Opinions on the Wii U?

[TurnipBell20]

People seem to have had a bunch of issues with the Wii U, especially with the gamepad. It was „big, bulky, and wasn’t a true handheld console“. It had „poor battery life and its touchscreen features felt more gimmicky than fun“ (quoted from a website).

Now the Switch does all these things better of course. But the Wii U was definitely unique and nothing like it existed in the time it was released. I actually liked the Wii U and some of its games. A great game in my opinion was Super Mario Maker for example. I played it countless hours with my cousin. Because of the console‘s failure, there wasn’t a huge variety of games though.

Concerning the gamepad being big and bulky, I don’t necessarily agree with that. I liked the gamepad how it was. Of course it wasn’t super slim and easily portable, but the Wii U as a whole was not a portable console and never claimed to be one. I also liked the handheld mode because I could watch TV and play Wii U at the same time.

That was a long post, but I feel like the Wii U was underrated because without it we maybe wouldn’t have the Switch now.

Did anybody else have the Wii U, and how did you like it?

 

[kiwikenobi]

If you take into account all of the Virtual Console games available on the Wii U, and the backwards compatibility with the Wii, it's quite possibly my favorite Nintendo system ever. The Wii U has:

Breath of the Wild
Splatoon
Wind Waker HD
Twilight Princess HD
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros Wii U
New Super Mario Bros. U
Super Mario 3D World
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Pikmin 3

And more.

And access to all of the Wii games and Virtual Console games. And several great eShop games, too.

Did they later make Switch versions of a lot of the games I listed? Yes, but that doesn't undo the fact that they were Wii U games originally.

 

[Burumun]

I ended up having a bunch of problems with it that weren't the fault of the system itself, but still made me enjoy playing it a lot less. First, I didn't think to move my Wii saves before putting the Wii away, so I lost all of my progress on my Wii games, then my brothers broke the gamepad, but I didn't find out for a while, now it seems ridiculously expensive to replace it. Otherwise, I might have picked it up from my parents, if nothing else than to replay the Wii games I'm nostalgic for.

 

[Halloqueen]

It's underappreciated, if for nothing else than for the Virtual Console selection available on its eShop. It's a shame that it will be closing, because access to all of those games will be lost to time and the Nintendo Switch Online offerings are paltry in comparison.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, while now being outshined by Ultimate, was fun and had unique aspects like being able to change what moves you wanted characters to use (and they had a Santa hat for Mii fighters I wish they included in Ultimate).

I like the ability to play it handheld while someone else watches the actual television. It's a shame that the distance you can carry it away from the tv is so limited though.

Being able to play online without a subscription, as you could with the DS, 3DS, and Wii before it, was also great.

It's not the best thing ever, but I've enjoyed my Wii U.

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

I don't have a Wii U, but I really want one so I can play Wind Waker HD (a Zelda game that I desperately want to play), haha. It seems like a decent console, though! I wouldn't mind having one of my own. :]

 

[Kamex]

I've played on the Wii U before and I think it's a decent console. I liked playing games like Smash Bros for Wii U in handheld mode and I thought the gamepad felt quite comfortable. Though like most people, I prefer the Switch for its portability.

 

[Belle T]

I remember in the Switch's early years, people were sort of laughing at the fact that many of the titles being released were ports from the Wii U, but really, I think it's great that these games were given a second chance on a more successful console. Really, the only tangible quality I disliked about the Wii U was perhaps its choice of input (the gamepad), which cost exactly half as much as the console itself, making replacements not entirely feasible. But the library of games--including the Virtual Console games--was stellar, and in the case of VC, far surpasses Nintendo's current offerings with Switch Online.

It was a great system, just unfortunately handled very poorly by the marketing department.

 

[Shawna]

I never got into any of the Wii U games, I mostly used it for regular Wii games. One useful thing about it, was it had backwards compatibility.

 

[Holla]

I have a Wii U and I like it. Being able to use the Gamepad as the screen was a lifesaver especially when I wasn't able to use the tv. Yes you were limited how far away you could use the Gamepad from the main console like that but I never had any problems with it. You could also use it in this way for Wii games (as long as you also used a Wii Remote) which is awesome.

I also disagree with the website's review of the Gamepad as well. For it's size it's surprisingly light and comfortable to hold. I also found the battery life on it insanely good. I only ever had it die on me a couple times and that was only when I had been gaming for way too many consecutive hours anyways.

It's features were utilized really well in certain games too. Take the original Splatoon for one. While the sequel and likely the new game as well are far superior there's just something special about the first game. How the voices of your teammates come through the speakers on the gamepad and also having the map always available for a quick super jump. I still enjoy going back to play the original game.

My only complaint about the Wii U is the poor sales and marketing it had. Since it sold so little many game developers didn't even bother to make games for it which is why it has a rather small game library. Don't get me wrong it has some great games but it could have been so much more. I'm just glad things have majorly turned around for the Switch at least.

 

[LuchaSloth]

I actually hated the original Wii...and when Wii U released, I was a fan.

I was among the handful of people who were actually mad when Nintendo killed the Wii U so early. But...in retrospect, they did so to introduce the Switch, which is a much MUCH better version of what the Wii U was meant to be. So, I'm fine with it.

 

[Croconaw]

I remember owning one but I don’t have many memories with it. That probably says a lot. I spent a lot more time playing XBOX. I could only plug in one at a time to play, and my Wii U was just there collecting dust while I played XBOX games. The Wii U isn’t necessarily a bad console but it’s probably the one I remember least. I forget it even exists most of the time and forgot all about it before seeing this thread’s title.

I will say that I did play Mario Kart 8, but it was strictly battle mode as I was part of a battle clan and was one of the people to reach maximum BR. That said, I was honestly terrible at racing, but it didn’t really matter because it was a battle clan. I had lots of memories with that game, but a lot of poor memories. It was a rollercoaster, for sure.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

okay, this is going to be LONG so I am going to spoiler it! This is 100% my opinion though, I have alot of them so please understand! UNPOPULAR OPINIONS ASWELL.

Spoiler: Super Long!!

Okee lets begin! First of all the Wii U had some good games and some... not so good. I LOVE alot of the Wii U games. I want to just point out that the reason the switch has a huge amount of ports is because they want to let all of the people who never played this ABSOLUTE GEMS to be able to play them. It does make me angry as my Wii U feels like a waste of money but I do not play my switch much anyways other than for Splatoon and ACNH. I LOVE Wii Remotes because they are so good. They feel nice and are responsive and have no problems. I have had Joycons for 2 years and they constantly are just A PAIN IN MY UWU. I HATE THEM. I have had Wii Remotes for 8+ Years and they have gone through me as a young young child throwing them and taking care of them horribly and they still work and look brand new other than the one blue mark from that marker.... The games are so nice. I also want to say that they had made so many good ones! The Wii U and switch also didn't have the "fix it later updates." Most games either had really good worth it DLC or updates that were free and the games were already complete. Every time people bring up "ACNL got an update 3 years later and it made the game good owo we just need to be patient with nh" LIKE NL WAS FULL COMPLETE DAY 1. THE AMIIBO UPDATE ADDED GOOD STUFF BUT IT DIDNT MATTER TOO MUCH UNLESS YOU HAD AMIIBOS. But whatever the case is I love the Wii U and 3DS alot more than switch but that's my opinion! We all have other opinions and that's what I LOVE. I love hearing others thoughts so if you don't agree that's great! We all are different and lets respect that Thank you for letting me rant!! Also just because I said the switch has problems doesn't mean I don't like it! Its a wonderful console for what it is and the games are quality as well!! Both are nice!! (I LOVE MARIO PARTY 10 WAY MORE THAN SUPER I HATE SUPER. BUT SUPERSTARS WAS GOOD )

 

[Newbiemayor]

Honestly I enjoyed the wii u and personally I like how it feels in my hands better than switch handheld. I loved that it was backwards compatible with the wii as that's a dying standard unfortunately. I enjoyed playing Mario maker, wii party u, Nintendo land and some virtual console games like earthbound on it. I need to hook it up again sometime

 

[~Kilza~]

I got a Wii U the year it launched, and I enjoyed it. I had no issues with the GamePad, though I did prefer using the Wii U Pro Controller over it, lol, and it was nice to be able to use it to play games on whenever I wanted to use my TV for something else. There was definitely a solid selection of games on the Wii U, and I feel like a lot of them did manage to use the GamePad well. It was also nice that it was backwards compatible with the Wii, so I ended up just transferring my Wii data onto it and played all my Wii games through it (while keeping my Wii as a GameCube games player, basically). It's a shame that the marketing was one of the main reasons why it struggled, since it was a solid console that deserved more love than it got. It's also unfortunate that my Wii U ended up dying and I still haven't gotten around to getting it fixed or replaced, though I know I should do that soon before the Wii U eShop closes, since I would still be using it every once in a while these days if I could.

 

[Neb]

I’ve had a Wii U since 2012 and my feelings on it have soured a little. My game pad stopped working a few years ago, which makes many games unplayable. I never got a Wii U Pro Controller either since they were so expensive. The fact nearly every notable exclusive has been given better sequels or ports has also made me less interested in using it. I think I’ll hook it back up anyway since I still have a lot of a lot of games for the system.

As a system itself I still think the Wii U is solid. The game pad feels great to use and the virtual console is quite expansive. My only real complaint is that there were no custom themes.

 

[RemMomori]

I've had my Wii U since I started middle school (I've graduated highschool now) and I still absolutely love it. Having all my Wii game saves and my Wii U games in one place thanks to the Wii transfer is so convenient and I get to keep all the memories I made with the Wii with me. The only games I own are Super Mario 3d World, Minecraft, Wii Fit U, and Nintendo Land but I got to try alot of other games thanks to rentals. The Wii U was the start of Splatoon which is one of my favorite game series. My favorite thing to do on the Wii U when I was younger though was use the internet browser to watch YouTube on the gamepad. Since my brothers used the TV alot I loved that the Wii U had the gamepad so that I didn't even need the TV to play. Most of the time I didn't even plug in the HDMI into the back of the console since I used the gamepad to play.

I hear people say that they thought the gamepad was bulky but I didn't see that. The controller is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, it just looks big because of the screen. I've also heard that no one used the TV button but I used that button all the time when I couldn't find the TV remote.

I also loved the way the menus looked and the music of the menus. Sure it took a minute to load but they look nice and charming to me. Way better than the silent Switch menus!

Basically I absolutely adore the Wii U even though the marketing sucked and it's considered a failure. It's one of my all time favorite consoles I have owned along side the Wii. I've had my Wii U 7 years now and I plan on keeping it for many more.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

I've had my Wii U since I started middle school (I've graduated highschool now) and I still absolutely love it. Having all my Wii game saves and my Wii U games in one place thanks to the Wii transfer is so convenient and I get to keep all the memories I made with the Wii with me. The only games I own are Super Mario 3d World, Minecraft, Wii Fit U, and Nintendo Land but I got to try alot of other games thanks to rentals. The Wii U was the start of Splatoon which is one of my favorite game series. My favorite thing to do on the Wii U when I was younger though was use the internet browser to watch YouTube on the gamepad. Since my brothers used the TV alot I loved that the Wii U had the gamepad so that I didn't even need the TV to play. Most of the time I didn't even plug in the HDMI into the back of the console since I used the gamepad to play.

I hear people say that they thought the gamepad was bulky but I didn't see that. The controller is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, it just looks big because of the screen. I've also heard that no one used the TV button but I used that button all the time when I couldn't find the TV remote.

I also loved the way the menus looked and the music of the menus. Sure it took a minute to load but they look nice and charming to me. Way better than the silent Switch menus!

Basically I absolutely adore the Wii U even though the marketing sucked and it's considered a failure. It's one of my all time favorite consoles I have owned along side the Wii. I've had my Wii U 7 years now and I plan on keeping it for many more.

I LOVED THE TV BUTTON! It was so useful for when I wanted to turn down the sound but I was laying in my bed but the TV remote was by the TV. I loved how you could change the imput and turn it off that wat too!!

 

[michito]

I have never owned (or even played with) one, but I wish it had lived for longer, Switch dropped too many good practices. Wii U had retro compatibility, a menu with personality, miiverse (it was a chaos, but a fun chaos. I loved it), great virtual console, dual screens, free online play.... It had lots of potential, I'm pretty sad at it was a failure and had to drop it so soon.
As others have said, the matter of having to replace the whole gamepad scares me because of how expensive they are, but I think if you take good care of it, nothing should happen....

Also maybe (emphasis on maybe, since Nintendo doesn't seem to care about it) if the Wii U had a longer life, they could've made the Switch more powerful. As much as I love handhelds (they're 90% the consoles I own), don't care about 4k photo-realistic graphics and don't mind frame lags too much, Nintendo is really behind right now... Way too many games lag on switch, it kind feels like a huge ps vita rather than a new gen console tbh

 

[VanitasFan26]

I never owned a Wii U but from what I can understand during its time it became a failure because the marketing didn't make it clear if it was a "add on" to the original Wii. It was suppose to be a new system but people didn't see it that way. The system lacked a lot of third party games and had mostly first party games that were made by Nintendo. There were some games that were ported to the Wii U but it didn't really hold up well considering the system had limitations that didn't make it run too well.

Which explains why Nintendo ported so many games to the Switch that were originally from the Wii U like Mario Kart 8 for example which became Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch and it caused to be become the highest selling switch game of all time which many people don't know that it was originally from the Wii U. So many opinion it failed because the marketing was so bad and it just couldn't grab people's attention at the time.

 

[Mr.Fox]

If you take into account all of the Virtual Console games available on the Wii U, and the backwards compatibility with the Wii, it's quite possibly my favorite Nintendo system ever.

This. The Virtual Console library puts the Switch's available titles to shame.