Wii U
The Wii U is an often under-appreciated counterpart to the PS4 and Xbox One. However, to those loyal to Nintendo and its easily recognizable heroes and characters, this is a great machine that simultaneously delivers welcome familiarity with unique flair.
Huge thanks to JonahtheMann for much of the information that went into this list!
Huge thanks to JonahtheMann for much of the information that went into this list!
Gaming is expensive. On top of the consoles, players have to pony up for games, extra controllers, accessories, etc. Nintendo has always made the gaming experience as affordable as possible, and the Wii U continues that tradition. It may not be as inexpensive as the Wii, but gamers can afford an extra game and controller for the same price as the PS4 and Xbox One.
It took well over a year, but there are some excellent titles that appeal to a wide audience. Super Smash Bros, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, and that doesn't even begin to mention the Wii titles that will be available soon to Wii U owners. This is a great console for families, especially those with a mix of older and younger kids.
Unlike the PS4 and Xbox One, the Wii U includes backwards compatibility with many (if not all) of the Wii games. A number of Gamecube games are also compatible (as digital downloads). This means that gamers have access not just to the new Wii U titles but also a 10 year library of great Nintendo titles on the same console. Add to this the fact that Wii titles are extremely cheap now, and there's hundreds of hours of amazing games to play.
There are few experiences quite like sitting down with friends and playing a match of Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart. Those experiences are still alive and well with the Wii U. Many of the Wii U games (and the backwards compatible Wii titles) are designed to be played with four friends side-by-side. |
While the Wii U is, from a technical standpoint, designed to be competitive with the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, these competitors are well over 5 years old. While no announcements have been made, I can guarantee you that both Microsoft and Sony are well on their way to developing the next versions of their consoles. Unfortunately for Nintendo, that means that the Wii U may be obsolete within the next few years. Families may still pick this up hoping for a similar experience to the Wii, but the hardcore gamers that Nintendo wanted to court will almost certainly pass.
The decision to include this device still baffles me. One of the up to four players can use a tablet-like gamepad to play many of the Wii U specific games. While the gamepad does have some interesting perks (like being able to play titles without using the television), there are many other quirks that detract from its utility. The gamepad has low battery life (about 3 to 4 hours of continuous use) and takes a long time to recharge. It only allows for single touch, removing its utility from games that require a multi-touch system. And, possibly the most confounding, only one tablet can be used at one time. There will never be a Wii U title that will require two tablets. This means that gamers can't play a tablet-based game together and developers have to come up with creative solutions for how to make use of the tablet.
Something familiar to PC gamers but totally new for console gamers is having to install titles onto the hard drive before playing. This is a major issue for the PS4 and Xbox One but may also become an issue for the Wii U in the future. The Wii U's hard drive ranges between 8 and 20 gigabytes. Compared to the 300-500 available on its competitors, this is extremely small.
What the Wii U has over its competitors in local cooperative gameplay it severely lacks in online multiplayer. Those games that do include online multiplayer almost always have a very small pool of potential players. |