Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo Wii U, the HD detour with a GamePad

The Nintendo Wii U arrived in late 2012 as Nintendo’s successor to the Wii, and it brought a few things the company had not done before. It was the first Nintendo home console with HD graphics, and its GamePad added a touchscreen to the usual buttons and sticks. In our catalog, there are 205 games for it, spanning 1970 to 2017, which is a very odd time range for a machine that ended up with a short life and a long tail.

It is also a console with personality. Some games lean on the GamePad, some ignore it, and some make you wonder whether anyone in the room is going to argue about the controller again. That mix, plus backward compatibility with Wii software and accessories, gives the Wii U a catalog that feels broader than the machine’s commercial story might suggest.

What the Wii U is

The Wii U is a home video game console developed by Nintendo, released in late 2012 and discontinued on January 31, 2017. It came with the Wii U GamePad, which includes an embedded touchscreen, a D-pad, analog sticks, and action buttons. That screen can act as a second display or, in supported games, take over the action entirely. It also works with Wii U Pro Controller, Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Balance Board, and Classic Controller support, which kept it close to the Wii in spirit while pushing into HD.

It was backward compatible with Wii software and accessories, and its online features included Nintendo Network and Miiverse. The console was praised for the GamePad, backward compatibility, lower price compared with competitors, and its first-party library. It was also criticised for its interface, hardware performance, and the GamePad’s short battery life. The Wii U sold 13.56 million units worldwide before Nintendo moved on to the Nintendo Switch.

What to play first

If you want a sense of the Wii U at a glance, start with the games that show its range. Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag bring familiar big-budget swagger. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival and Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits sit much closer to Nintendo’s own ideas of play, while Art Academy: Sketchpad is all about making and doodling rather than saving the world with a sword. 007 Legends, Balloon Fight, and 1080° Snowboarding round out a spread that feels pleasantly untidy.

For something more offbeat, try Affordable Space Adventures, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW!, Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations, Angry Birds Star Wars, Angry Birds Trilogy, and Barbie and Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue. The catalog also includes work from Nintendo, Ubisoft, Nintendo EAD, Bandai Namco Entertainment, and PlatinumGames, so the platform’s identity comes from many directions at once. That is usually a good sign, even when the console itself took its time getting there.

FAQ