The Wii U was NOT a failure (for consumers)

[gorfias]

The Wii U was NOT a failure (for consumers)

O.K., you got me. I bought a Wii U. I suggested my cousin get one for her kids to get them off the couch and engage in relatively active video gaming. And now, 2012 to 2017, about 4.5 years after release? RIP Wii U.

It sold badly. It got little to no 3rd party support. The promise of the tablet to be a real extension to gaming as opposed to just being a 2nd screen never really happened (think that video of the shuriken flinging capability in the ads. )

But was it a failure for consumers?

1 thing depends on how much they game. A game can last me a ton of time. Others breeze through it (supposedly Breath of the Wild has been beaten in speed runs in less than a couple of hours).

I don?t know how long Nintendo will offer any support what so ever but for going on 5 years, for a consumer, here is what I got on the Wii U:

1. The entire Wii library at hi def playing super smooth.
2. Use of the Wii controllers.
3. The Wii U library including games like:
Bayonetta 2 (and 1 under the right circumstances)
The Wonderful 101
Mario 3d
Pikmin 3
Monster Hunter
Smash Bros
Kart 8
Skyward Sword and polished updates to Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and arguably the superior Breath.

I just hooked up a 1.5 TB USB 2.0 external HD to it. Before I cannot, I intend to dl as much from the store as possible.

The thing was a disappointment/failure for investors. For us gamers? Just another fun option.

One opinion:


Your thoughts?

 

[DrownedAmmet]

I do feel a little stabbing pain in my heart when people call the Wii U a failure. It's hard for me to look back on all the time I've spent on Marios Maker and Kart with my family and think that the thing was a failure.

But yeah the thing didn't sell very well, and there weren't a crazy amount of games for it so it obviously failed in that regard

Let's put all our hopes and dreams in the Switch now!

 

[gorfias]

I do feel a little stabbing pain in my heart when people call the Wii U a failure. It's hard for me to look back on all the time I've spent on Marios Maker and Kart with my family and think that the thing was a failure.

But yeah the thing didn't sell very well, and there weren't a crazy amount of games for it so it obviously failed in that regard

Let's put all our hopes and dreams in the Switch now!

Mario maker is on my radar. Couple out there I still want as well as probably spend $40 on 3rd party Wii + controllers and another $10 for charging station. I've been getting a few Wii titles while they are available. PC gaming is my favorite, but the Wii/Wii U offer some very different gaming experiences that I'll continue for now. I hope if the tablet breaks, I can get it fixed or replaced for some time into the future. Otherwise, this stuff becomes paper weights.

 

[StatusNil]

I could go for a Wii U, if I had a decent deal on a fresh one (I've played on a kid's console, and the controller thingy was all sticky and gooey, eww). A few exclusives that delighted me would make it success enough for me. I don't really care for the flimsiness and portability of the Switch, so why not a Wii U for that Nintendo flavor?

But alas, none of the local retailers appear to have any in stock. I did check shortly before the release of the Switch. Also imagine buying the games that do exist for it will be getting more difficult.

 

[gorfias]

I could go for a Wii U, if I had a decent deal on a fresh one (I've played on a kid's console, and the controller thingy was all sticky and gooey, eww). A few exclusives that delighted me would make it success enough for me. I don't really care for the flimsiness and portability of the Switch, so why not a Wii U for that Nintendo flavor?

But alas, none of the local retailers appear to have any in stock. I did check shortly before the release of the Switch. Also imagine buying the games that do exist for it will be getting more difficult.

There is refurb systems and new games on Amazon (haven't dl stuff to my hard drive yet) but yeah, good luck finding a new one anywhere. Honestly, if I saw a new one at about $250, I'd get it.

So many reasons to still get one.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

The Wii U indeed has some things going for it. So much more than the Wii anyway. But ultimately, its laughable performance and Nintendo's shitty handling of it just killed it.

TL;DR - Nintendo fucks up again.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Yeah, same goes for the Vita, although it is still being supported at least in Japan and keeps getting new stuff. The Caligula Effect is a really interesting game, half persona half the matrix.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I played the Wii U for the first time a couple of months ago. I didn't really like it. The game I played was Splatoon. I didn't like the feel of the controller. Also, I didn't like the second screen on the controller. I felt that was distracting.

In the video, the guy listing the games available on the Wii U sums up the reason why I have never bought a Nintendo console. "Mario, Zelda, Mario, Zelda, etc." Most of their games are old IP's that they should have retired years ago.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The Wii U was NOT a failure (for consumers)

I'm sure it wasn't for you but... why where there so few of them?

 

[gorfias]

Yeah, same goes for the Vita, although it is still being supported at least in Japan and keeps getting new stuff. The Caligula Effect is a really interesting game, half persona half the matrix.

I just saw a video on youtube suggesting you get a Vita even in 2017. But good luck finding one new. Odd that new games are coming out for it, but no new systems. Fingers crossed, it may be in prep for Vita 2. Like the Wii U, though considered a commercial failure for investors, as a consumer with a 64 Gb card and a ton of free games from PS+, which I bought for the PS4 anyway, I had/am having a blast with mine. Just got Persona 4 and it is OK. Uncharted/G-d of War/Killzone are all worth the price of purchase.

The Wii U was NOT a failure (for consumers)

I'm sure it wasn't for you but... why where there so few of them?

So few people actually buying one?

A few things:
1. Much of the IPS leave people cold (see above);
2. Poor marketing: Many thinking the Wii U just an add on to the Wii);
3. Unless you are a loon like me, you are only getting one console if that (may stick to PC only). If I could have only 1 console besides PC, it would be the Xbox 1 this gen. For my money, it provides the best standard gaming experience. But the Wii U (and Wii) provide a fun alternative. I just bought the polished HD version of Skyward Sword to have that fun sword fighting Wii U wiimote experience. True, the ice cream cone for PS3 and the Xbox camera can give one a motion experience but I understand it is sub par by comparison.

I do like the IPS though, so, there is that too.

Course, VR may take all my money in the future if it is that new experience I want. That or a Scorpio. We'll see. You?

 

[Rangaman]

I'm not that sad really. Perhaps it was me expecting to much of it but Breath of the Wild and DKC: Tropical Freeze were the only original titles that gave me any joy. I'll be moving on to the Switch (and passing the Wii U on to a relative who does want one) sooner rather than later.

 

[Epyc Wynn]

Without Wii U, Nintendo Switch would have failed.

If Nintendo released nothing people would have lost so much interest in Nintendo in general that by the time Nintendo Switch came, the amount of people interested would have significantly decreased.

Additionally, developers may have avoided the Nintendo Switch altogether due to thinking that Nintendo could not possibly succeed due to the gap in time without anything new that would naturally exist without the existence of the Wii U.

Wii U seemed like a necessary beta test for how to build a Nintendo Switch as its hardware seems vaguely similar to what the Nintendo Switch sports.

 

[kilenem]

Its a failure. I don't why it didn't get a gameube virtual console or why the gamecube controllers only worked with Smash 4. It seems like it should've beeen a simple update so the Wii U could recognize the gamecube controllers as procontrollers since their are 3rd party options to do this. Although its less of a disappointment then the New 3ds. I dont still understand why games like Pokemon Sun and Moon or Dragon Quest 7 have Frame rate issues even though the New 3ds has More power.

 

[Yoshi178]

all i know is i've spent this entire gen playing my Wii U while my Xbone has just been sitting there collecting dust.

<3 Wii U

 

[Yoshi178]

Course, VR may take all my money in the future if it is that new experience I want. That or a Scorpio. We'll see. You?

wow really? go VR. at least it has new games unlike Xbox One X.

hell even the SNES Mini has more new games than the Xbox One X (Starfox 2) which literally just plays the exact same shit you already can play on the OG Xbone. lol

 

[gorfias]

Course, VR may take all my money in the future if it is that new experience I want. That or a Scorpio. We'll see. You?

wow really? go VR. at least it has new games unlike Xbox One X.

hell even the SNES Mini has more new games than the Xbox One X (Starfox 2) which literally just plays the exact same shit you already can play on the OG Xbone. lol

My latest insanity? You could get the Xbone camera for $150, or $100 bundled with the system. I just got it from gamestop for $55 with a dance game. I paid about another $100 getting another 1/2 dozen games. This SHOULD satisfy my lust for a different gaming experience for a while.

Xbox 1 X: Still on my radar. What games will it have that take full advantage of its power? Dunno. Can't help myself: I'm am a graphics whore. I soooo wanna see it on my 65" 4K Samsung Curve (Sobs: not HDR).

 

[gsilver]

I owned a Wii U and generally had a good time with it, but I'm definitely hoping that Nintendo liberates some if its better games from it, as I don't really intend to keep it for much longer.



And since this is turning into an X1X topic:
I'll be buying it (once I find a decent deal on it, of course) because it's a UHD player that also plays games.

 

[meiam]

Well if you look at it from the point of view of someone who got the wii and is going to get the switch, then no it wasn't worth it. If you look at it from the point of view of someone whose only going to get one console, the no it wasn't worth it.

Your first 2 point are "it plays wii game" but at that point wii are dirt cheap and I can't think there's a lot of people who brought a wii U but didn't buy a wii. From the game you listed, some are already getting ported to switch (and one if a wii port) and I imagine this trend will continue since the switch is really not seeing much game at the moment.