a service called TVii, which combined multiple streaming services into one app. This sadly failed, as nobody used it.

[@Thelango99]

So you could watch both HBO and Netflix content on TVii.

[@jackson5116]

By this definition, Sega only had failures, since Master System, Dreamcast, Game Gear, Nomad, Saturn, Pico all had lower sales than Wii U! Damn, Sega was nothing but a failure, WOW! Sucks to be Sega!

[@jrwheeler81]

LOL, most people had smartphones in late 2012 when the U was released.....

[@Thelango99]

@@jrwheeler81 Watching Netflix on an Iphone 4S wasn't fun...

[@xephia]

I keep going back to my Wii U for one game: Xenoblade X. It’s such a gorgeous game and hard to believe it’s running on a Wii U. Really wish they’d port it to the Switch-it’s mind-blowingly gorgeous.

[@ressljs]

Sometimes I fire up that game just to wander around and enjoy the views. It really is a beautiful game. But I have to admit, other than enjoying the exploration, I really didn't like that game. I thought the combat system was horrid. I tried so hard to like that game, but just couldn't. But as far as being a technical showcase for what the system could do, nothing else on Wii U came close.

[@gbooth431]

Just playin yesterday, the online still works in it too

[@IsraelLlerena]

Love you

[@zues121510]

Yes!! The moment Xenoblade X and the two Zelda remasters are ported to switch, I can officially unplug my Wii U and stash it in the wardrobe. Not trying to hate on the Wii U, but those games are really the only things stopping me from unplugging it after 7 years. Xenoblade X definitely could use the extra horsepower and ESPECIALLY storage speed of the Switch to hopefully run at a solid 1080p resolution with less popin and better assets this time. Not to mention a massive game like this being handheld, as well as the two best classic Zeldas (IMO) going handheld. When this happens, I can finally fulfill my dream of being able to take my "Wii U gamepad" (but slimmer) anywhere to explore Wind Waker's vast oceans and X's gorgeous planet!

[@xephia]

@@zues121510 yuuuup, same.

[@MmntechCa]

From what I read in articles during the Wii U's lifetime, the lack of third party support was due to, well, lack of support form Nintendo. Apparently they were working on the console right up until the 11th hour. Dev kits came out late, and documentation just wasn't there. Any questions Western devs had had to be translated into Japanese and back. Which really slowed things down. With the lackluster sales early on, I think a lot just determined it wasn't worth their time. This has been an issue with Nintendo for a very long time. Even the Wii and DS, despite their popularity, had a lot of low effort third party content. Furthermore, the Wii U, while on paper more powerful than the 360 and PS3, was using an extremely slow and dated CPU architecture. So it really had to lean on its GPU. Which I think made ports from 7th gen consoles too complicated. Despite its shortcomings, I still think it's one of Nintendo's best systems. It had a better concept than the Wii, who's gimmick ended up being little more than a fad. It's the only system that really did second screen right. It also had one of the strongest first party libraries. I just needed more content to fill in those gaps. Something Nintendo learned from and addressed with the Switch.

[@jrwheeler81]

Yeah, I remember the Wii U's game library was VERY thin. You would go into the video game section of Target or Walmart and the PlayStation and XBOX would have their own full aisle full of games, but the U had this teeny tiny section at the end of an aisle. I hate the fact that I spent $350 for a console with so few games. I also heard that the lack of third-party game development for the Wii U had to do with Nintendo essentially prohibiting it. That was one of the major advantages that the Wii had over the U - third party game support.

[@internetguy7319]

The gyro/IR aim of the Wii is actually more than a fad. It's extremely good for aiming on traditional controllers, rivaling KBM

[@dannyboy5008]

I wouldn't say the wii u did second screen right, and ultimately a second screen gamepad proved to be a failed attempt at a fad. Unless there's a genuinely unique, game altering incorporation of the game pad (which the developers would have to fully dedicate the game's mechanics to) then it's basically pointless when HUD elements and menus can already coexist on one screen with the main game and don't need to be relocated to a screen you have to constantly look down at.

[@gezt641]

I was actually one of those rare kids that actually wanted a Wii U so bad back in 2014. And even tho I didn't get to play that many games at that time I still ended up making a ton of memories with that console.

[@benjaminavramovski4185]

I always wanted a wii u since I was like 6 or 7 but I never got one.

[@pphead9960]

I remember begging to get it and for Christmas my mom managed to get one with Mario 3D world. I was so excited for it I got all the way to champion road and couldn’t beat it.

[@benjaminavramovski4185]

@@pphead9960 lucky

[@rainy5517]

Same here

[@aerpods]

when i was like 7, i saved up for one, only to sell it a few years later because the switch came out

[@nashbrandon]

I really enjoyed my experience with this system, the lack of third party support made Nintendo really put their all into the first party titles.

[@armyofninjas9055]

I mean, does anyone EVER play a nintendo console for the 3rd party games? Their hardware is always terrible.

[@manformerlypigbukkit]

@@armyofninjas9055 you make it sound like hardware = good AAA titles, which is weird, but I do agree, nobody goes to nintendo looking for 3rd party stuff

[@UncannyEXP]

And there were even fewer first party titles on the Wii U than what came before or since.

[@cud5473]

I had the Wii and Wii U,and the Wii U is as amazing as its older sibling. Even tho,it don’t get the love it deserves. It has amazing games,Virtual Console and more. The Wii U is a console I love,and has features that the Switch lacks.

[@MadsterV]

And an absolute replacement for the Wii. I have one in it's box, in a closet. No need to take it out, the WiiU completely replaces it.

[@cud5473]

@@MadsterV I wouldn’t call it an absolute replacement,both deserves a spot by the TV. Both go together perfectly next to each other

[@Leon2Cold]

Lol there is almost no reason to own a Wii U if you have a switch other than for a collection… I had one also!

[@mynintendogamingfeed5208]

I still have those systems, and I know that they still work.

[@MadsterV]

@@cud5473 why would I do that though? every Wii game and Wii controller works with WiiU

[@elgris453]

2014 Wii U owner here. This has to be my favorite console ever made besides the original Wii. I saw KZbin and pretty much the whole internet for the first time on the Wii Us internet browser and it’s games kept me entertained and happy even during the 2016 nightmares but it was so good in its day

[@MrBeiragua]

Satoru Iwata was a legend. His presentations and silly jokes were what kept me a Nintendo fan.

[@tylerdoe1096]

I got an AMAZING deal on a Wii U a few years back. I wanted to play Windwaker HD and 3D World, so I searched on Craigslist for like 5 minutes. I ended up buying it from some guy 30 minutes later, who’s kids moved away for $70 total. Get this: It was the 32gb version, came with 10 games (including the 2 I wanted), 2 wii remotes, and a pro controller. It was well worth it, and I still live my Wii U, even if I don’t play it all that often anymore.

[@yuriythebest]

that's actually really great!

[@marklaw7777]

That's a phenomenal deal 😮

[@winterburden]

The Wii U is a University add-on that turns the Wii into an educational device where you can earn a Wii Degree, and that's canon.

[@themacintoshnerd]

A stand alone gamepad is probably more expensive than most colleges

[@officialprincelouie]

@@themacintoshnerd really?

[@themacintoshnerd]

@@officialprincelouie no not really but the gamepad on it's own normally runs you around the same price as the console and gamepad together.

[@officialprincelouie]

@@themacintoshnerd damn, that's crazyy

[@FarikoWishless]

Wii the people!

[@hazpvp]

I remember when I bought my Wii U, the switch came out a month or so later. But, I had the most fun with the Wii U than any other console. Mainly beacause of Super Mario Maker.

[@GameBoyGuru]

I love the Wii U. I actually got one as a Christmas present in 2013, and it's still the only major gaming gift I've ever received for the holiday. What made me want it was watching a game play demonstration of The Wonderful 101 at an E3 event, and seeing how cool it looked. I didn't feel like Nintendo let me down with the Wii, so I looked forward to the Wii U. I have so many hours into the console, across a lot of games. New Super Mario Bros U (I got the NSMBU/NSLU bundle), DuckTales Remastered, The Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2, ZombiU, Freedom Planet, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, Shovel Knight, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Axiom Verge, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and more. I still have mine hooked up, and I'm thinking about deleting my ZombiU save file and starting fresh. I also bought a 2nd Wii U, pre-modded, earlier this year, to hook up to my other TV, so I can play around with that. I'm definitely in the minority, both being a Wii U owner, but also an enthusiast for the console, but it has definitely been a great system for me over the years.

[@ct6852]

Yeah it felt totally solid to me. The controller felt really appropriate for games like Mario Kart.

[@MrGojira95]

One of the only Wii-U games that’s hasn’t been ported yet is that Star Fox game. Also, hilariously, after Metroid Dread was announced, the Wii-U had a brief, yet sudden gain in sales on virtual console games such as Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Fusion, and Metroid Prime Trilogy.

[@danielcomas4022]

and nintendo land :(((

[@SnickterP]

I still think they should have called it Super Wii (ala SNES). I think that would have really helped people understand it was a new console and would have driven sales much higher!

[@pladampa]

Definitely needed a name change. It still is great.

[@AnythingFitz]

When I first heard of WiiU, I just thought it was like a budget version of the Wii (which was already cheap) until I saw what it did

[@iambenjaminwild]

@@AnythingFitz hah same I thought it was more of an addition like a tablet for the Wii, shouldn't have called it Wii U really

[@Romir01x]

Or the Nintendo Revolution

[@da.c]

Maybe Wii 2??? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@simonbrown7501]

The wii u was stepping stone to what would become the switch. I don't regret owning both of them. Thank you nintendo

[@iancamilosanchez]

Still have a Wii U and use it often. Wonderful machine. True, it was hard being a Nintendo fan at an era where Nintendo was no longer cool, but I got many of my high school friends to enjoy it and wanting to come home to play Mario Kart 8 or Black Ops 2 after class. Excellent memories.

[@SavageAirguns]

I still play BO2 on Wii U. Yes it's still online and free to play online but on enough ppl to fill TDM.

[@MAGICMAN1917]

Same here, enjoying playing my Wii u with kids and also Wii games :-)

[@Obanai_Iguro99]

Same but got my Wii U 2 weeks after discontinuation

[@PoutingTrevor]

I've been using my Wii U so much over the last few weeks. Ever since I had it I've had problems with the gamepad having a stable connection, and a few weeks back I resolved to fix it. After some research, it turns out it was the 5Ghz wireless band being put out by my router that was causing the issue, so I turned the band off (opting to use the 2.4Ghz band only) and it's played practically flawlessly ever since. It's an amazing emustation, it has an amazing library, and feels more like a Nintendo console than the Switch. It's awesome.

[@Thelango99]

Yeah, the Wii U has a dual band Wifi chip (first console to do so). The 5GHz signal is used to stream video to the gamepad.

[@user-zg2st9qj7f]

do i still need a tv for playing wii u

[@YoitsGoose]

@@user-zg2st9qj7fno it can be used just with the gamepad

[@Photo0021]

People are always going to remember the Wii, but the Wii U deserves a lot of attention for being quite Innovative in 2012. While it's overshadowed by it's older brother the Wii, and the current generation Nintendo Switch, the Wii U just stands as one of my favorite consoles ever, along with the Xbox 360 E (which is another "obscure" console you covered).

[@The_MEMEphis]

The Xbox 360 E is just the 360 it's not its own console the Wii u is its own console and it's not very good

[@Photo0021]

@@The_MEMEphis Could you elaborate why the Wii U is "not very good"? Curious.

[@The_MEMEphis]

@@Photo0021 It's a Nintendo cash grab, overpriced and underpowered, if you're gonna have an underpowered system atleast make it cheaper or with the switch it's portable so it makes sense but the Wii u wasn't, it's pretty much had to be a secondary system, and you basically needed to buy the deluxe version of the game because the 8gb of the base model was not enough for even the save files let alone downloading games made the system hard to use long term, sad part is I owned 2 since my parents are divorced each of my parents got one because I convinced them as a kid to buy it and I heavily regret it, also you couldn't play games with your friends online at all not that any friends would have the system anyways since nobody bought it, you're better off just buying a cheap Wii since you could have the same amount of fun and save alot of money at the time

[@BeingKyleBusch18]

@Stealphie Well, you're right in the fact that there were 3rd party titles that were releases on the wii u that you can play with your friends in call of duty ghosts and call of duty black ops II and both have voice chat support! I know because i have 2 wii u consoles, one is new in box and other is a Zelda edition i soft modded so i have emulators on it and other homebrew apps. I loved ghosts and black ops II on the wii u though. But other than those two, i don't know of any other games that had online co-op or even voice chat for that matter.

[@BeingKyleBusch18]

@Stealphie Fair enough......

[@LeCoffreDuGeek]

I still have my WiiU, enhanced it with somme, let's say : "additional functions" and am able to play a large variety of games through my WiiU. This sytems was very fun, too bad it didn't have the success it deserved... Fortunately (or not) the Nintendo Switch tried to clean that bad moment. *Great video* btw !

[@duffpappy7345]

I recommend buying a Wii U in spite of the conclusion of this video. The older the system gets the more gamepads will disappear making them valuable to collectors and gamers. Since gamepads are a necessity to make the Wii U operate and Nintendo never manufactured them separately they will become console collecting gold. Also batteries for the Gamepads are plentiful on Amazon if you need to replace them and Nintendo thankfully made them easy to replace. Another reason is that since a lot of first party games are rereleased on Switch at ridiculous price points that never seem to drop in price, the Wii U versions are much cheaper in used stores or online and just as fun. Also the Wii U game store is still being supported and there's still online deals for digital content.

[@mayamartin7359]

Agree, but don’t forget the Eshop is going away for North America next month!

[@duffpappy7345]

@@mayamartin7359 I just saw :-(

[@mayamartin7359]

@@duffpappy7345 it’s ok the Wii U is very easy to homebrew… go buy all the games you can’t find roms for, but then, I don’t see any harm in loading backups of classic games when Nintendo has literally just said “No thanks, we don’t want your money anymore.” 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@sm3dwplessie765]

@@duffpappy7345 actually, afaik only credit card support is being removed. I don’t think the eshop is actually shutting down, but if I’m wrong then correct me.

[@Ceaugo]

@@sm3dwplessie765 yeah, it's a little annoying but no big deal, you can still add funds to your eshop account on the system itself though. It's just like 3% more work to have to add the funds before you buy something.

[@chrismurrayfilm]

Great work on the in-depth look back at the Wii U. I actually DID just pick one up for a good deal on the used market, solely because the virtual console is closing down, and this is the ultimate Zelda machine. Being able to get WindWaker HD, Twilight Princess HD, (BotW if you so choose) and the Minish Cap, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, this console is just what I need to complete my collection (more affordably than purchasing hard-copies of these games).

[@melon8237]

How you play DS games on it?

[@christaylor9855]

Still got my WiiU hooked up to my main TV, it's an awesome machine! Still playing it, with all the great Virtual Console games And now, I'm finding loads of games for like £10 or less!

[@LNSLateNightSaturday]

Rayman Legends is probably my favorite platformer of all time, certainly if you don't count Mario games. The WiiU version is the best version, too! There are entire stages built around navigating a secondary character using the touch screen, and those sections don't play *nearly* as well on other iterations of the game. Great video! The WiiU was the console my son and I played the most together, and I still have fond memories even though it doesn't get used as often these days. (Nintendo Land still gets the occasional bootup, though; it's great for couch co-op!) ;)

[@NASCARFAN160]

Looking back the Wii U was even better than I remember it. I never disliked it like everyone seemed to but I was happy with it. A lot of its great games have been ported to the Switch but its method of playing old games is still substantially better even though the Switch is almost 5... And no matter how many systems they eventually add to it, at least I can always own the games on Wii U and not pay some stupid subscription for the sake of convenience.

[@DreMurf313]

The Wii U is so worth it in 2021!! In this day of PS5 or XBOX Series X/S, 4K gaming, Ray Tracing, overpriced memory, etc... it's refreshing to go back & play the Wii U & still have lots of fun

[@BitchChill]

Most of it's games are on Switch or has better versions, plus more

[@mistersurrealist]

@@BitchChill Not all are better versions, in fact some of them are SIDEGRADES (no improvements) or DOWNGRADES compared to the Wii U version. Example: Rayman Legends.

[@mrkilo-g8794]

@@BitchChill yes and no! The original has some gems

[@razorbackroar]

It’s refreshing paying $500 for something that cost over $2000 then the switch that cost $300 & runs at something worth $100

[@sallyj632]

I don't care what anyone says. I love the Wii U for the great games that were released on it, as well as the virtual console. Unlike the subscriptions offered on the Switch (E.g. N64 Online, etc) I OWN the virtual console games on my Wii U. I can play them today, tomorrow, 5 years from now, maybe 10 years ... until the console dies. Can't say the same for subscriptions other than once you stop paying, or once they stop the servers, you're done.

[@gonzalezman4011]

I got the Wii U for Christmas in 2014 when I was only 6 years old. I really love it and used it almost daily, well until my gamepad broke. The Wii U is still usable without it but now I can't do most stuff like homebrew cause you need a gamepad. Other than that, man, I loved that console, still play it at most times, have a huge collection of games, and still have it to this day! :)

[@GawainSSB]

I have very fond memories of the Wii U. Smash 4 was a huge part of those years, I made many friends and many memories from that alone. Its not my favorite Nintendo console but its far from my least.

[@lego_minifig]

The WiiU does have the best emulator and 3rd party software (not games but for emulation accessory programs) support imo. If you have a home brewed Wii U you can even generate a working online account that you can use on an emulator

[@lego_minifig]

In depth wiiU emulation setup with links and time stamps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3_LgaWaqsp6idk

[@shanez1215]

The Wii U is arguably the best/most versatile retro and emulation system. Tons of controllers, huge amounts of compatibility (native Wii U, Wii, GC, emulate everything else), can be played as either a handheld or tablet.

[@ASAProductionsPWN]

i bought my wii u right before the switch came out and had it for a couple years before i modded it in 2020. i already loved it but now it is hands down my favorite system that i own, it is so versatile when it comes to emulation and homebrew

[@foca2002]

Last year after years without even starting up I decided to unlock my Wii U. It's the console I most played in 2021. I put Nintendont and can play all games from Nintendo from the Nes to WII U. Since the console was a failure I could buy games for real cheap, now the price of these games have mooned. My GF plays Mario Kart and Captain Toad every day. It's amazing to play with 4 people with my PS3/PS4 controllers.

[@pastmidnitee]

Fun fact this is my favourite console yet with the ebay sales it actually solds way more and people buy wii u even today from ebay

[@daffierdragon15]

I remember always standing in the middle of my living room having a blast with mario kart wii, since i was little and the tv was big it felt like i was playing in a movie theater and now that i am really tall i can never get that feeling again

[@ytsuxmuhd4998]

I got a Wii U for its exclusives, and so I could play regular Wii titles without buying a second console. I love it. The gamepad alone makes it more convenient for me to play.

[@user-zg2st9qj7f]

do i still need a tv for playing wii u

[@ytsuxmuhd4998]

@@user-zg2st9qj7f nope. For Wii U games, 90% can be played on the gamepad alone, and for Wii games you can use the gamepad as the acting motion sensor. Which has worked out much better for me than trying to keep my angle to the TV mounted censor 100% of the time. 2023, and I'm still having a good time with it.

[@VirusOfCyrus]

*WHY was it a FAILURE? Simple! Because STILL to this day 99% of people dont know if its a "portable/handheld" gaming console like the PS Vita or Switch or if it can Only be used at "home" or plugged in to a TV!* I've even looked this answer up myself several times & I STILL didn't know! Some say its "possible" to use as a "portable" console, while just as many people (including official Nintendo posts) say NO, its NOT portable & its simply an "advanced controller" for a "Home" console... Seriously!?!? No wonder it failed! The main draw is ONLY a "controller" with a screen? then I mean DUH! Of course it would fail, such a stupid idea.

[@coolvania]

Regretted selling my Wii over a decade ago so I got my Wii U earlier this year for $160 (including the game pad, pro controller, 2 Wii controllers + nunchucks, and Smash Bros and other great games). Needless to say, it’s been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made! Thanks to the Virtual console and the OG Wii emulation, you can play almost every Nintendo home console video game on it! The Pro controller has a great battery life and feels amazing in your hands (like a more comfortable Xbox controller), making gaming even more of a blast! I also love how the Wii interface is EXACTLY like it was on the original Wii, including the sound effects, background music, and animations. The only drawback (besides the poor battery life of the game pad and the limited selection of Wii U games) is that you can’t play GameCube games on it, without modding and installing homebrew. That’s the biggest feature that’s lacking from the original Wii. Other than that, it’s the perfect console for gaming with family and friends.

[@DE23]

The Wii Mode isn't even emulation, the Wii U has real Wii hardware (and therefore GameCube hardware because the Wii and GameCube were near identical internally), and it literally just runs a slightly modified version of the Wii Menu.

[@smoggless]

I love the Wii U because of the modding capabilities. Great video!

[@cardula7]

Nice video. I bought a Wii U Deluxe with Mario 3D world and Nintendoland during boxing week 2013 when there was a price drop and stuck with it right until I got my Switch in 2019. I had a lot of fun with NES Remix 1+2 along with most of the games now ported to Switch. I remember thinking at the time "I wish Nintendo would ditch the a la carte model of the Virtual Console and bring in a subscription service"...I got my wish, and we all know how that has turned out...now I miss the VC so much.

[@felipelemos9753]

I remember wanting a Wii U so much as a kid. All my friends had one and I honestly wanted it more for the games. I got a new 3ds on launch but I always wanted the Wii U for splatoon, 3d world and mario party. But I still had a blast whenever I went to my friends’ houses and played on theirs.

[@sebastiansanhueza9601]

Great video! I fell for the wii u right when the pandemic started. Never owned one, a wii or a switch up to that moment, but was in the mood of playing Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8, and I just happened to find a used wii u for around 70 bucks. Up to this day, I use it often for all the reasons you mentioned in the video, but specially for its wii games capability: it's not just that you can play wii games, or that you can play them in HD. It's also the fact that using a nunchuck and a wiimote to play Mario Galaxy, Resi 4, or Speed Racer, is just amazing. This became specially striking when later on I bought a switch and played RE4 and Galaxy in it. While the switch pro controller is all well and good, Nintendo doesn't get enough credit for how revolutionary they were when it comes to the wiimote, the nunchuck, or the wii u game pad - they just feel right in your hands when it comes to playing several games. It's still my favorite recent console for Nintendo experiences, as I use the switch more than anything else for indie or text-heavy (RPGs and point-and-click) games that I want to enjoy in the portable mode.

[@MacG4Nut]

This was a great video and it confirmed some of the things that I had been thinking. Luckily, the deluxe games for Switch do include some enhancements, and I can play them away from the house, but I never bought a Wii, so the Wii U was perfect for me. I bought it only after I had lost my job and it was a retail therapy experience.

[@jerry8273]

The wii u is one of my favorite game consoles. The games are great and some games make good use of the game pad. You have a great controller and see all weapons, spells on the pad.

[@riccardogranato1274]

I love the Wii U, still have games to play and really really loved the Miiverse, was quite sad to see it go. It had been my console and media center for the years I have lived abroad and will always had a special place in my heart.

[@jpdunphy1]

The Wii U fan community is pretty big and pretty passionate in 2021 and why can be summed up in two words: "hacked" and "stacked." The Wii U is a beast once you unlock its potential. Things like Retroarch and Nintendon't have meant a Wii U can and does play hundreds if not thousands of games ranging from Atari 2600 in the late 1970s to Wii U originals in the 2010s. That's pretty impressive.

[@anemite2]

The wii u became a rare jewel after the modders put a hand on it, I own a modded Wii u and have almost all the original catalog+ a lot of Wii/GCN/N64 games running natively+ the emulators for the 16 bit era Practically is a console to play for all your life

[@armyofninjas9055]

*Laughs in PC

[@flamesofhell6449]

Still have and play on my WiiU. I love how the gamepad fits in my hands it just feels right. More of a library for retro game system games. Also it's the only thing that can turn my TV on and off. Lol.

[@ericleach403]

It's awesome that it's a universal remote too. It works so well!

[@manfriedn64]

Great video about the wonderful console. It’s actually the wii u which made me come back to console after 10 years almost only pc gamer. I loved this console so much, back in the days I really couldn’t understand why it sold so poorly. Lots of friends came to my home to play to its multiplayer games.

[@MatteMoon48838]

I love the wii u. I bought one over from a friend for $15 because he never used it. I have played the heck out of it and i would say that its one of my favourite consoles. Great video i always enjoy watching these. Keep up the good work!

[@kylegibbs2833]

$15 :o holy cow.. I never got a wii u just because I thought they were overpriced even though I always wanted one.

[@tommy318928]

@@kylegibbs2833 I got mine a week ago from eBay for just 50€. Sometimes you get pretty lucky

[@l_spel5771]

0:52 I love how they have a Wii U in the ad.

[@Strongarm_11]

The Wii U is my favorite console of all time Me and my brother got the white one with skylanders swap-force. me and my brother spent a ton of hours playing on Wii U as during most of the 8th generation we had a Wii U and PS3 (we got a switch in 2017, PS4 in 2018, and PS5 in 2021 which is what I play on now) My favorite games we have on Wii U were smash Wii U, Mario maker, Pikmin 3, and skylanders swap-force (at my dads house, he also had a black Wii U with mario 3D world, just dance 4, yoshis wooly world) we also had a Wii before the U so we played a lot of our Wii games along side the U. I don’t play with it any more but It has given 6 to 10 year old me so many memories and reminded me of the golden age of toys, games, and electronics (between 2006 to 2016)

[@Matanumi]

the Wii U, like the Vita... kinda failed hard... but it's max potential is unlocked once you install CFW on it.

[@marklaw7777]

I bought a boxed Wii U a few days ago, in excellent condition for £99 & it's absolutely brilliant! I'm having so much fun playing on it & love how full of character it is. Shame the eshop & online is gone, but games are incredibly cheap in the UK.

[@Junier-Hussein]

Same but bought mine for £70 a month ago with games + accessories/various controllers. Spot on about it having character. I also found some cheap games, a couple of pounds each. Never owed a Wii/Wii U or played with one so I'm loving the motion controls especially for certain games it's implemented perfectly.

[@OGPimpin]

The Wii U and the Ps Vita are truly hidden gems. On their own they are great with an insane library of good games The Wii U has mostly good games, access to the entire original Wii library, and the Virtual Console (most of the classic Nintendo games from back in the day). I dont plan on modding mine, but those who do have said that it makes the console even more awesome

[@nunooliveira1628]

Softmodded you get the entire Nintendo catalog up to 2017, completely unbeatable even vs Switch

[@Jayzzzen]

I LOVE to see someone shine light on the greatness of the Wii U! It was the first console that I had fond memories playing and I wish people would stop hating on it just because it sold bad and they never played it themselves!

[@ianeons9278]

Real

[@familiasegval6187]

You know, this is actually the first time I asked myself how the gamepad worked. For me it's always worked, I've never wondered how, I just lift it off the charging dock, press menu, select the game and start playing. Never stopped to think what kind of communication with the console it had. Nintendo making things that just work.

[@MadsterV]

they did it first! years later there was a rush of cloud gaming startups and streaming from PC to other devices, but the WiiU was the first to seamlessly stream video with no perceivable lag. Only good for about 5 meters but still (my biggest disappointment when I got it was I expected to be able to play from my bed while the console was in the living room, just across a concrete wall).

[@edwingonzalez4980]

That smash bros commercial of Mr.Iwata and Reggie will forever be legendary god bless their souls

[@jacquesdupontd]

Bought it a year ago, 65 euros as new with tons of accessories, plugged a 1tb hdd and bought a 2 usb cord (powerconsumption wise). Now i've got all games on it and it's a lot of fun for such a small price.

[@colefofang6401]

I mostly use my Wii U now as a remote control. For me that was the most practical function.

[@SuperFlawless9]

The Wii U has much more personality in its home menu and allowed proper voice chat and messaging through miiverse. Switch has the blandest UI I have ever seen in a cosole or handheld. Even the 3DS thrashed it in that regard. Long live the Wii U, it's games will live on with the Switch haha.

[@vurpo7080]

I don't get why people think so much about the system UI of a console. I personally want it to play videogames, and the Switch's, Wii U's, and 3DS's OS interfaces all accomplish this exactly as well for me.

[@samuelt7961]

I was a Wii U user from 2015-2017, and loved it. I found myself not picking it up as often as I once did come my second and third years of ownership, between having beaten all the games that I wanted to play, or bored of the standard party games after hours of playtime. And I found myself diss interested in new releases I sold mine for a ps4 and eventually got a switch to play some of my favorite games again. I have a lot of fun memories with it, and it is what got me into gaming. The one thing I wish is that they would release Nintendo land on the switch. That was always my favorite game.

[@GalacticHero2068]

Hello! I wanted to say how much I enjoyed watching this video, especially as someone who got a Wii U as my first ever console. I got the black version bundled with Nintendo Land back in 2015, I also got Kirby's Return To Dreamland, Super Mario Galaxy, and Kirby's Epic Yarn (Yes, all Wii games lol, I think the only Wii U game I had initially was Nintendo Land.) Later on I got Splatoon, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8 and more. I remember having a fun time with my Wii U, but back then I was 10 years old and completely unaware of the existence of Xbox and Playstation lol. Also, the way you edit and create your videos are extremely enjoyable, I had so much fun watching the big video you made on the history of Apple's iPod. You're videos are awesome and I love watching your content!

[@doitallYT]

Easily my favorite feature of my homebrewed Wii U is the ability to play unsupported DS titles on the system using ROM injection. I took Brian Age and turned it in to Dementium: The Ward, it's great! The Wii U really starts making sense once you realize it's an oversized DS in disguise, arguably the best DS available due to the extended feature set that the official Nintendo emulation+hardware provides. Plus, it makes capturing DS gameplay footage extremely simple, just plug the HDMI into a capture card and you're set! 😁👍

[@SimplySunky]

I Used to own Wii U back in the day and I have blast with that system, mainly with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land. It honestly one of my second favorite of all time.

[@GlennQuackmire]

Sold my Wii U right when the switch came out and regretted it. Bought a Wii U a year back after finding some old woman selling it for 100 bucks with ~20 games and a crap ton of controllers and accessories. It’s great for playing Wii games on and homebrewing!

[@enathera]

I hope that someday I will also be lucky

[@Justin-xq3ip]

I put in probably over 24 hours homebrewing my wii u and now its probably my most used console! Wii u games + flawlesslly and natively ran Wii and Gamecube games. Emulators for pretty much every major nintendo console/handheld besides the 3ds/switch. Also emulates atari, mame etc...

[@JeffGavinMusic]

This was so well put together, & your voice is really relaxing!

[@clouseau69]

Arkham City Armored edition was amazing on Wii U, and 007 Legends. Also backward compatibility is great to play all the Wii games on an HDTV. Excellent system imo. Having a controller with a screen is so innovative and alot of fun I think.

[@Aperson-62]

I had Arkham City on Wii U, it was how I experienced the game. Unfortunately the Wii U had a glaring issue where any games coded in a certain way would freeze the console. Ironically enough I encountered a glitch in Arkham City during the Mr. Freeze fight where the AI just straight up froze. The Mr. Freeze fight froze. Immediately took to Miiverse to post that!

[@TheChallenger1000]

@Geoff Ford Sega was the first to do a controller with a screen (Dreamcast). Pretty much everything Nintendo fans think Nintendo came up with was done by other companies first. Funnily enough, you could take the Dreamcast screen anywhere and play VMU games as long as your batteries had juice. You couldn't take the Wii U screen more than 26.25 feet away from the Wii U without the screen disconnecting, LOL.

[@DecibelAlex]

and gamecube games if you softmod it

[@pladampa]

I love my Wii U and my niece and nephew have always like it and still play it. Such an underrated system.

[@poeterritory]

I just always assumed Wii and Wii U were the same thing. Thus always totally ignored it. Another great video.

[@simhthmss]

Yes this was a marketing mistake. They didn't give it a name that explained what it is. They could have called it a nintendo 8th gen, wii 2, game and go, NG or something similar.

[@Reepicheep-1]

Switch's Superbowl intro vid was exactly the 'what it is, what it does' explanation the U never got. 42:06

[@Sean-D78]

I loved using the Wii U back in its prime, my favourite present from 2014

[@dthom88]

Great retrospective! I was one of the few that bought the system in its original run, and I’m so glad I held onto it. Now when my nephews come over it’s a great system to boot up and play some family friendly multiplayer games with. That and I don’t really want them touching my PS5 yet ‘til they get a bit older! Lol

[@jaydog8924]

I love my Wii U I still play it to this day. I ended up picking up my Wii U when Zelda wind waker HD edition Wii U. And the thing I've been doing lately is downloading tons of games from the eShop on my Wii U.

[@goddessesstartrekonlinefle3061]

Good video, thanks for making! Couple of notes, WiiU can be mounted either vertical or horizontal. Console was provided with a pair of feet to allow the vertical mount; You mentioned FIFA 14 was on the Wii, which means it WAS on the WiiU (backward compatibility), it was a similar problem the Amiga faced with the ST. Easier to write a game for the lesser hardware than to delay the launch to make specific improvements for the limited number of users owning the better equipment.

[@mxrcvrii]

i still have my wii u, and i just finished Twilight Princess recently in august ! i wish it was as popular as it was set out to be, it had so much potential.

[@furrosama]

Man i wish TP would be relased on the switch

[@TheRealDarrylStrawberry]

I keep my WiiU hooked up because if i put it away i will NEVER EVER hook it back up. It feels more like a playset than a console. With that said, i still play ZombiU all the time and im currently STILL trying to complete Tropic Freeze. I love the WiiU but all the hate it gets is justified.

[@kennyryan4173]

I really enjoyed my WiiU. It was different. Unfortunately, there's nothing on the market like it combining traditional controls with a touch screen that makes it unique to how you play certain games. And don't tell me the ScAmico is going to mimic/replace the WiiU, cause that thing is a piece of junk scam that I highly doubt will release, ever!

[@JMrealgamer]

There are great working games from, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, 3DS, Wii, N64, GameCube, and other consoles. I’d wouldn’t call it a failure at all. I still have it and I’m glad I do. I’m glad Nintendo didn’t give up. The Switch is amazing! Good video looking at everything in totality.

[@racefaceec90]

i loved the wii u when i had one,actually prefer it to the switch tbh. will be getting another next week as i miss playing twilight princess,windwaker amongst other things. a great console.

[@robertw31968]

I just bought my first Wii U this past week. I’m loving it. I can’t believe how good it is.

[@zeniktorres4320]

Me too bro! I love it. It great. I wished Nintendo stuck with idea and improved it.

[@6door6four96]

Bought my first s couple years ago and I grabbed another for 60 bucks with mario kart 8 steal of a deal for a spare whole console set

[@6door6four96]

@@zeniktorres4320 honestly might use my wii u nearly the same as my switch

[@zeniktorres4320]

@@6door6four96 I got two spare now as well. Mario Kart 8 is very good on the Wii U.

[@RaoulB.]

Holy crap, this seems like a great video, can't wait to watch it!

[@Great-Documentaries]

4:40: Reason number one for the Wii's runaway success (according to you): "People will always like Nintendo." *LOL! If that's true, why were the N64 and GameCube's failures? And the Wii U too? LOL! C'mon dude! Use your brain. The Wii was barely more powerful than a GC and remains the best selling Nintendo console of all-time. It was NOT because "people always like Nintendo" since they clearly did not during the N64, GC and Wii U days. The Wii U was so brutal that Nintendo DID stop making consoles like Sega. Now all Nintendo makes are handhelds (Switch).*

[@saba1161]

Thanks for this video, i love my wii u and i always love when people show appreciation for it.

[@Turbs94945]

I don't own a Wii U (although I will probably buy one soon) but I remember me and my friends took a trip to this snow cabin in winter, in the basement they had a Wii U with Super Mario Maker, Nintendo Land, and Mario Kart 8. We played for hours and a lot of fun. To this day, I still love it and can't wait until I get my own.

[@max-tr8nt]

I love your videos man! so detailed and straight to the point they are fascinating to binge watch.

[@dh00gh36]

The Wii U walked so the Switch could run.

[@VentilatorGaming]

Don'y forget the Wii U Pro Gamepad lasted up to 80 hours on one charge. A record for any gamepad ever. Wii U could also install games to cheap PC USB HDD's. Anyways. Wii U were much more fun than Switch.

[@Beavernator]

Battery lasts so long because it is the same battery used in the original launch 3DS... They had a massive surplus of batteries when the original 3DS had a rough launch, so they redesigned the pro controller to use them... The Switch Pro controller uses the exact same battery as well... It's why it get like 45 hours of battery life...

[@Naturefreund]

Thanks for reviewing this thing and adding some more contend around I fell in love with the system around 2 years ago now and it's become my favourite console after the N64 Aside from.being able to play Wii games with ease it'd have been the ultimate backwards compatible console if there was a revision that is able to also play those old Gamecube games and had a slot somewhere in console or PAD for playing those DS / 3DS cartridges too as it shares a common network for E-Shop as well Wish I wouldn't have ignored the system so long before but I certainly had to get myself a Wii U while I wanted to play my old Wii Games again after a long period of abandonment when my old Wii went broke As with fading durability of E-Shop support I really already spent a lot if effort and credits into gaining the best amount of worthy games from the store and it's so worth it I do not regret of owning a second console for space enhancement and a third one being modded for retrogaming and other experimental stuff Collecting for Wii U might be a bit expensive and tedious but it's a nice system to collect for My favourite desires would be a couple more new Wii U E-Shop Games and a final patch that allows to use a second PAD for Co-Op/Multiplayer games and enable free choice of controling methods for all available for every Wii U compatible input device and games that where ever released Greetings from Germany

[@janstrom3482]

Love the wii u, not at the time, but bought one in 2019 for no money at all. So many great games also for no money. Will be a collectable and conversation piece in the future I think 😀