10 Years of Wii U
Amongst the plethora of video game consoles that have entered the marketplace over the past decade, the Nintendo Wii U has stood out as one of the most enduring. The Wii U had some great games and innovative features, but it also had some problems. Some of the best of the lot included games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Super Mario 3D World. While it was not a commercial success, it did have a handful of laudable games, and it was a big step forward for Nintendo.
The Wii U was not the first to use touchscreen technology, but it was the first to implement a tablet-like game controller. This controller, aptly named the Wii U GamePad, featured a 6.2-inch touchscreen in the middle, with buttons, triggers, stereo speakers, and an IR emitter on the side. It was also the first Nintendo console to feature high definition graphics. The Wii U also included a front-facing camera, as well as a microphone, to allow players to interact with the game in a variety of ways.
Wii U was one of the most popular video game consoles of the last decade, but sales started to nosedive over the past couple of years. Despite its innovative features and unique concept, Wii U failed to garner a widespread audience. The Wii U’s high price tag and unreliable longevity weighed heavily on its sales. Although Wii U did not have the same amount of longevity as the original Wii, it has been one of Nintendo’s best selling consoles of all time. In fact, it has sold 114 million units worldwide since its launch in November 2017.
While the Wii U was a big improvement on the previous iteration of the DS, it was still not the most popular console. Despite the high quality games, the console’s overall performance left a lot to be desired. The Wii U’s Wi-Fi connectivity was a technological marvel, but it did not translate to a strong sales presence.
Despite its shortcomings, the Wii U was a worthwhile albeit confusing piece of hardware. It was a clever combination of the DS gameplay with console-style games. It also added superior online capabilities to compensate for the console’s lack of hardware. The Wii U also had a unique feature that allowed users to wirelessly stream videos from the console to a television at up to thirty feet away. The Wii U also featured a unique motion controller that was a step forward in the Wii’s long legacy of motion controls.
The Wii U’s most impressive feat was probably its graphical capabilities. The Wii U boasted high definition visuals and high definition upgrades to some of the best classics of the past. The Wii U was also the first Nintendo console to support HD graphics, which was a huge boon for gamers. However, the Wii U’s best feature may have been its unique concept. While the console lacked the ubiquity of the DS, it did bring a whole new generation of gamers into Nintendo’s fold.
