The Wii U is a home video game console created by Nintendo and the successor to the Wii. The system was released on November 18, 2012 in North America, on November 30, 2012 in PAL regions, and on December 8, 2012 in Japan. As the first entry in the eighth generation of video game home consoles, it competed with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.
The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics. The system's primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touchscreen. The screen can be used either as a supplement to the main display (either providing an alternate, asymmetric gameplay experience, or a means of local multiplayer without resorting to a split screen), or in supported games, to play the game directly on the GamePad independently of the television. Games can support any combination of the GamePad, Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Balance Board, or Nintendo's more traditionally designed Classic Controller or Wii U Pro Controller for input. The Wii U is backwards compatible with most games released for the Wii. Online functionality on the Wii U centers around the Nintendo Network platform and Miiverse, an integrated social networking service which allows users to share content in game-specific communities.
Critical response to the Wii U was mixed. It was praised for its innovative GamePad controller, improvements to online functionality over the Wii, backward compatibility with Wii software and peripherals, and price. However, it was criticized for its user interface and functionality, and the GamePad's short battery life. It had low sales, primarily credited to a weak lineup of launch games, limited third-party support, and poor marketing including the lack of distinguishing the unique functionality of the GamePad from just being a tablet device for the Wii. Production of the Wii U ended on January 31, 2017. On March 3, 2017, Nintendo released its successor, the Nintendo Switch, which retained and refined concepts introduced with the Wii U.
Trivia[]
- Nintendo manufactures a similar line of "Toys to Life" product known as amiibo.
- Coincidentally, a little less than two years before Sonic the Hedgehog's Level Pack was released, Nintendo and SEGA collaborated to make a Sonic amiibo for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. This makes Sonic the only character to have both a LEGO Dimensions pack and an amiibo figure.
- This is the only Nintendo console to have LEGO Dimensions on it. Had LEGO Dimensions been ported to the Nintendo Switch, it likely would’ve been playable only in TV mode.