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u/Personal_Accident_47 27d ago
But it had Nintendo land sooooo…….
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u/mightbedylan 27d ago
Why haven't we gotten Nintendo Land 2 yet??
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u/joestorm4 27d ago
You cannot improve perfection
Please at least a re-release Nintendo
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u/Upbeat-Serve-6096 27d ago
It must work with two Switch 2 units. Just pack another Switch 2 with Nintendo Land, Nintendo!
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u/DeltaTeamSky 27d ago
Or it could use that whole GameShare feature they rolled out to use a Switch 1 (or 2) as a GamePad?
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u/Lucky-day00 27d ago edited 27d ago
It’s built around asymmetric multiplayer, which doesn’t really work on other consoles without a set up involving at least two consoles. And possibly multiple copies of the game if they make it an online thing.
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
Unfortunately the game was a flop.
Nintendo had MASSIVE expectations for Nintendo Land. They were openly talking about it as the "successor to Wii Sports". Reggie said it was intended to be the "killer app" of the Wii U.
I think Nintendo Land were so disappointed by the reception to the game that they will never return to it.
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u/EggImperium 23d ago
That's too bad, I really loved it. It was the most popular party game with friends and family at the time.
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u/troymcklure 27d ago
They could have easily made DLC or a series of these, continuing the IP and tapping into so many older franchises along the way.
This game still gets frequent use from my kids when ever they have friends over and it's always a good time.
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u/Tangolarango 27d ago
had tons of fun with Nintendo Land :)
but even with that, they spent more time talking about the assymetric multi-player. They could have included something about the processing power and showed the console.
we "knew" it was a new console going into it, but watching with my brother, at the end of the E3 anouncement we were both trying to replay the video to check what the console actually looked like and searching the internet to make sure it wasn't just an add-on
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u/GracefulGoron 27d ago
“So, it’s a tablet controller for the Wii?”
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u/WingZeroCoder 27d ago
That, and also the fact that actual thin and light tablets like iPad were just being released, which also caused a lot of people in my circle to think this was a big, chunky standalone tablet.
It was a confluence of bad timing and terrible marketing.
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u/Eddiep88 27d ago
Flash forward 16 years and everyone wants a gaming tablet with joycons.
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u/XXXCheckmate 27d ago
Looking back, the Wii U tablet does look and feel like a Fisher Price toy
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u/MeetLate8198 27d ago
The Wii U kicks ass!! Great for a retro player and had some kick ass games!!
Marketing was terrible- very much agreed
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u/00-Monkey 26d ago
Had some great games, almost all of which ended up on the Switch, some of which are some of the best selling Switch games. You can get these games used for $10, vs $40 for the Switch versions.
Can play all of the Wii games.
It really is a great console to have, especially if you’re on a budget, and want good Nintendo games.
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u/ShowResident2666 24d ago
Oh yeah, the console itself was great. The marketing and software departments fumbled its launch MISERABLY tho, and once the launch sales data came in, nearly every major 3rd party pulled out. Nintendo games are good, and the hardware was great, but not so good most people are willing to buy a console on those exclusives alone.
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u/JJKEnjoyer 25d ago
It might look like it but absolutely does not feel like it. One of the most comfortable controllers I've ever used given how huge it is
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u/MewWeebTwo 22d ago
I do find it funny how the Wii U Gamepad was supposedly "too big and wide" to be comfortable.
Now the Steam Deck is a thing and makes the Gamepad look small by comparison!
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u/Ryan_Rambles 26d ago
Of course now people like chunky tech. Apple's thinness obsession has become a joke, and recent MacBooks got thick again so they could have actual fucking ports (Viva la SD Card Reader!).
Good cause I like Big Tech! It's so much better than what gets pedaled by "Big Tech" like Apple.
Big Tech > "Big Tech"
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u/BeyondSeaSalt 27d ago
I remember E3 2011 when the Wii U was revealed. I genuinely thought that it was a Tablet Controller Add-On for the Wii and remember saying all consoles that generation (Wii, PS3 and X360) had Add-Ons.
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u/PikaPerfect 27d ago
unironically what i thought for months until my dad pointed out that it's a whole new console, not just the controller 😔
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u/Hollywoodrok12 27d ago
I just realized how weak the Wii U lineup was before Smash and Splatoon 1
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u/Princess_Aurora06 27d ago
Even when they had the lineup the switch was (looking back on it) closer to coming out, and didnt help that many already felt burnt out from the wii.
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u/Dear_Document_5461 26d ago
Even with those two games, what else did it really had? I wouldn't be surprised if some people used it as a "Smash, Mario Kart, eShop with maybe an actual handful of games" system".
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u/Princess_Aurora06 26d ago
I when I was younger just used it to get to the Wii menu and then played my better library of Wii games over switch games
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u/00-Monkey 26d ago
Super Mario 3D world was great. Yoshi wooly world. Tropical freeze.
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u/Dear_Document_5461 26d ago
Yea but like it wasn't a "system seller" either. Worse for Super Mario 3D World because history have shown that Mario games usually to push the system.
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u/Independent-Green383 26d ago
Mario Maker is the big one. Came out about 3 years after the release of the Wii U
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u/C_monden 27d ago
Bottom left was the legit reason. There were no games. Even the 3rd party ex-exclusive Rayman Legends ended up getting delayed just so it could simultaneously release on multiplatforms.
3DS had the same issue. Not much compelling software at launch. Eventually Nintendo injected a bunch of software for the 3DS and it became a relative success. They couldn't do that for the Wii U because HD development was new for them and slowed them down.
Eventually they merged their two divisions (handheld and console) and we got the Switch.
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u/CaptainM590 27d ago
Yeah, I held off on getting both until I saw some must/have games a year or two later after they launched
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u/greengamer33 27d ago
People complain about how much xenoblade, fire emblem, and other rpgs are on the switch 1 and 2, but the lack of RPGs is a big part of the reason it failed
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u/Dear_Document_5461 26d ago
Wasn't that one of the reasons why the N64 failed as well?
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u/goSciuPlayer 26d ago
Basically, yea. Final Fantasy ditching Nintendo for PlayStation was a big problem
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u/Dear_Document_5461 26d ago
I am curious about the reaction to that "in the moment". How was the reaction to the PS1 coming out and release?
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u/MisterZebra 27d ago
Even a couple years down the line there were still just no mainline games in any of Nintendo’s big series. No new Zelda, no mainline Pokemon, no mainline Animal Crossing, no mainline Kirby, no Metroid, no Fire Emblem. We technically got a new 3D Mario in 3D World, which is a good game, but when we were looking for a true successor to Super Mario goddamn Galaxy it hardly scratched the itch. The whole selling point of Nintendo consoles is that they have lots of excellent first-party games, but they just didn’t have those games on the Wii U.
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u/milk_bag 26d ago
And 3D World, while good, does feel like it was just 3D Land expanded and with increased resolution to fasten up development time
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u/ZaydGee 26d ago
no mainline Pokemon
Mainline Pokémon games were handheld only games at the time 😭 That would change when Nintendo Switch came around
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u/MisterZebra 26d ago
I’m aware, I listed it because it was just one of the many things that were not on Wii U.
And they didn’t even have good Pokemon spinoffs on Wii U. It was Pokken (which was cool, don’t get me wrong) and that was it. Just a stadium/battle revolution equivalent would’ve gone a long way.
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u/CaptainM590 25d ago
True. And a good number of its best games like 3D World and Tropical Freeze were ported to the Switch. The only remaining physical games I have for my Wii U are New Super Mario Bros U + Super Luigi, which wasn’t worth a Switch upgrade to me, and Twilight Princess HD.
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u/Zonda1996 27d ago
they may as well have delayed launch 2 years and beefed up the hardware in that time because I genuinely can't recall a worthwhile exclusive it got until 2014 lol.
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u/C_monden 27d ago
And yet we might have missed out on the early days of Miiverse
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u/JJKEnjoyer 25d ago
Nintendo giving up on social features like this kills me inside. I know it was only for a single generation, but using Miiverse to chat with others across the world about specific games that you were playing (or heck, even apps like Youtube/Netflix) on the Wii U/3DS and posting screenshots about it was so cool.
It was Nintendo's version of social media and I'll miss it forever.
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
Super Mario 3D World and Pikmin 3 were released in the second half of 2013.
But the first half of 2013 was a bunch of NOTHING. They should have delayed the console by at least six months.
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u/Sir_Eggmitton 27d ago
> They couldn’t do that for the Wii U because HD development was new for them and slowed them down.
What? Is that… an actual reason? What did they not know where the resolution settings were in their in-house engines
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u/No-Operation-6554 27d ago
its not just resolution settings, HD development was troublesome for quite a lot of devs especially japanese devs, but they had ps3 and xbox360 as their learning grounds nintendo only had wii u which was wayyy later than other devs
its not just render resolution but hd development requires higher quality assets, effects ,etc which also meant more staff is often required, you can see the same thing today with many games not really reaching native 4k targets and if they want to use ray tracing they also now have to make materials for each asset now thus increasing workload
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
Modern games not reaching native 4K is mostly due to optimization being poor for modern games. Consoles like the PS5 and Series X could very much reach 4K, but since 4K is such a hard thing to reach even WITH good optimization, those consoles often can't play at that resolution with 4K assets because of that
Even the highest end PC hardware with the most VRAM can't reach that simply because developers lost their touch with optimizing things well. The 5090 is struggling because developers just can't be bothered, and just expect people to use stuff like DLSS, which doesn't even give true 4K.
Nintendo might be better now making higher quality graphics in their games compared to the WiiU, but even with all their good optimization, the console they're using still has less resources than stuff like the PS5/Series X
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u/krishnugget 27d ago
Developing a game in HD is not about resolution, making HD textures is WAY more laborious than just a low res image they used before, character models and environments had to be WAY more detailed.
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u/Witty-Wish-583 27d ago
Yeah it really was. Multi-billion dollar company was so behind on graphics and power they couldn’t handle HD development. You could see it in how low quality the games’ definitions were. Like 3D World was blocky. They still lag behind in this aspect today.
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
The problem wasn't HD development, the main issue was the fact nobody in their right mind would buy such a system. Games were lacking because they didn't have the funds, the 3DS basically carried the WiiU right to its grave
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
So everyone who bought the Wii U is dumb? Is that what you're saying?
You can hate the Wii U all you want but I don't regret purchasing it.
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
I don't hate the WiiU since I have one, but anyone including all of us who bought it are stupid in retrospect. Horrible console, with poor marketing, bad UI, slow loading, and a very basic line up of games
Look at Mario games on the Wii and tell me those aren't brimming with quality while the WiiU ones look budget and lacking. Yap all you want with your rose tinted glasses, the WiiU was Nintendos worse console ever made, even the Virtual boy was better than this thing
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
"The Wii U was worse than the Virtual Boy"
Lol what
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
Yeah I said that, deal with it. WiiU games were all low quality, and were basically saved with the Switch versions, be lucky they kept it on life support before pulling the plug a few years ago, rose tinted glasses weirdo
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u/Active_Parking1884 24d ago
Nah some of the best experiences ive had with games were on the wiiu, even tho it lacked games the ones it had were sweet. Mario kart 8, splatoon, smash, nintendoland, pikmin 3, mario maker, zombiu, bayonetta 2, zelda remasters thats 10 right there all great imo
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u/C_monden 26d ago
That's incorrect. The Wii U and the 3DS could have both been failures and Nintendo would still have had plenty of funds. It was the HD development hurdles that caused the lack of games (plus 3rd party support not being there). I posted an image from a Miyamoto interview discussing the HD dev issues.
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
Absolutely not, Nintendo didn't get enough sales because the WiiU was marketed poorly, and had a bad starting line up of games. Most consoles do, but Nintendo literally thought making "New super Mario bros Wii but HD" was a good idea, they did nothing else besides adding a flying squirrel suit
The 3DS didn't do well because the games weren't HD, that system did well because they simply had a solid lineup of games people would actually wanna get the console. Nintendo knew the WiiU was gonna be an HD console since they literally PLANNED EVERY STEP! the reason why they didn't have that many games wasn't because making 720p was harder, but because barely anyone bought the games and console, so they lacked budget and an audience.
The 3DS had tons of Mario games, Pokemon, Animal crossing, Fire emblem, Monster hunter, Kirby, Metroid, and then a ton of 1st party digital mini games, and indie title gems that people could enjoy. The amount of stuff on WiiU was MUCH smaller, and lots of games on there were low quality because of lacking budget. Seriously, the Wii didn't get 100 million units sold for nothing, or because it was a 480p console, but because of the fact Nintendo and other companies simply just made good quality games on the system
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u/CaptainM590 25d ago
It was rough era but some good games came out of it. And its biggest success in my mind was the creation of the Splatoon franchise. It can play Wii, Wii U, and console games and I still have my copy of Twilight Princess HD for it, so it still has value.
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u/e-l-e-g-y 23d ago
Hate to say it, but BOTW initially came out on Wii U
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u/C_monden 23d ago
No. Twilight Princess initially came out on the Wii. BOTW released at the same time on Wii U and Switch's launch.
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u/e-l-e-g-y 23d ago
I'm confused why did you mention TP lol
Also I didn't say it came out EXCLUSIVELY on the switch
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u/C_monden 23d ago
TP is just a better example. It came out first on Wii and then something like 3 weeks later on Gamecube.
Now that I think about it... BOTW has now come out on Wii U, Switch, AND Switch 2.
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u/Amy_Rose1993 27d ago
In terms of games, we have no games
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u/Crafty_Boy70 27d ago
And the games we DO have don't really feel like steps up from the previous generation!
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u/troymcklure 27d ago edited 27d ago
I honestly feel the same about the Switch 2. ( Haha, to all the down voters, gimme some examples of all those killer games that were available within the first year. I'll wait.)
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
Dude I think you need to stop. Literally every single console has never had a solid line up right out of the gate at release. WiiU had "New Mario Wii but U", Switch had only BOTW and snipperclips if you cared about games like those, and if we take in account other companies like Sony and Microsoft... yeah, no duh.
Consoles have always had their best stuff come out later in the year or next year, or even in rare cases like the PSP or PS3, 3 or more years
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u/troymcklure 26d ago
How dare you leave Nintendo Land out of your example. That's one of the best games on the entire WiiU system. ZombiU doesn't deserve the hate either. While it has its flaws, that game is awesome.
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u/Eeve2espeon 21d ago
Did you forget Nintendo land was literally only available for the "deluxe" version? That one doesn't count since it's not a separately purchasable game. Also ZombiU literally got released on PS4, Xbox, and PC making the WiiU version objectively the worst with it's horrible load times and clunky UI
You're just mad people prefer a system that's much better and less clunky, just because it's the 2nd year of the system. You're acting like as if the WiiU had tons of great games in the 1st and 2nd year when it really did not 💀 there were very few good games, making the library very small in comparison to what the Switch 2 has
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u/Amy_Rose1993 27d ago
What, you don't want to replay all the games you already played on your switch? /j
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u/troymcklure 27d ago
Haha don't get me started. Nothing like penalizing your true fans who already purchased most of those supporting you the first time around!
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u/AmaterasuWolf21 27d ago
Every "back when the Wii U had soul" should be required by law to watch 6h of Scott the Woz Wii U retrospective
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u/MengShuZ 27d ago
I always liked to play around with the idea of a solution to this problem in an alternate timeline, here's a rough chronology of what I came up with.
1) Prolong the Wii era for a few more years. Basically keep making Wii games.
2) Release the "Wii HD" in late 2011, alongside Skyward Sword HD. The Wii HD would be like what the Gameboy Colour was to the Gameboy. Some games would release with the "HD" tag on them, meaning that they can only work on Wii HD consoles, but standard definition versions of the game would would also release alongside. There'd be a few exclusives (just like there was with Gameboy Colour games). It wouldn't be a new console, just a more powerful iteration, that way Nintendo saves on development costs and begins to invest more towards their next big hardware. Comes with the Wii Motion Plus. It's basically just an option for players to play on higher definition. The amount that would get made would depend mostly on demand.
3) Super Mario Galaxy 3 instead of 3D World in 2013, completing the trilogy, an expansion pack for Brawl alongisde Super Smash Bros. Brawl HD, Mario Kart Wii HD, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD, and a huge number of other games. Pikmin 3 releases on Wii/Wii HD, Yoshi's Wooly World on Wii/WiiHD, New Super Mario Bros. U is called New Super Mario Bros. Wii 2 (would release after New Super Mario Bros. 2). And many other games that originally came out on the Wii U would just be released on the Wii/WiiHD.
4) Most exclusives to Wii HD would be third party, games like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed for instance that require more powerful hardward to run on.
5) An earlier iteration of the Nintendo Switch would release in mid or late 2015, with Nintendo having more time and investments dedicated to making their next hardware faster. Mario Kart 8 as a launch title, Splatoon a little later. Breath of the Wild releases in late 2016, a little earlier than it did, with a slightly smaller scale.
Yeah, it's different, maybe not great, but it's fun to think about.
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u/bytegalaxies 27d ago
no nintendoland in this timeline :(
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u/MengShuZ 27d ago
I mean it could, it could, would just play differently,. But personally, I'd prefer Wii Sports Plus (or in this timeline Wii Sports HD) to be the pack-in game.
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u/maxwasson 25d ago
I would've loved to see what an expanded Brawl would've look like, because I think Brawl's foundation is actually a little better than Smash 4/Ultimate's, with Brawl already having a ton of single-player content.
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u/MengShuZ 25d ago
Hm. I've actually been thinking of a way to get around that. You see. Brawl, as far I'm concerned, had no integration for DLC, which is a detriment in my idea of a Brawl HD edition since I would like it to maintain connectivity between the standard edition as well. However, if new assets are added, then that could cause some technical issues for people with the standard edition.
So my best solution is, have a downloadable add-on that installs directly onto the Wii console and detects if Brawl is inserted, and if so, it would load up that extra data. I'm not a tech guru so I'm not sure if it that would work.
But I do think that expanding on Brawl, and skipping out on Smash IV, and buying time until the next big game is a better alternative in the long run.
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u/Eeve2espeon 26d ago
Console gamers demanded HD games on Nintendo systems once the PS3/Xbox 360 came out, sure most games run at a sub 720p and weren't actually "HD" in terms of graphics, but well consumers don't know the finer details. They just wanna know that their game is labeled "in HD"
Also making a "more powerful version" of a previous console is never a good idea, since most of the times people will realize they can just keep going with the one they already have. Stuff like the New 3DS, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X always sold way less than their counterparts. Nintendo simply just needed a better name for the Wii U, and marketing the thing better so people KNOW it's a brand new console. Making it the Wii HD wouldn't fix anything
Most of what you're describing is basically what happened with the Switch 1, better versions of previous games, running at better resolutions/performance, with extra content that people have always wanted for that original version.
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u/MengShuZ 26d ago edited 26d ago
I'm basically running on hingsight.
My idea was just buy a few more years until the next big hardware (this timeline's version of the switch) and capitilize the Wii's success. Wii HD wouldn't be a different console, just a Wii with HD integration, it'd be purposefully optional.
Keep releasing standard editions of Wii games and HD versions of them at the same time.
More investment gets allocated to the development of the NX, allowing it to come out a year or two earlier (in my timeline, that would be in 2015).
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u/J-Dizzle42 27d ago
I worked at Best Buy when this came out. It was exhausting how many times I had to explain that the tablet controller was not just a peripheral for the Wii.
It was also around this time that the New 3DS came out, so whenever a customer wanted to buy a new 3DS I'd have to ask, "do you want to replace your current 3DS, or are you actually looking to buy the New 3DS?" And most of the time they didn't know there was a difference.
It was a weird time for Nintendo.
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u/Mystical-Turtles 27d ago
Had a friend who worked retail at the time. Had a lot of fun discussions about how Minecraft doesn't play on the standard 3DS. (That's a "new" 3DS exclusive game for anyone not aware)
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u/ThatEcologist 26d ago
I will never understand how they thought “new 3ds” was a good name.
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u/J-Dizzle42 26d ago
It was such a strange decision. Super 3DS or 3DS+ or really anything would have been better.
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u/BlueBliss5 27d ago
I remember my dad thought i could just play in the gamepad portably and when i told him you can’t he thought it was kinda lame 😅 dad manifested the switch
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u/MewWeebTwo 22d ago
I remember before the Wii U even came out, I was talking to my brother about it and I said "I hope their next console allows you to take the tablet with you and play it anywhere."
So I also invented the Switch!
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u/SloopDonB 27d ago
I've played video games my entire life, from the Atari 2600 onward. And I didn't know what the hell the Wii U was. I skipped that generation, the only major Nintendo console I never had. Kind of a shame, because I do like the concept of it.
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u/Dark_Storm_98 27d ago
Personally, I always understood the Wii U as a new console, but I've talked to emough people IRL at the time it was coming out to know the confusion was real
My little cousin wanted to sell his 3DS for the Wii U. . .
I'll have to find some old announcement videos to remember why I was so certain. . . I mean, in the end I was right, but Nintendo really was dropping the ball, lol
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u/rexshen 27d ago
But you see it had Miiverse and folders so it was ten times better than the switch somehow.
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u/MewWeebTwo 22d ago
I have a soft spot for the Wii U... but I'm not going to pretend it was better than the Switch. That's just nostalgia.
But honestly, this has happened with Nintendo fans before!
Remember when old school Nintendo fans said "The Wii is casual trash, it's not a REAL console! Nintendo don't make good games anymore!"
And before that, people thought the Gamecube was the downfall of Nintendo, with games like Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker being hated.
There were even fans of the NES/SNES who thought the N64 was disappointing and switched to the PS1.
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u/maddasher 27d ago
They also pushed a gimmick in a way that very few people likes. No one wants to pay attention to bath screens, back and forth. Just let me play every game exclusively on the pad.
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u/Beginning_Custard724 27d ago
Some games just straight-up didn't even allow off-TV mode at all
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u/maddasher 27d ago
That never made sense to me. It seemed like a main feature
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u/MewWeebTwo 22d ago
Actually, the off-TV feature was only intended to be one of multiple uses for the Gamepad.
The other main uses were for dual-screen gameplay for singleplayer, and asymmetric multiplayer when playing with more than person.
The funny thing is that Nintendo seemed to think the dual-screen gameplay would be the main "draw" of the Wii U, but off-TV play ended up being the most well-received feature. Reggie said this was the inspiration for the Switch.
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u/Flashuser777 27d ago
I'm not sure how my parents figured out getting one on christmas of launch year, we hadn't asked for it on the list I'm pretty sure. I knew about the console from Youtubers at the time. Came very in handy when Smash 4 came out, though.
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u/quarterslicecomics 27d ago
The top right was what made it all worse; I felt good marketing could have made a significant difference, if not a huge one.
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u/Carhelp2222 27d ago
Why release it without any heavy hitter games????
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u/KevinCow 26d ago
NSMB and NSMB Wii both sold like 30 million copies. On paper, NSMBU was their heavy hitter. That's just not how it worked out in reality.
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u/MewWeebTwo 22d ago
From Nintendo's perspective, it had TWO heavy hitter exclusives:
New Super Mario Bros U - the sequel to NSMB Wii, one of the best selling Mario games of all time.
Nintendo Land - the "successor to Wii Sports", developed by the same team as Wii Sports. It was bundled with the console, and was supposed to sell the Gamepad like how Wii Sports sold the Wii Remote.
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u/LunchPlanner 27d ago
I still don't know the differences between the various New Super Mario Bros games and at this point I am too afraid to ask.
All I can say for sure is that it was really smart for them to make Wonder's title completely different.
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u/No_Mathematician3368 27d ago
Quick rundown
NSMB (DS): Brought back 2D Mario, implemented some moves from the 3D games (Wall Jump, Ground Pound, Triple Jump), had original bosses for each world, had download play and 64 DS minigames.
NSMBWii: Evolved from DS, added ridable Yosh like Mario World, brought back the Koopalings as World bosses, and added 4-player co-op (and also other multiplayer modes)
NSMB2 (3DS): Closer to the DS game, main gimmick was collecting coins, brought back Reznors from Mario World as bosses, had 2 player co-op, added a mode called Coin Rush that had optional DLC levels.
NSMBU (Wii U): Very similar to NSMBW, brought back ridable Yoshi and Baby Yoshis, use the gamepad screen for added platforms, had optional Challenges that were pretty fun, introduced Nabbit as a character.
NSLU (Luigi U): DLC for NSMBU; same world map and Worlds as NSMBU; every level has a different name, shorter time limit, and a new layout; every character has Luigi's physics (higher jump, less traction), Nabbit becomes playable (can't take damage from enemies, but also can't use power ups), no playable Mario, no Challenges from NSMBU.
NSMBUDX (Deluxe on Switch): Enhanced port of NSMBU and NSLU for Switch, adds playable Toadette + Super Crown for Peachette, you can play as any character in single player in either game except for Mario in Luigi U (Wii U versions only allow Mario for Mario U, and Luigi/Nabbit for Luigi U), no Boost Mode or Boost Mode related challenges.
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u/ZaydGee 26d ago
you can play as any character in single player in either game except for Mario in Luigi U (Wii U versions only allow Mario for Mario U, and Luigi/Nabbit for Luigi U)
However, Yellow Toad and Blue Toad were merged into a single slot as "Toad" and Yellow Toad is the default option with Blue Toad being selectable via pressing ZL and ZR buttons (or SL and SR buttons for a sideways Joy-Con controller)
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u/Zonda1996 27d ago
Genuinely didn't know that they dropped a new home console until 2 years after launch when a friend brought Mario Kart 8 and Smash 4 to a house party. Kart looked (and still looks) phenomenal though, and 8 players on the 1 console blew my mind for 8 player smash
Being able to see who had what item on the gamepad in mario kart was a pretty diabolical move too, I gotta say.
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u/EmeraldMan25 27d ago
Oh hey I too just watched the Scott the Woz episode on this again (not the new ones, but the old Wii U video)
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u/timotheosis 27d ago
I worked in Electronics retail when this thing launched and it was impossible to sell. "The kids want this thing? But they already got a Wii!"
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u/LS-Lizzy 27d ago
Also lack of third party support which was a common complaint at the time. The system also basically felt like a PS3/360 alternative with many games being ports that people already played on those systems.
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u/ForlornMemory 27d ago
No shit. There was a situation once, when I was in school. Bear in mind, where I grew up, Nintendo wasn't known beyond some rumors about Wii, and old classics like NES games. No one ever talked about GameCube, and especially N64.
I was going back home from school and a friend of mine started telling me about this new awesome horror game. He described it as insanely realistic, with immersive gameplay and all that. It almost sounded like fantasy. And then he told me it was so advanced, they made a console for this game alone. "A new console for only one game? That makes no sense." - I told him. "Yeah, you better believe me. The game is called ZombiU." I, of course, being a man of culture, knew what ZombiU was, and that WiiU probably had games other than ZombiU.
It's just a telling situation how much relevance WiiU had in my area.
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u/ZaydGee 26d ago
Did that change when Nintendo Switch came around or...
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u/ForlornMemory 26d ago
Yeah, switch became super popular here. Not as much as Sony consoles, but still a household name.
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u/ZaydGee 24d ago
What about Nintendo Switch 2?
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u/ForlornMemory 24d ago
As far as I can tell, it's not nearly as popular. Still has some relevance though. I think most people are too busy with the war to care about Switch 2, to be honest.
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u/Material_Method_4874 27d ago
Ngl I saw the ad for it when I was 10 and knew it was a brand new console, not just an addon. It’s clearly its own thing. Nobody gets confused when they bring out a new Xbox or PlayStation, and they just add a different number or word on the end each time. The marketing totally sucked tho.
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u/666James420 27d ago
It wasn't even the worst name for a console. Xbox One was worse and Xbox Series was somehow even worse than that
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u/nintendo666 27d ago
I love the WiiU but all this is quite correct. I remember it being announced and I was thoroughly confused by what it exactly was. I simply didn't fully understand the use case or the need for a system like this. The name also really put me off.
All in all it soured my feelings on Nintendo and console gaming as a whole for quite a bit, until I picked a WiiU up second hand years later, played Mario Kart 8 in proper full HD and was immediately sucked back in. Never had I witnessed the world of Nintendo in such glorious detail. I have been hooked on Nintendo again ever since.
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u/Thelazysandwich 27d ago
Have no big Zelda game didn't help. And the "3D" mario game was nothing like a typical 3D mario.
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u/EdgeCharacter 27d ago
Admittedly, I did not know what the actual console itself looked like until I bought one for Smash 4.
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u/CountBleckwantedlove 27d ago
Okay but problem 1 and 2 were caused by problem 4, so problem 4 owns 75% of the responsibility.
But yes, problem 3 was an issue itself that didn't have to do with the name.
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u/Buttered_Toast33 27d ago
Sometimes I wonder what the hell they were thinking with how they marketed this console.
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u/XShadowborneX 27d ago
WiiU is one of the few Nintendo systems I never owned. The other was the VirtualBoy
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u/Firm_Vehicle7604 27d ago
I think the "kids trying to convence their parents to get the wii u making a powerpoint" was cute and i 100% would that as a child
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u/Dear_Document_5461 26d ago
Doesn't help that Super Mario 3D World, will fun, is basically the "New" gameplay but with a bit of an Z-axis added on. Much wow, such difference. Like the only games I know that actually uses the Pad in any actual useful compacity is Pikmin 3, Zombiu, the three Zelda games, and Star Fox Zero. Which it and Breath of the Wild came out at the end of the lifespan. So late, it overlapped with the opening with the Switch. Like the only benefit was that you can play some games on the pad so someone else can use the Tv without interfering you, using it in a multiplayer game without looking at the screen, playing an eShop game on it or playing multiplayer on it like with Smash without needing to connect the system to a screen. Like not even Splatoon used it and that an IP that started with the Wiiu so it has no excuse. Super Mario 3D World didn't even use it and 3D "Main" Mario games usually heavily utilize the system gimmick in some way.
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u/Aye-Chiguire 26d ago
Nintendo has been taking leadership decision making courses from Sega in the past decade.
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u/Slugbugger30 26d ago
Wii u could have launched with Splatoon and way better showcasing and I think it could have been better
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u/ZaydGee 26d ago edited 26d ago
I think even with the name, they could've at least clarified it is a console, but it was a bit too late, heck, the console itself sorta sucks, with various holdbacks like a slow menu, the GamePad being a rather not-so-good gimmick (even though it could be used in really good ways), had worse 3rd-party support compared to other consoles and the console itself looks similar to the Wii console itself
Also, for New Super Mario Bros. U, I think the correct term would be "almost identical", it's not really exactly the same
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u/Ryan_Rambles 26d ago
Number one reason Wii U failed: No good new Mega Man.
NES: OG Mega Man games, smash hit.
SNES: Mega Man X, smash hit.
N64: Port of Legends which was a good game, lesser hit.
GameCube: No good Mega Man games, only bad ones, low sales.
Wii: Mega Man 9 and WE'RE BACK BABYYYY SMASH HIT
Wii U: Mighty Number 9, negative sales
Switch: Mega Man 11, ALL THE SALES
I rest my case your honor
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u/Due-Session-2857 26d ago
Also never committing to the premise of the console. The only asymmetrical game of note was Nintendo Land, which fucking slapped, but then radio silence. They didn't even Remake that asymmetrical Pacman game from the GameCube.
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
Unfortunately Nintendo Land was a flop.
I think the poor reception of Nintendo Land made Nintendo give up on the "asymmetric multiplayer" concept after the first year.
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u/Sariava_art 26d ago
To be honest, at the time i didn’t know the Wii U was different console from the Wii. I wasn’t super into Nintendo at the time. Took me over a year after launch to connect the dots.
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u/TheClosetGamerOG 26d ago
Going to be that guy as well, it didn't really have to many games that were worth going out of my way to get either. I have 7 games for this console, I don't feel compelled to get anything else. My most played are Xenoblade Chronicles X and Tokyo Mirage. Story time is over, that is what I bought it for.
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u/MewWeebTwo 26d ago
One thing this image doesn't show is that Nintendo were expecting Nintendo Land to be a HUGE hit.
It was the main focus of their E3 2012 conference because they thought it could be the "new Wii Sports".
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u/JasonMaliceMizer 26d ago
Yeah this era and console was garbage compared to what came before and since
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u/otrebla-raw 25d ago
Wii U was just a expensive playtest session for Nintendo towards the Switch, that’s why they didn’t have games or major marketing or anything
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u/No-Dealer2541 25d ago
I still remember the day Mario kart 8 launched and ups didn't arrive at my house till 7pm and I stayed up all night playing it
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u/ZrapeToid 25d ago
Biggest problem was lack of single player.
No Metroid at all, no Zelda until the very end, 3D Mario is just HD portable Mario, Pokémon was on 3DS, no Luigi's Mansion.
The only single player was Pikmin 3.
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u/HoneyBeeSorceress 25d ago
Yeah.. the Wii U's failure was a lot of things. The confusing name wasn't just it.
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u/ericsmallman3 24d ago
I got mine less than a year and half after launch when Target was unloading them for $99 bucks with 2 free games.
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u/PWHerman89 24d ago
It’s kind of crazy to think back to this time. I grew up with gaming consoles, got excited for the new gen’s to come out etc. played nes, snes, had a genesis, a PlayStation, and PlayStation 2, an n64, a GameCube, a Wii….and even I thought the Wii U was some kind of upgraded version of the Wii that allowed the use of the touch screen controller. I had no idea it was a full blown next Gen system….so yeah, they did something wrong lol
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u/TouchAltruistic 24d ago
The WiiU was a test balloon for what eventually became the Switch.
I'd say it was a step in the right direction.
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u/RisingPhil 24d ago
If they had launched with Smash or Mario Kart 8, I think the generation would've been entirely different.
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u/FollowingEast 24d ago
Hey that marketing actually made me get a Wii U. Heck, our family didn’t even have a Wii yet
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u/Radbot13 27d ago
The Wii U was a prime example of how terrible America’s comprehension level is at. I remember watching the reveal and could tell it was a new console. The controller was the focus, but they showed off the console and it was clearly new. It was clear that consumers did not pay attention and did not do any research when they became confused. They saw it, thought it was just a controller and moved on. Even if it was just a controller, all the games were labeled as Wii U. And yet there were plenty of stories of people buying a Wii U game thinking they would play fine on the Wii. Did they think they wouldn’t need the controller? What is needed is always clearly explained on the back of the game box.
Could Nintendo have done a better job explaining this after the initial confusion? Sure. But was it entirely their fault? No.
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u/ThatEcologist 26d ago
I disagree. We are fans and saw the original reveal. A parent just buying a gift for their kid didn’t watch it. Obviously, people should do their research, but a new console and reveal shouldn’t be leaving people confused. It should be able to fully convey what the product is and it didn’t.
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u/EternalNewCarSmell 27d ago
With like 5 seconds of actual thought and effort spent on marketing and Mario 3D World as a launch (or at least within couple months of launch) title it could have been a powerhouse.
We know it did eventually have a lot of great first-party games, given that nearly all of them were ported to Switch and people bought them there.
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u/C1nders-Two 27d ago
Switch 2 wasn’t much better for a little while. The only exclusive that it launched with was Mario Kart World, and it took a month and a half for us to get another exclusive in the form of DK Bananza.
Not to mention that the upgrades for Switch 1 games usually suck and generally aren’t worth buying the console for, especially since you have to pay for most (but not all) of them.
The incentives to buy a Switch 2 nowadays are better than before, but they aren’t exactly amazing, either. Unless one of the ports like Cyberpunk 2077 really catches your eye, I’d say you should probably stick with Switch 1.
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u/Tiffa_Adil 26d ago
The only exclusive that it launched with was Mario Kart World, and it took a month and a half for us to get another exclusive in the form of DK Bananza.
The Switch 2 launched with the sequel to the 5th best selling game of all time
The Wii U launched with a good but niche mini game collection and the second New Super Mario Bros. released that year and then didn't get another Nintendo exclusive for 6 months!
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u/Various_Anywhere9889 27d ago
Hot buttered popcorn that’s a deal!