The Nintendo Wii U in 2024
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- čas přidán 13. 06. 2024
- The Wii U is Nintendo’s most beautiful failure. It’s a prime example of the power of good marketing and equally so, the power of bad marketing.
But despite this, is the console still amazing right now? Let’s find out.
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Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Why the Wii U failed
02:04 - Setting up the Wii U
02:24 - Wii U pricing
03:02 - Wii Games now
04:26 - Wii U games now
05:15 - The Gamepad
05:56 - Wii U game pricing
06:16 - Why Wii U?
06:52 - A great lesson
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Sandman, Mike Clark, UltraViolet, Retro Rob, Mr Humbuck, The Gunman, Cameron Phillips, Solm67, Bike Beers and Death Metal, Friends and Gaming YT, SunTannedDuck, EOR 2B4GO10, Wild Thing 2000, Slick Tales, Chris Boudan, Simply Austin, HD Bacon Retro Gaming, my amazing wife Candace, and everyone who chooses to make time for me in their lives.
You are all amazing and have done more for me than you’ll ever know.
What console should we do next? - Hry
What is your favourite Wii U game?
Either Mario Kart 8 or Super Mario 3d World, can’t pick between ‘em!!!!
Captain toad
Wind waker
Captain Toad.
One of the few games on the system were the gameplay couldn't have worked without the tablet, and it's so much fun.
(Yes, I've tried the Switch port, but unless you're playing in portable mode, the controls are way to clunky)
Sonic Lost world
Am I the only one who never thought that the wii u gamepad was supposed to be a wii attachment??
I don’t think so, I did watch the Wii U commercials ahead of making this video and you don’t see the console itself that much in them. you were probably just very switched on. 🙂
THANK YOU!
Yes! I saw the E3 announcement live and got excited about the new Wii accessory! Once they finally revealed it was another console I've lost my interest
I knew it was a brand new console from the start as well but i get the confusion people had with it.
@@dutchguy1807 That's where I stand too. Always knew it was a separate system and not an accessory but can see why it could confuse people.
A more distinct name probably would've gone a long way.
I wish Nintendo made it more obvious that this was it's own standalone console, and not a WII expansion.
Exactly!
I mean, if you want to pirate stuff, this is a pretty good console. That's about it.
@@3ofSpadesit has a huge library of great games, it has one of the best party/multiplayer games of all time (Nintendo land) and so much more I would say it’s far better than your giving it credit for
Wii U up until Tears of the Kingdom was a way to play every single Zelda that had been released either through physical discs or virtual console. And Windwaker HD remains locked to it so that’s why I still keep my Wii U around. Got mine for $100 from GameStop and it’s the Zelda edition too!
Oh nice!
Lego City Undercover for the Wii U
Also known as the "GTA for Wii U"
Ah I see!
WiiU is a great underrated system! We still have ours hooked up and play often
The Switch’s best games were there first
Exactly! The Wii u set the scene!
What do you play?
@@3ofSpades on Wii u or switch?
Was asking the other guy
Wii U defenders try to think of at least 3 third party exclusives worth buying the system for challenge (Dante Must Die difficulty)
Oh, interesting question!
Man... I still have my Wii U in a drawer, been meaning to hook it up again, particularly because there was that scare of it getting permanently bricked if it's off for too long, something about the NAND.
As a console in and of itself I always liked it and thought it was a good idea, I more blame the library than anything else.
As a retro purchase, I think it's decently solid because of the Wii backwards compatibility and hacking potential if nothing else.
I agree. I’ll mod mine eventually!
I bought a Wii U second hand about 3 years ago, it was a great way to play Wii games on High Def, then it moved to my bedroom, and was an awesome way to watch CZcams until the YT app was discontinued. Probably would have been a good way to watch Netflix too - pity that app got discontinued. Pity also that the Switch doesn't have this support.
Yeah I agree. Having streaming apps on a handheld would be golden!
I passed on the Wii, as I'm not a fan of motion controls. Then the Wii U came out right around the same time as Dragon Quest X, and I was ready to jump on it. Then, when I found out DQX wasn't coming west, I passed on the U too.
Too many jrpg games don’t make it to western markets unfortunately 😐
@RetroRangerReviews88 This one in particular is an MMO. I would definitely call not releasing the game at all, poor support for online gaming.
The Wii U is an awesome console, it's a shame that it failed miserably 😔
It certainly is!
you know whats the best thing about the wii u nowadays? and i expect it to go up in value? since retro collectors driving up prices and stuff like gamecubes and alike being unaffordable, the wii u is the perfect way to natively play the entire nintendo catalogue. you can put on a homebrew to to the wii u and play pretty much every single nintendo game in existence from nes era to n64 and gamecube to wii u natively...even with the original gamepads and stuff and since the wii u has hdmi you can output it to your tv upscaled without any issues aswell.
if you want to emulate nintendo stuff.. but you want it to feel less emulated and more like natively playing on an actual console, the wii u is a beast for that
I’m definitely going to mod mine now! To be able to access that entire library would be great!
I own 2 Wii u's and I'm not sad about that. I have boxes full of games and I pick up games as I can almost have the full set
Nice! There’s 180 games or so yeah?
One of my favourite games was fatal frame. It was incredible using the gamepad as a camera and at the time I was imagining how amazing a Pokemon snap game could have been but that never happened.
Man the Wii u would have been perfect for pokemon snap! Instead we got Pokken?
I'm a cheap bestard myself, my bro bought me a cheap used Wii U three years ago 😅primarily for Zelda games.
im through with two of three Zelda's now and going to expand its use by getting the Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit U & Rhythm Heaven Fever and maybe Nintedo Land, One Piece Unlimited World.
Resident Evil Revelations and Zombie U look good to if you like this type of games👍
Nice! I had Zombi U and I think I’ve got revelations on the pc of all things lol
Wii u was also the only time I have seen them re release duck hunt with a fix for flat pannels Once in a while I will play it with the Wii Remote.
This is true! The Wii u is the last light gun capable console that could be used in modern tvs. Unless you count PlayStation VR 🤔
@@RetroRangerReviews88 They use the wii motion bar and its also the only time ive seen ds games get released to I dont know if you can call it a light gun since theres no flash.
@@stpworld this is true… Infrared Gun? 😂
I'm looking into getting a Wii U myself. Lately I'm into collecting consoles for some reason. Oh, and for "why don't get a Switch instead of Wii U" the answer is very simple: switch is not a Wii U. I never understood why people say things like that. Even if there are Switch ports they are only that: ports. Ports that introduce new bugs (or fix old bugs). it's a different (although very similar) software, I want to original raw experience.
I totally agree!
I picked up one recently and it’s fantastic. It’s a real shame it was a commercial failure, but the fault really lays with Nintendo for that - the marketing was poor and most people didn’t realise it was a standalone console and thought it was an add on for the wii. Its really cheap to get one in good condition and games are cheap too (I think only 180 odd games were released on disc), I thoroughly recommend picking one up.
I kind of like consoles like this that will eventually be hard to find with a very small library of games!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 yeah I agree, it’s possible to get a decent collection for wii u. A lot of the top Switch games are ports of wii u games - Zelda Breath of the Wild started on the wii u!! Although it didn’t get a lot of love at the time, people are really starting to appreciate the wii u as a gem of a console (another one I love that ‘failed’ at the time but is shown more love now is the PS Vita)
@@chrisnorman3864 maybe I should do a video on the PS Vita 🤔
@@RetroRangerReviews88 definitely!!! Like the wii u it didn’t get enough love at the time & got dropped far too quickly, but it is a goldmine of great titles - particularly indie games, some real good ones like Shovel Knight & Axiom Verge. I personally love Rocketbirds!!! & am addicted to Super Stardust Ultra. When travelling I always take mine over the Switch. Check it out and do a vid 😀
I gotta say, your music is awesome.
I also love the Wii U
Wow, thanks! As time goes on I’ll upload music to my other channel so you can listen to it at any time 🙂
Awesome!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 that would be epic
@@BugsoftheSea youtube.com/@rrrtracks?si=W51HVX8Z4pego-QQ
Still have mine somewhere. Was most excited for being able to play new (at the time) games like black ops 2 and arkham city armoured edition while chilling in bed. Fastforward to now and i have that perfected in my steam deck, it was good for its time to be fair though
It was a great console, for sure! I think it set the scene for what was to come.
The marketing wasn't great there. Playstation has it right on naming consoles. PS, PS2, PS3, PS3 slim, etc. If Nintendo had done this, we would have all bought in. Us not buying in at the time probably helped get the switch, though.
I think so too. It was a wake up call for Nintendo!
Zombie U was fantastic, one of the best Zombie games ever and it still is at the top
I used to have that!
The switch 2 should be a wii u clone. I want them to retry this. The switch is gonna eventually be a ds. And the dock will be a gamecube i HOPE
The switch two needs to have a full 1080 P 60 frames per second screen to be a true successor in my eyes!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 imagine this. The switch is 1080 60. But it has 2 screens so it can play ds games. But when u dock it. The dock should give it performance i know it cant be 4k. But 1080 120 fps?? Imagine!!
@@loitersquadX that sounds pretty cool! Personally with all these handheld computers coming out the days of 720p need to die. A dock that boosts to stable 120fps would make the switch 2 a multiplayer dream!
Wii U is one of the consoles that I have a hard time saying anything about. I still think it felt like a prototype for the Switch, but at the same time it's not, since it seems like not all games are made for Wii U gamepad in mind. It's probably one of the strangest things Nintendo has ever made.
Exactly! As someone who appreciates things left of centre, I like this console. I like its strange quirks and all lol
It makes me think of the Mandela effect. It's like it's unfinished and feels slightly off. It's uncannily similar to the Wii, but not quite. I liken it to a kid's birthday party that no one showed up to.
Empty, quiet, and kind of sad.
@@3ofSpades or maybe like a movie trailer that shows incredible action and a deep story but then when you watch the movie that’s only the final 10 minutes and the first hour and a half teases the excitement that was shown in the trailer. Even then I don’t think I’ve quite hit it on the head 🤔
More like the movie has action, but bits and pieces of it repeat and some action scenes are slightly off and don't make sense, as if time is repeating itself without you even realizing. Then the characters in the movie become aware that something is wrong and it's like groundhog day. Where they're forced to relive the worst day of their lives in some bizarre purgatory. But in this movie, they don't get to leave.
The hdmi aspect for playing wii games is kinda enticing, not gonna lie!
It’s definitely awesome! Although another viewer commented and said that some games look worse 🤔
Sadly the Wii U does not upscale Wii titles. It is nice to be able to play Wii games on modern TVs thru HDMI since the OG Wii does not have HDMI output.
Great video babe! 🥰
Thanks baby! ❤️🔥
Good review... Missing BOTW though 😋
I know 😂 I did have it a while back but I don’t any more. I appreciate you watching mate!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 and I appreciate your video making skills 👍🏿
With the Switch in its last year some people say the Wii U was better than the Switch. Although the Wii U is not bad, the answer is no, the Switch is just better. with more than 88 games and a lot of DLC, almost all of which are amazing. The Switch succeeded where the Wii U failed
I think the Wii U had to highlight the areas Nintendo needed to fix to make the Switch a success. I totally agree!
It is strange to me that it failed. I like it.
I agree, it’s weird and I love that! Plus it’s still good to play in bed lol
I’ve never played the Wii u. Is it worth buying one? I do have a Wii.
Some people are saying that Xenoblade Chronicles X alone is worth it, but I’ve played that game. I love owning the console because it’s weird lol
@@RetroRangerReviews88 I’ll check Xenoblade out. I still have all my old consoles, in perfect condition.
@@XSquidbeatsX nice!
I think the Wii Us failure is one of the reasons for the Switchs success.
Do you really think everyone would have run towards the switch like moths to a flame if most people didn't miss out on a whole generation of nintendo games?
I love Nintendo but when the Wii U was announced I thought to myself what are they thinking? This can't work. Most games either made the pad mandatory for no good reason or people were annoyed that the pad functions were to limited. It was impossible to win with this machine.
I bought the Wii U in 2015 because I wanted to play hyrule warrios. If I had known that a playable version of that game would come to 3DS I wouldn't have bought the system.
So you probally think I hate this console right?
Not really. I bought up half the damm Wii U VC when it was clear the Switch would only use a subsciption service for legacy content.
I like to have ownership over my games so that helps alot for me. I heard a complaint from people saying their systems stopped working after not playing for about 6 months.
I was worried for a bit until I noticed how often I use my system. I love playing lightgun games as those are not possible in the same way on modern systems. The Wii had so many great games that benefit from a modern display in 16:9 and that works best with the Wii U.
My personal favorite game on Wii U has to be Xenoblade Chronicles X. That game just screams "haters gonna hate" while throwing this gigantic world with a ton of enemys at you. It made me a big fan of the series even though it's just a spinoff. I know it's getting up there in price but it's filesize with DLC content means a Switchport is impossible at this stage.
With the amount I’m hearing about xenoblade chronicles x, I’m going to have to get it 😂 but you’re right, there’s the ownership and awesome light gun factor here you can’t really get on switch!
Spot on 👍
What you said at the start worries me about switch 2. Everyone assumes switch 2 will be successful like the original switch but casuals don’t care about more power and could easily end up selling like the ds to 3ds situation. But we’ll see.
@@sandman8920 let’s hope Nintendo have learned!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 that’s enough talk about modern systems 🤪😆
Wii games on a Wii U will always look much worse than on a Wii connected over component cables.
I wondered whether the extra clarity only highlighted the flaws in the graphics. 🤔 Excite Truck looked bloody nice though, so maybe it’s hit and miss?
@@RetroRangerReviews88 maybe. But I personally always have experienced worse output. There was no single exception.
@@adrenaliner91 fair enough!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 besides that, all the Wii games have a blurry vaseline filter (probably for the 16:9 CRTs back then) that can only be removed through homebrew on either console. But the games look much better on a flatscreen if that thing is removed imo.
I can attest to that. The blur was meant to hide the flicker in CRTs. Also, the Wii stretched the picture (the framebuffer was 14:9, not 16:9) and had a graphic glitch in 480p. All these are fixed with modding and it looks amazing in full RGB. To me, a Wii and a 4:3 CRT is the cheapest and most convenient way to experience NES, SNES, and MegaDrive.
Wii was awesome . Gaming SUCKS NOW
The Wii was absolutely incredible!
The name is a problem yes. I guess yes the Wii U could be thought that way then how cutsy they did. A fair video. Pretty standard but if new to the console or not much to say that's fine.
I would go too overboard. Rven if I know from research and partial is thinfs I think could be better. GBA virtual console for example the manuals sigh why do they pause the game. Oh well.
Also yes the combination of Wii/DS.
Marketing was clear of issues. The Gamepad sure but Vita remote play, SmartGlass remember Xbox SmartGlass nobody talks about that desd app. Same woth Playlink the party games with mobile app combo.
Yeah the power bricks are awkward for the Wii U. XD
I think the Wii U got close but ghe DS had acreen flipping of Mario Beos DS the inventory/progress ans caves/above ground flipped. The Mario Donkey two videos from each perspective.
To me like people say with Kirby Rainbow Paintbrush. Fhey don't want to look at the Gamepad. But to me I was sick of the TV.
I don't hate TVs but to me the oh how beautiful HD for Nintendo fans. Lkme sure but to me it seemed a waste qhen ghr Gamepad has a quicker response time then thr TV and rhe Gamepad is the focus. So to me more unique on the Gamepad and TV could have happened but it didn't but thr DS it did.
Whwre is two perspective videos? Or other dynamics. I get irs a failed platform but even still.
I get the no Four Swords Adventures, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Pqcman Veruss. But its dual screen. XD like Gba GameCube successor much. Sigh. Never happened.
Sure hpoen/console. Sure online between rven DS multiplayer was a thing. But unique moments just don't happen because a console fails.
Oe because oh we need 720/1080p and fhe console has ro have big dela games. Not 2 Gamepads and lesser graphics type games but probably good sprites or polygons to be experimental. Its just sad.
Gamepad split screen for Zombi U not in PS4/Xbox One ports. Or COD versions was cool.
I myself haven't experienced enough games but I do have at least a fair mix of foest and third parties but not many ports as well I own PS3/360 versions so unless I see a copy oe the unique Gamepad stuff os worth ot I won't likely bother. But othwrs I didn't already have and I see a Wii U copy the. Sure which I mwan Twrraia on Wii U for stylud support sure not that exciting but to me it was because you don't always see Wii U games. So why not even if any version is more accessible to buy.
Minecraft is better on 3DS foe the dual screen features then Wii U.
Many thinfs I know from research and some are probably the games. Most of the time its research from other videos.
Granted sometimes you got odd ports like the Gamepad only Regina and Mac no joke ot has no TV presence at all (TV on other platforms). Which is weird. And unique I don't know any others rhat do that. Mnay either balance the Gamepad and TV perspective views or inventory and map.
Yeah I forget if I got mine 148 or saw that years later. I got a New 3DS XL for that $AUD. Many of mine are 20-60. Tank Tank Tank being my moat expensive and Devils Third for $10 sorry US players with limited copies.
I never noticed the Wii resolution on Wii U that Good Vibes Gaming talks about it doesn't bother me.
The Wii U Gamepad for off tv play is great.
Cough RIP Project Cars Wii U port. XD Thats your sim racer question answrred right there. GameCube and Switch have them at least by third parties.
Some.games are very basic and don't use the Gamepad but switching is still nice. Whilw pthwrs offer the map/inventory yes or the swapping regular other platforms experience or Gamepad experience.
I think Wii U is good if don't want the Switch prices or si gle screen experience. Or don't care about DLC.
Yeah the Duck Hunt Wiimote update to ghr eshop version. I don't own it but onow about it. The Gamepad could have been used for Peo Controller supported Wii games vut wasn't. Or well Wii U Pro Controller. But I guess disk games or digital they didn't want to alter it woth an update or anything else to account for.
Yeah the updates are decent. But do get longer. Or did when the eshop was around.
To me the dual screen could be pushed further. Irs why I imagine from quick resume on Series S/X or the Xbox One/Windoes 8 style apps focus wortked or Samsung Flip, Fold or Surface Duo do things. To even just the qeb browser and games. Ird always fhe pause/home. No manual and game at ghe same time thats what I want dual screens to achieve but on console that hasn't happened. Wucik resume is close but PC/phones or I guess dual screen ones have achieved. PC has for years even prior to Windoes 8 just general Windoes functionality. But consoles work in the app way so phone/Windoes 8 or Xbox One style made sense.
Oh well.
Given what the Wii U was and how they went about making the Switch, it makes me wonder what the switch two is going to be like 🤔
@@RetroRangerReviews88the Switch being single screen but still a good gimmick/continuation of what PSP or Nomad did was fair. Dock and Joycon splitting as as a Wii type direction returning (besides well Leonov Legion did it later) and a better account swapping then Vita or 3DS.
I expect quality of life safeness I won't be excited but I don't know what gimmicks they will do. The magnet/Joycons to go on. The other rumours.
I mean. I didn't even know whether to trust Furukawa. The R&D team could be going nuts or they could be playing it safe.
The Iwata era ended so we don't know how the console will go.
Sure even NES to N64 a lot of experiments happened but not in the same way. So it could be more like that again probably. Many peripherals then built with the system in mind. Who knows.
The magnet rumours and other stuff is fine but to me I think it's a safe quality of life console.
To me I doubt we get much new. I mean I would like IR on the right Joycon to be better but don't think it will happen. I know audiences don't care they want a upgrade.
Me and upgrade of the typical sort is pretty boring so my mind goes to well what can they do that hasn't been done. I honestly don't know.
I have thought up dual screen possibilities but I doubt it. Even the Evercade or Vita handheld and Vita TV dynamic. So a console and handheld but syncing data better or dual screen of handheld and dock/console.
Or wireless TV connection like you can cast your phone to the TV rather than just a CZcams cast button/icon feature level.
So no console like Portal or Wii U had to be limited to to process/keep delays down. Even though testing the phone app/PS4 Pro with the PS5 remote play app the lack of resolution or any good settings disappointed me. It's an evolution of the Vita apl yet that has 360/540p settings. Sony just why are you going we can scale to 1080p but you won't even offer the 480p-1080p (which even Switch and Xbox have) of your console level resolution, but to your remote play. Laziness.
Or a mix of Wii U/Switch.
I suspect more quality of life ideas. I'll be sad about it but I know it's safer to do so.
Or the gimmick with the magnets and new Joycons differ maybe. Who honestly knows.
Whether some Labo ideas for it as well who knows.
Whether much to alter the design much and remove IR (I hope it's just better placement). Who knows.
Wii U is a weird one. It's really just an overpriced expansion pack that could have done something good for the older wii library to make them more compatible with newer controllers and maybe even upgraded or upscaled older titles.
They had a cool idea with the switching from tv to the tablet that could have made playing multiplayer and party games have some new options. Multiplayer and horror could've been pretty good on this, or even something like that google stadia commercial where they switch from different devices seamlessly but without the internet cloud nonsense which could allow for more screens in local and online play, but I guess not.
The only thing this really has over the switch, aside from some different games is a better ui, but it's not really worth the price. I would recommend an Android tablet, iPad, or a steam deck if you wanted something more portable.
As it is, no one really cares about having a tablet with a short battery that you can't take with you, and has a ton of arbitrary restrictions that end up making it an unacceptable product that just like Xbox One, feels like a punishment to use. So it's a catch 22, you need both pieces to work, and even at their best, both pieces are just mediocre or bad. If it's not fun, why bother?
This console was a bad idea and really should have been an expansion pack for the wii, then it would have at least made some amount of business sense as a stopgap between the switch release for the existing fanbase. They didn't even upgrade the cpu, so on a technical level, it's literally just a wii expansion with a tablet and a better gpu that's bottlenecked by the terrible G3 mac they have powering it.
So no wonder this didn't sell well, it's baby's first next gen console. Meanwhile my next gen console was an iPad Mini. Now that was fun.
Excellent points mate!
Thanks. This system was pretty interesting, but it's a shame that it's been sentenced to the life of being nothing much more than a footnote in hardcore Nintendo history.
Talking about the Wii U to anyone is like trying to explain the mandela effect. Certainly a fun distraction that makes you think for a second, then go back to doing something else.
But if people can repurpose the Kinect for VR and game development, they might be able to find something else for the Wii U. My best guess? Probably piracy and watching CZcams.
My favorite games on Wii U were Mario 3D World, Smash Bros, and Splatoon. How about you?
@@3ofSpades my favourite games are smash bros, splatoon and Mario kart 8 🙂 I didn’t play anywhere near as many Wii u games as I did other consoles!
Make sure when Modding Your Wii U to get "Pretendo Network" so You can play Online Multiplayer games even after the 2024 Nintendo shut down of the Wii U Online Servers
Okay sweet, thanks for the heads up!
@@RetroRangerReviews88 It doesn't support many games right but over time They will add support for more and more games
The highlight for Me in the Pretendo Network are Splatoon 1, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 and Miiverse