Here's some background information on this series came to be: The Story of the Wii U was never on my radar when I was making videos. When I decided to give UA-cam one final try in 2020, I started with the DS and planned on making the great console war after that. But something special happened during the summer of 2020. After roughly a year of hunting, I completed my north American Wii U collection. All 164 physical titles were in my possession and I added one more when Shakedown Hawaii was released. I felt proud of my achievement and wanted to celebrate. I don't remember the exact date I began working on videos. I was sometime after I finished editing the Frontlines video. I basically worked non-stop on these videos for over a month. I was writing an episode a day and then editing them almost as fast. I had two episodes completely finished on September 15. The remaining three episodes still had a lot of work left, but I took the rest of the week off anyway. On September 16, my partner gave birth to our son. I didn't get back to editing until the next week. I spent three straight days in my living room editing for 8 to 10 hours a day to try and get everything done. My son was a week old and I had plenty of family and friends around watch my baby. I grinded out the final product, made my thumbnails and decided to take a week off. That week would turn into a few months. Having a young child is incredibly draining on one's energy and it takes a ton of creative output to make these videos on the grind that I was doing. The series was a huge success btw! After the first episode premiered it had over 1000 views, which was crazy to me. My videos never did that well so close to release. In the coming weeks, UA-cam would start promoting my videos through the algorithm and bringing in all of you wonderful people. You take the time out of your day to watch what I've made and I'm so grateful for that. This series is also dedicated to my son. While I didn't spend much time working on the series after he was born, the weeks leading up to his birth were dominated by work on this series and with my day job. I'll always remember this series as the one leading up to my son's birth and it will hold a special place in my heart because of it.
Interesting, it is the opposite for me. I felt the Wii and DS era was much better overall. The 3DS was a great console, but wasn't a fan of the Wii U honestly
The Wii U reminded me a lot of the GameCube, we just got a lot of great 1st party games from Nintendo. Sure I would have loved to seen more 3rd and 2nd party games as well but at least Nintendo came through for us with some really great games.
@@buckroger6456 arket-wise it was more akin to GameCube than Virtual Boy (meaning it was minimally profitable, lasted a few years instead of a few months, but since Wikipedia didn't exist in 2001 people forget GC was considered a "commercial failure", just as they called Wii U in 2012- yeah, their first year they were each branded that).
This was the only Nintendo system I didn't buy brand new besides the NES For some odd reason I found not one game worth playing. Not Smash,not Legend of Zelda,not Paper Mario or any Mario games. Breath of the Wild was def more of a Switch game in my opinion
@@jackson5116 True, the Gamecube reliy on to much 1st party titles then the 3rd party titles plus most people forgot that the Gamecube use mini-dvds that upset the 3rd party developers to where they abandon Gamecube for PS2 since PS2 used full size dvds that hold up to 6 to 8gigs of data.
I think I still play my Wii U more than my Switch. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the Switch just hasn't really resonated with me like the two previous consoles did. The one thing I do appreciate on the Switch is it has a good selection of racing games that aren't karting.
@@ressljs for me it's the UI and library of games in comparison compared to the Wii U and Wii. Even though they ported over alot of Wii U games, it just doesn't have that same feel I can't describe.
Only piece of damage mine has is a really tiny chip in the plastic from when I accidentally dropped it a few years ago, gotta love that Nintendium that Nintendo’s systems are made from lmao
I was so hyped for the Wii U back in the day. 2012 was so exciting for me. I watched so many videos on the games and unboxings of the console! I got the Deluxe Set in December 2012 and got all the games I wanted for Christmas that year! NSMBU was my most anticipated game at that time, I thought it looked so much fun and beautiful! No matter how much people hate on this system, I’ll forever love mine. It brought me so much joy over its life, and I still play it to this day too! The Wii U is such a great console, and it’s so sad so many people doing nothing else but hate on it nowadays.
Believe it or not. My favorite Nintendo console. A commercial flop no doubt, and that was Nintendo's fault. However, not just Nintendo fans, but TRUE GAMERS know how great a console the Wii U is and it's library. Just look at the Switch's first party library. More than half are ports of the Wii U titles.
Agreed out of the Wii, 3DS, DS & Wii U as my only Nintendo consoles I enjoy the Wii U the most. Sure the others have their benefits and games but to me the Wii U was an interesting consoles that does everything I want instead of needing a Vita/Phone and PS4 for Remote Play, Gyro, having AV out if I want and approaching games from Nintendo as I haven't tried many of theirs before (Virtual Console or Wii/Wii U) and it's been interesting.
The switch's livrary started out as a carry over from the wii-u. Nintendo knew how great the games on the wii-u were, so they brought it over to the switch. The switch has great games on its own, but bringing over the wii-u's good games was definitely a good way to show people what they were missing. Edit: Livrary.....lol I'm keeping that in.
@@MeatEatingVegan777 In some cases yes. Many of them are good and as new/coming back to Nintendo after trying the Wii/DS very briefly (I still own them) but still being into PS/Xbox prior I have enjoyed the Wii U/3DS as a refresh (not played many of the third parties on it but for the few first/indie/third party I do have they are a lot of fun and showcase the system well). The gimmicks and collecting/branching out has been a worthy experience, trying different genres and Nintendo's style has been interesting and even going for platforms even if they are failures they still have an appeal I'm willing to try and get the most out of them. And the Switch is just a screen with 2 Wii Remotes on the side concept I remember seeing in a few videos. The point of the Switch as a hybrid of console and handheld/portable controllers, HD Rumble and still providing split-screen multiplayer is a good idea I won't deny that. The 2 screen approach is lost though but obviously they can be just menus or mapped to buttons compared to less of the HUD on the TV and more on the gamepad/more things active and accessible. That and i know many people don't care for second screen experiences (that or TV/Gamepad compared to the DS having the screens closer) but eh, to me it's sad it's gone. The Switch is good but I don't own one so I can't say much other than I see the appeal/understand what the console does. I'm waiting for the right games on it (Bayonetta 3/Metroid Prime 4) as I don't rebuy games I have on a platform which the Switch has many I own on PS3/360 already but the few I don't I'll likely go for.
They should have ported a few wii titles to the Wii U for more initial releases like the switch is doing now. Make them HD, add content and add online features.
@@shawnd567 Didn't they just make sequels to a handful of Wii games? Like you have Wii Sports Club which is Wii Sports in HD with a few tweaks, Wii Fit U which I assume is more content, Wii Party U and then many of the major Nintendo games like Donkey Kong Country, Mario Bros U/Luigi U being DLC and a few others I could list. While some would have been a good idea, but as the Wii U is backwards compatible and many of it's games were similar to the Wii anyways I think they already did that in a way. That and obviously some 3DS games were also reworked to be on Wii U like Mario 3D World or Wii U to 3DS like Poochy and Yoshi's Wooly World (I don't think Star Fox Zero/Starfox 64 3D counts but I think they could due to just being a remaster again of 64). And if you want to count the remasters of Zelda and other games on the system even though they do have their own additions that make them feel great to play/feel like they use the Wii U well. That's just what I've noticed when I look at the library as someone that only started collecting for Wii U for a few years now and any time the system is brought up what games I see that seem similar and those that are different on/exclusive to the system. I'm no expert on Nintendo systems, I'm still getting used to what they have done but when I look that's what I've noticed at least with the Wii U library from research and based on what I own as I've been collecting for the Wii and Wii U.
I really miss Satoru Iwata. You can tell when someone is truly passionate about their career, and the effects were felt in every game he took part in creating.
If they differentiated themselves from the wii it may have done better, example the switch is a portable beefed up wii u and look how well that is doing?
@@nathanthompson663 maybe the wii u being a failure is what made them make such a strong console in the switch, they need to make it a killer console or they probably wouldn’t be here today. Just look at sales vs the switch, the wii u only sold 13 million units and that was of December 2019 and the switch dwarfs it in much less time with 52 million units sold.
We still play our Wii U regularly. We love it so much we got four of them. One is the Zelda version. Unfortunately the code was lost but I ended up getting a physical version anyways. We now own all the Wii U games I would want and our collection is done. Far from all the games released but only the ones we actually wanted.
I got to open the Wii U on Christmas morning as well.. As a gift to my daughter. SHH! I really got it for ME! She loved it, but no where near as I Cherish it!
Nintendo has a long history of releasing a new console and then the most anticipated games not coming out til months after launch. Nintendo systems are known for having long game droughts.
That has been the case since they lost most of their third party support in the N64 days. Nintendo is usually making quite a good effort to support their systems with their own software, but that just isn't quite enough.
You truly deserve more subs. I know a lot of creators don't want to shill for subs inside of videos but with the amount of work you put in I think you should do it more.
I love me WiiU and still play it almost everyday. I have 5 different Zelda games and a bunch of other fun games that I can play with the family. While the controller may be a little bulky, after years of play, it works just as well now as it did the first day I played. It's too bad because it was marketed poorly, and I thought that there was a ton of potential with the game pad that was never fully taken advantage of.
I’m glad you made an episode on one of the most underrated, beautiful consoles that ever graced our land. The Wii U will always have a place in my heart. The machine is a powerful beast.
@@chiefbeef6251 Lately? Nintendo has ALWAYS done stuff like this. Iwata STARTED a lot of what Nintendo is doing today. Oh, but he said he's a gamer at heart and he did funny skits with Reggie, so it's like it never happened. Everyone was giving Iwata the backlash he deserved with the laundry list of problems he was responsible for especially during the Wii U are, but now that he's gone, everything was suddenly great under him? Can't wait for the next C.E.O. to replace Furukawa and screw things up and see people talk about him like he was an angel sent down from the heavens who did absolutely nothing wrong either. Under both Kimishima and Furukawa, the creator's program was abolished, the Switch wasn't Reigon-locked, they've stopped encouraging censorship, and the Switch actually had games prepared at launch, just saying.
@@buckroger6456 right but there weren’t many. Don’t get me wrong, there were some amazing games. It’s just that there was a very low quantity of them. Not enough to last a whole console generation, thus it only being produced for four years.
since it was discontinued in 2013 that's why. Had it lasted into 2016 or 2017 it'd be a different story, because then it'd have lasted 4 or 5 years, not 4 or 5 months.
So much research and thought put into this, from personal stories and opinions to in-depth facts and information. Thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic trip! Congrats on the success of the video and your life with your new family! Thanks!
Sony was reeeeally dumb with the Vita. Other than the pricy memory cards, the hardware was excellent and the 3DS at launch was on the ropes. But after a small handful disappointing releases, Sony just *quit.* I'm a Nintendo fanboy and even I find Sony's abandonment of the Vita to be baffling.
ill never understand what was so confusing about the e3 unveil of the wii u. i knew exactly what it was and thought it was a great system that had lots of great games
i think you just gotta put yourself in the shoes of a person who isn't into games and only owned a wii, the showcase at e3 11' barely detailed the console and solely focused on the gamepad, you could understand how it, with its initial marketing and name, could confuse a consumer
same issue with xbox right now, the name was terrible (wii 2 or better yet not using the wii branding would have been better). There's no way to know its a sequel unless one is paying attention to the announcement. It literally sounds like a wii add on.
I worked at Best Buy during this time too. I look back very fondly at those midnight releases. I remember buying the new game once everyone left, then we’d all go home and stay up all night playing. Then we’d come back to work the next day and talk about how awesome the new game was.
This was the first console that I ever truly followed. Despite the fact that it was a commercial failure, it holds a very special place in my heart since a few of my friends and I all followed the Wii U pretty closely, and we'd always be talking about the new games that were coming out for it. May Satoru Iwata, and this legendary console, rest in peace.
Thanks for this video. Wii U is a very special console for me cause I had stopped playing videogames after Nintendo64 and then I came back to the videogame world with my Wii U in 2014. And as u said, Nintendo is back to Brazil, 2020 was a great year for us because of that. I have my Nintendo Switch of course, but my Wii U has a special place in my heart! I bought 3 Wii U games yesterday, it is still hooked up to my tv! (jan/2021)
I found your channel today through your Xbox video (i can imagine it sucks to mostly be recognized for one video alone) and started watching your work. I gotta leave some love here: This channel is pure gold!!! I really like your style, superb quality and detailed information and can only wonder why only so few people have watched the videos. Greetings from Germany, im already excited for more content to come up here :)
What a magnificent documentary. I also love the wii u!! I still have my launch console 32 wii u and lots of games. It is still a blast to play it and even its not an old console. It is nostalgic for me
I still remember getting my Wii U in 2014 coming home from school I still love the console even though it doesn’t work anymore R.I.P. my Wii U 2014-2018
I bought a used Wii U recently for our family with two pro controllers. And BOY is it amazing! HD graphics, multiplayer indie games, the best eshop experience ever, super AAA titles, Super Mario 3D world and the incredible Splatoon original, some truly awesome Gamepad magic and Nintendoland. It's actually a defining console and people just didn't know what to make of it. Now with the switch out, I know that this was the inspiration for it. It's amazing.
27:08 really hit me, i got my Wii U the month after it came out at Christmas and I was so excited, surprised and happy. It was the last console I got as a gift from my parents.
As a 2010s kid, I loved the 3DS/Wii U generation of Nintendo. Being a Nintendo fan since 2011, I just loved the games they made. The 3DS was my first console and it was very good. Then the Wii U came and it was even better. I spent lots of gaming hours on the Wii U. It’s such an underrated gem. Too bad the console flopped. It’s the best console ever imo.
Wii U was my first Nintendo console, was basically a sony only gamer... I loved it and still play the system. Now I can say I am a proud playstationintendo gamer
Thank you for this video, I remember Nintendo’s E3’s showing off the Wii U, but I mostly remember Iwata’s video discussing the features. And of course King Reggie. But I never followed it much unfortunately. And while the Switch will surpass the Wii in overall sales, the mobile style menu after seven years is really underwhelming, and the fact that the Switch is essentially just a gaming device. The Switch made me realize how much I just miss the novelty of handhelds, and the 3DS/2DS as a whole. I wonder if the Switch might have actually had some charm, music if Iwata were still alive. For me personally though, I regret not getting a Wii U at launch, I definitely would have happily spent my time between games on the Miiverse. RIP Wii U. 😢❤
Playing Nintendoland with my daughter last weekend was amazing. It truly is an awesome console and have played it more in the last month than my Switch
I'm a fountain right now 🥺 I can't believe I'm crying for a man I barely know about, for a company CEO, but he was such a charismatic figure and he meant so much to my childhood and adolescence, that I really feel it like a loss 🤧 (And this many years later)
@@AkameGaKillfan777 Dude, you shut the hell up. You're not a saint for saying this message. People are still a sad after his death, and they have every right to be. If you keep trying to spread this message, then you'll be fighting for the test of your life or for at least as long as people still care about Iwata. Just accept that people will saying this, and being disrespectful as shit.
@@j-meister3284 These same people blasted him when he was actually alive during the 3DS/Wii U era, and I guarantee you the same will happen when Furukawa gets replaced.
OUTSTANDING video!! This is my first time seeing anything on your channel and I was blown away with the quality and how in-depth everything was, yet somehow was paced exceptionally well. I can't wait to watch more!!! Side note it was great to see such love for the Wii-U. I was one who contributed to it's original failure by passing it up, but I absolutely love mine now! I got one 3 years ago and actually it's now my first complete set as a collector. I continue to play it near daily to this day.Long live the Wii-U!!!
Fantastic breakdown; I was one of few kids at my college who played the Wii-U so religiously, so I remember each event vividly. This presentation has me feeling nostalgic. This channel's about to explode, I can tell. Great research and great delivery. Keep up the awesome work.
New viewer, this filled in a lot of gaps I didn't know about the Wii U as a 2 year owner of the system. A really well done look at it and a good 'complete series' video combining them all seamlessly.
The Saturn has amazing games, especially in Japan. Shmups, RPGs, fighters... It's one of my favorite consoles. It and the PC Engine/CD are my favorites that didn't do well here but did great-amazing in Japan.
I ended up not buying any 5th generation consoles, partly because after an initial reaction of "Ooh wow!" I quickly found myself turned off by the early 3D graphics. Of the three main consoles on the market, the Saturn is what I most wanted because of it's 2D games.
@@aegisreflector1239 Sega of Japan were focusing on arcade games cause arcades was still popular in Japan where as Arcades were a dieing thing in the western market cause gamers in the western market wanted to know what as can gameing consoles bring to the table besides arcade games.
WiiU was a fun console that I got to share with my daughters. We spent hours on Mario 3d world, and Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon. I will have those memories forever, thank you Nintendo and WiiU.
thank you for doing this video. I predict the Wii U will be rediscovered by the masses in a decade or so. When all the Switch hype will be gone and the focus will be on the games rather than on the sales data. I still love this console and I think the parallel with the Dreamcast is a good one, both consoles saw no chance of winning the market but still kept releasing amazing titles through the end.
It won't happen, the switch scrub Wii U owners in case you haven't got a switch, I'm skipping that port console, it's lame to see the compromise in first party orignal games in favor of ports
@@S5Dic09 plenty of Dreamcast titles, almost all of them, were later ported to Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo consoles. But still, the experience of playing Shenmue or Code Veronica on the original hardware is something special. Prices will only go up for the Wii U games, no matter how many Switch ports are made.
I stumbled on to your channel yesterday (the UA-cam algorithm finally comes through with quality content). It's nice to see an in depth analysis of the Wii U not boil down to "it sucked" or "total failure". While Nintendo never quite got the marketing or branding of the console quite right I can recall the company's multiple attempts to correct the situation. One such case was during E3 of 2013 when Nintendo sent demos of upcoming Wii U games to various Best Buy stores across the US for members of the public to try out. I remember other unique promotions Nintendo tried while I was employed with Best Buy. This video brought up quite a few memories. Thank you!
Great job! My family has every main console since they have dropped since early 90's and my 9 year old son swears by the WiiU! He loves the gamepad just like I did when it was released. I always felt/knew it was a stepping stone console but to this day fell it was always under appreciated for what happened with the Switch.
(Warning: the following comment is really long) I remember when I first got my Wii U like it was yesterday! It all started back in 2014. I was just a kid who simply when to school, did his homework and didn't know (or at least cared for) what videogames were. I was a happy boy, but then one day, I was invited to my friend's house and he introduced me to my first videogame console and videogame I had ever seen: the Wii U and Mario Kart 8! We started playing and..... I LOVED it! (Even though I was really bad at the game) Suddenly, something changed inside of me. I suddenly wanted to go back and play it again. I loved it so much that I BEGGED my parents to get a Wii U for either my birthday or Christmas. The months went by and every time we went to a mall or a shop, I immediately went looking to see if there was a game store and, of course, if they had any Wii U games, specifically Mario Kart 8. In fact, I didn't even care if they had a Wii U, I just wanted to see if they had the game. Then came Christmas 2014. Like any regular kid, I woke up and I immediately went to wake up my parents so we could open up the presents. There was one present that was shaped like a big box and just like any human being, I opened it first and suddenly I was the happiest kid in the world. I got a Wii U deluxe set that came with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land, but I was confused after seeing no Mario Kart in any of the presents, but like an idiot, I almost forgot to check the stockings. I checked them and there it was: Mario Kart 8! After that, my dad and I spent the rest of the day unboxing the Wii U, setting up all the data, like our Miis, language, county, etc, and playing Mario Kart 8. For the rest of December 2014 and January 2015, I was just playing Mario Kart 8 non-stop before I started school in February. I was just having so much fun learning the controls, unlocking all the characters , stamps and playing a lot of battle mode and online matches (Back then I didn't realize how bad the battle mode was. Don't judge me). Of course, I eventually played 3D World and Nintendo Land and as time passed by I got more and more Wii U games to play by myself and with my friends. I know this comment basically admits that I have A LOT of nostalgia for the Wii U, but I don't care. I love and will always love the Wii U (and Mario Kart 8, of course) and no amount of negative videos or switch ports will ever change that!!
I love my Wii U. Almost every game on the system is an amazing experience. I 100% Super Mario 3D World, and it was one of the most fun video games I've ever played. Alongside Mario Kart 8, Splatoon, Captain Toad, and Smash 4, the console was fantastic, and still has some games worth booting it up for.
Throughout me owning a Wii U since Christmas 2012, I honestly never saw any problems with the console and always saw the optimistic side of things, mostly because of the new HD feature it had, and since it had vWii, I could continue to remain satisfied with the console, and still give praise to its installments. I felt people took the Wii U for granted back then with the features it had. The option to still browse the internet, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services being available pretty much right away, and most of all, Virtual Console. The Wii U had it's bad moments, but it's a shame it was underpraised. The Switch may be doing better in terms of games being sold, with Wii U ports being brought on, but it lacked so much out of the box compared to the Wii and Wii U. Hulu is the only accessible streaming service available, and UA-cam was lucky to get a switch release too. There's no form of internet browsing, and worst of all, there's no Virtual Console whatsoever. I think at least VC would be a nice feature to have come back, bringing in the VC installments the Wii U had to offer, and introducing GameCube and 3DS installments too, all in HD, since Nintendo has such a problem with third-party emulation. The Switch is a revolutionary and legendary console yes, but the Wii U had more to offer right out of the box to be honest, but that's just me.
On the television show Southpark during the era of the wii they did a 3 part episode about cartman trying to get his hands on the wii.. when the wiiu came out they did a black Friday video game episode and didn't even mention the wiiu not even to make fun of it or critique it it was like it didn't even exist..
You know why i love ur vids and channel, cause you don't rely on bad cringe jokes like many do, you tell everything with passion and knowledge. Keep it up.
I absolutely adored the Wii U. Games like Nintendo Land and Affordable Space Adventures really showed off how incredible the dual-screen gameplay could be, it was just so unfortunate it wasn't expanded much beyond that. I loved my Wii U during it's run with the great first-party releases, amazing Virtual Console selection, and Wii library. As I'm not a Zelda fan, Paper Mario Color Splash was my personal swan-song for the console, and while it was absolutely frustrating at times, the absolute charm and character it had made up for it, and was an amazing last experience for me. Color Splash still ranks as having some of the funniest and best dialogue of any game I've played (beaten perhaps only by Portal 2).
I will always remember the Wii U. I remember the Christmas Day when I unwrapped the gift and was super excited to play.This is my first ever Nintendo console and is what got me into video games. My brother and I spent hours playing the legend of Zelda the windwaker and splatoon . The Nintendo switch is what got me back into Nintendo but I will always cherish the Wii U and I still have it till this day.
If the gamepad didn't lose connection. With the Switch. The tablet IS the system. So you can shit anywhere with no issue. In short, your friend must've been very happy.
@@totallyahuman5055 yes you can. It sure depends how far away your toilet is, but I could play the WiiU in basically any room in our appartement. Toilet included.
I love the Wii U. It was a good concept in a time where tablets were booming for Nintendo to jump on that train. Maybe the GamePad was the most misunderstood item; developers didn't knew what to do with it. I have very fond memories and still play it almost daily.
I think I would've been more engaged you had illustrated Nintendo's business situation more. Events like EA dropping the Wii U, Ubisoft not releasing a fully finished game, the horrid marketing, Nintendo's lack of capturing "mature" mainstream appeal, Nintendo's financial situation across the years, ect... You kind of do that at the end, but not often throughout the main body. The Saturn isn't a particularly good analogy, because it was a success. When looking into the business side, the Saturn (despite selling less than half the Wii U) turned a profit because SEGA reduced production costs to accommodate. Nintendo didn't.
You could make this a college presentation or project dude. Great job on this
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I love my Xbox One, but ... there's nothing on Xbox or Playstation near the beautiful music and sound fx of the Wii U , it's just magical , and I'm still playing gems like Xenoblade Chronicles X , Yoshi's Wooly World, Splatoon or BOTW.
This is possibly the most informative, concise, and best Wii U documentary I have ever seen. I am a lifelong Sega fanboy, but I have always felt that if Sega hadn't left the hardware business, they would have made the Wii (Sega Bass Fishing anyone?), and Wii U themselves. I have always felt that the Wii U is just a glorified VMU, and Sega would have released something VERY similar an entire generation prior, just with a smaller screen (say... 3.5 inches or so), with no touch capabilities (we talking 2004/2005. I know what you will say about the DS in 2004, but we talking R&D involved with a home console and much better console hardware). I have an absolute unhealthy love for my Wii U, and I chalk it back to Sega, and just the overall capabilities, and wasted opportunities of the console. SEGA!!!!!!
Ayo check the project called Pretendo out, please. It is a project that will bring back Miiverse and Miiverse capability in games + servers for when Nintendo will shut their own down. Its still in development but they already posted videos showing how far they have already progressed!
It's been exactly 8 years since Wii U debuted back on November 18th, 2012 here in the United States. The Wii U was Nintendo's first console to use the HD graphics up to 1080p. I still have my Wii U Deluxe in black color.
The wiiU/3DS era was a very special time for me and the connection I have with those consoles is significant because it marked a big change in how I embraced video games. For much of the 2000s video games had fallen into the background as a hobby that I tried to play down as little as possible and didn’t have a great deal of passion for. I bought a wii at launch after having been disappointed by the way the mainstream had embraced the GameCube. By the time the wiiU had been revealed I was left perplexed and with the impression that it was an add on for the wii. In December 2012 I can remember seeing a wiiU demo unit at JB hifi and finally realizing that it was a new console. And seeing its launch lineup which to me looked strong as it looked to me at the time that Nintendo had locked in third party support on par with the competition and had put all their previous struggles behind them and were all set for sustained success. By the time of E3 2013 I became aware of the wiiU’s struggles contrasted with the hype for PS4/xbone. That whole drama got me interested in video games after 2010/11 saw my interest in video games drop off in a huge way. It got me doing research into the three home consoles. I wasn’t all that set on getting any of them but I wanted to approach it with an open mind where if all three appealed I would get them and if none did then that’s as many as I’d buy. And ultimately I chose to get a 3DS and wiiU by 2014. Both had really cool Zelda editions that I was able to obtain. The announcement of some highly promising exclusives for me outweighed the extremely flaky third party support for wiiU. Despite the flow of new exciting games drying up badly in 2016 I enjoyed hunting for gems for it. Around 2015 I began to rediscover my love of game collecting which had been dormant since 2000. I began to learn at a geometric rate how the collecting market worked in the midst of online platforms such eBay and social media. The last time I could truly have called myself a collector I was hunting for Super Nintendo games in the late nineties through pawn shops and classified ads and was hugely limited without online access to broader markets. It took time to understand that the prices I’d previously paid for certain items were a thing of the past and that the increased availability of games through an online fueled secondary market was a beast worth understanding. All the same I started to learn that some games were niche enough to be worth obtaining at release for RRP while others were produced in such high quantity that by being patient could be obtained cheaper preowned or on special. That informed a lot of how I bought games for the wiiU and over time bought a lot of wiiU and 3DS gear, often at good prices well below RRP. And that passion for collecting has not wavered since and I’m enjoying collecting for the switch and I greatly appreciate that Nintendo have combined their portable and home console operations with the switch. As much as I love Nintendo’s portable consoles I did not love how their console library was split between two different machines which necessitated separate game libraries that would cannibalize development resources from one to the other and leave portable consoles as the more appealing option for third parties who saw it as more profitable.
Here's some background information on this series came to be:
The Story of the Wii U was never on my radar when I was making videos. When I decided to give UA-cam one final try in 2020, I started with the DS and planned on making the great console war after that. But something special happened during the summer of 2020. After roughly a year of hunting, I completed my north American Wii U collection. All 164 physical titles were in my possession and I added one more when Shakedown Hawaii was released. I felt proud of my achievement and wanted to celebrate.
I don't remember the exact date I began working on videos. I was sometime after I finished editing the Frontlines video. I basically worked non-stop on these videos for over a month. I was writing an episode a day and then editing them almost as fast. I had two episodes completely finished on September 15. The remaining three episodes still had a lot of work left, but I took the rest of the week off anyway. On September 16, my partner gave birth to our son. I didn't get back to editing until the next week. I spent three straight days in my living room editing for 8 to 10 hours a day to try and get everything done. My son was a week old and I had plenty of family and friends around watch my baby. I grinded out the final product, made my thumbnails and decided to take a week off. That week would turn into a few months. Having a young child is incredibly draining on one's energy and it takes a ton of creative output to make these videos on the grind that I was doing.
The series was a huge success btw! After the first episode premiered it had over 1000 views, which was crazy to me. My videos never did that well so close to release. In the coming weeks, UA-cam would start promoting my videos through the algorithm and bringing in all of you wonderful people. You take the time out of your day to watch what I've made and I'm so grateful for that.
This series is also dedicated to my son. While I didn't spend much time working on the series after he was born, the weeks leading up to his birth were dominated by work on this series and with my day job. I'll always remember this series as the one leading up to my son's birth and it will hold a special place in my heart because of it.
Watching it now, good production values and narration so far so good 👍
Yeah and good luck, in finding an affordable replacement. For the tablet or its battery.
Hey man, when WILL you get to do the history of the Switch?
@@xavierkrantz1098 Switch won't get one until after the PS4 and Xbox One.
@@DoubleDog Ah cool I see, so the Xbox One and PS4 history videos? When are you gonna do those?
The Wii U and 3DS era in the early to mid 2010’s will forever be a cherished time for me. I’m already getting nostalgic!
Agreed
For sure! I feel that the Wii U is somehow.. Better than the switch! Just more creativity and fun games were put into it, I believe.
DS/3DS will be always be cherished by me. So many fantastic games
@@The4Pikmin one million percent agree! Not all games were gems, but the ones that were WERE. You could even video chat on the thing
Interesting, it is the opposite for me. I felt the Wii and DS era was much better overall. The 3DS was a great console, but wasn't a fan of the Wii U honestly
I will always love the Wii U. I’ll forever look back at that generation fondly.
Same. Go 2010s kids!
The Wii U reminded me a lot of the GameCube, we just got a lot of great 1st party games from Nintendo. Sure I would have loved to seen more 3rd and 2nd party games as well but at least Nintendo came through for us with some really great games.
@@buckroger6456 arket-wise it was more akin to GameCube than Virtual Boy (meaning it was minimally profitable, lasted a few years instead of a few months, but since Wikipedia didn't exist in 2001 people forget GC was considered a "commercial failure", just as they called Wii U in 2012- yeah, their first year they were each branded that).
This was the only Nintendo system I didn't buy brand new besides the NES
For some odd reason I found not one game worth playing. Not Smash,not Legend of Zelda,not Paper Mario or any Mario games. Breath of the Wild was def more of a Switch game in my opinion
@@jackson5116 True, the Gamecube reliy on to much 1st party titles then the 3rd party titles plus most people forgot that the Gamecube use mini-dvds that upset the 3rd party developers to where they abandon Gamecube for PS2 since PS2 used full size dvds that hold up to 6 to 8gigs of data.
I love my WiiU, still have it hooked up to my TV today.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Same.
I think I still play my Wii U more than my Switch. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the Switch just hasn't really resonated with me like the two previous consoles did. The one thing I do appreciate on the Switch is it has a good selection of racing games that aren't karting.
@@schadenfreude6274 Shut up hater
@@ressljs for me it's the UI and library of games in comparison compared to the Wii U and Wii. Even though they ported over alot of Wii U games, it just doesn't have that same feel I can't describe.
there is a character in Zelda Breath of the Wild who represents Iwata
And the mountain with the legend horse is a play on his name
2014 was a great year for WiiU, Bayonetta > Super Mario 3D World > Mario Kart > Smash> all the games I got.
Most definitely was! I'm shocked that year didn't help to really sell the Wii U.
Captain toad
@Windows98Gamer November 2013
@@buckroger6456 cause by that time Nintendo gave up on the Wii U where the PS4 was killing the Xbox one and the Wii U in hardware sales.
Yeah i have most of those on my switch. I hadn't owned a console for a long time so I didn't know that most of those games I had were wii u ports.
That Wii U gamepad is a beast. Dropped it down stairs and still was perfect.
Only piece of damage mine has is a really tiny chip in the plastic from when I accidentally dropped it a few years ago, gotta love that Nintendium that Nintendo’s systems are made from lmao
Yeah lets try that with my switch.
Damn that switch couldn't even last longer than my phone 😔👎
@@jonathanwade3882 😂
i dropped it off the top of my shelf and it broke
I guess they ran out of Nintendium.
I was so hyped for the Wii U back in the day. 2012 was so exciting for me. I watched so many videos on the games and unboxings of the console! I got the Deluxe Set in December 2012 and got all the games I wanted for Christmas that year! NSMBU was my most anticipated game at that time, I thought it looked so much fun and beautiful! No matter how much people hate on this system, I’ll forever love mine. It brought me so much joy over its life, and I still play it to this day too! The Wii U is such a great console, and it’s so sad so many people doing nothing else but hate on it nowadays.
Believe it or not. My favorite Nintendo console. A commercial flop no doubt, and that was Nintendo's fault. However, not just Nintendo fans, but TRUE GAMERS know how great a console the Wii U is and it's library. Just look at the Switch's first party library. More than half are ports of the Wii U titles.
Agreed out of the Wii, 3DS, DS & Wii U as my only Nintendo consoles I enjoy the Wii U the most. Sure the others have their benefits and games but to me the Wii U was an interesting consoles that does everything I want instead of needing a Vita/Phone and PS4 for Remote Play, Gyro, having AV out if I want and approaching games from Nintendo as I haven't tried many of theirs before (Virtual Console or Wii/Wii U) and it's been interesting.
The switch's livrary started out as a carry over from the wii-u. Nintendo knew how great the games on the wii-u were, so they brought it over to the switch. The switch has great games on its own, but bringing over the wii-u's good games was definitely a good way to show people what they were missing.
Edit: Livrary.....lol I'm keeping that in.
@@MeatEatingVegan777 In some cases yes. Many of them are good and as new/coming back to Nintendo after trying the Wii/DS very briefly (I still own them) but still being into PS/Xbox prior I have enjoyed the Wii U/3DS as a refresh (not played many of the third parties on it but for the few first/indie/third party I do have they are a lot of fun and showcase the system well).
The gimmicks and collecting/branching out has been a worthy experience, trying different genres and Nintendo's style has been interesting and even going for platforms even if they are failures they still have an appeal I'm willing to try and get the most out of them.
And the Switch is just a screen with 2 Wii Remotes on the side concept I remember seeing in a few videos.
The point of the Switch as a hybrid of console and handheld/portable controllers, HD Rumble and still providing split-screen multiplayer is a good idea I won't deny that.
The 2 screen approach is lost though but obviously they can be just menus or mapped to buttons compared to less of the HUD on the TV and more on the gamepad/more things active and accessible.
That and i know many people don't care for second screen experiences (that or TV/Gamepad compared to the DS having the screens closer) but eh, to me it's sad it's gone.
The Switch is good but I don't own one so I can't say much other than I see the appeal/understand what the console does.
I'm waiting for the right games on it (Bayonetta 3/Metroid Prime 4) as I don't rebuy games I have on a platform which the Switch has many I own on PS3/360 already but the few I don't I'll likely go for.
They should have ported a few wii titles to the Wii U for more initial releases like the switch is doing now. Make them HD, add content and add online features.
@@shawnd567 Didn't they just make sequels to a handful of Wii games? Like you have Wii Sports Club which is Wii Sports in HD with a few tweaks, Wii Fit U which I assume is more content, Wii Party U and then many of the major Nintendo games like Donkey Kong Country, Mario Bros U/Luigi U being DLC and a few others I could list. While some would have been a good idea, but as the Wii U is backwards compatible and many of it's games were similar to the Wii anyways I think they already did that in a way. That and obviously some 3DS games were also reworked to be on Wii U like Mario 3D World or Wii U to 3DS like Poochy and Yoshi's Wooly World (I don't think Star Fox Zero/Starfox 64 3D counts but I think they could due to just being a remaster again of 64). And if you want to count the remasters of Zelda and other games on the system even though they do have their own additions that make them feel great to play/feel like they use the Wii U well. That's just what I've noticed when I look at the library as someone that only started collecting for Wii U for a few years now and any time the system is brought up what games I see that seem similar and those that are different on/exclusive to the system. I'm no expert on Nintendo systems, I'm still getting used to what they have done but when I look that's what I've noticed at least with the Wii U library from research and based on what I own as I've been collecting for the Wii and Wii U.
I really miss Satoru Iwata. You can tell when someone is truly passionate about their career, and the effects were felt in every game he took part in creating.
If the messaging was clear it could’ve been huge like the switch now
If they differentiated themselves from the wii it may have done better, example the switch is a portable beefed up wii u and look how well that is doing?
I think if it was successful we wouldn't have the switch now.. probably some crappier console...
@@nathanthompson663 maybe the wii u being a failure is what made them make such a strong console in the switch, they need to make it a killer console or they probably wouldn’t be here today. Just look at sales vs the switch, the wii u only sold 13 million units and that was of December 2019 and the switch dwarfs it in much less time with 52 million units sold.
@@z-herb8006 Switch is at 75 million dude lol!
@@davidtmedia3866 sorry I think at the time I read older information
42:40 really made me cry. So sad to hear this man pass away, he was truly a huge inspiration to me as well as a kid.
We still play our Wii U regularly. We love it so much we got four of them. One is the Zelda version. Unfortunately the code was lost but I ended up getting a physical version anyways. We now own all the Wii U games I would want and our collection is done. Far from all the games released but only the ones we actually wanted.
I thought I had too many with two Wii u's!
@@DoubleDog we couldn't help ourselves...🙄It just worked out that way. We collect a lot of systems but that's the only one we have multiples of.
I got to open the Wii U on Christmas morning as well.. As a gift to my daughter. SHH! I really got it for ME! She loved it, but no where near as I Cherish it!
Me too
The wii u has an amazing virtual console line-up. Donkey Kong tropical freeze was one of my favorites.
lol
Damn. I miss the Wii U days.
I still gotta pick up Fatal Frame before it’s too late.
I did that already
Nintendo has a long history of releasing a new console and then the most anticipated games not coming out til months after launch. Nintendo systems are known for having long game droughts.
Yeah, it's always a really safe bet to buy their console a year or two later than release. Not gonna miss much.
You mean years not months
@@Snellemarkt you do realise that some games happen to be delayed for just months too.
That has been the case since they lost most of their third party support in the N64 days. Nintendo is usually making quite a good effort to support their systems with their own software, but that just isn't quite enough.
and most games from the switch are just ports of the WiiU with some enhancements
These consoles were perfect for my kids as the oldest was 2 when the Wii came out and to this day we still play Nintendo Land and Mario Party.
The Wii U is officially 10 years old damn time goes fast 😢
The Wii U walked so the Switch could run. Respect.
Cant wait till they r 3rd party so I don’t gotta spend hundreds to just play a few first party lol
@@B727X they have the most popular console on the market and enough money to survive if the next one flops, don't get your hopes up.
@@B727X not going to happen 😂
B727X
Nintendo isnt Sega, yknow.
While Sega failed spectacularly in launching a system midcycle, Nintendo did it. Successfully.
You truly deserve more subs. I know a lot of creators don't want to shill for subs inside of videos but with the amount of work you put in I think you should do it more.
The most underrated gaming system of All-time!
I would say that is the Dreamcast
He isn’t talking about the GameCube tho
@@ThomastheDankEngine8900 PS Vita
@@aegisreflector1239 that’s a damn lie; Wii U is much more underrated
@@javiersaenz1040 The vita isn’t a console but you’re right it’s the most underrated gaming device ever created
I love me WiiU and still play it almost everyday. I have 5 different Zelda games and a bunch of other fun games that I can play with the family. While the controller may be a little bulky, after years of play, it works just as well now as it did the first day I played. It's too bad because it was marketed poorly, and I thought that there was a ton of potential with the game pad that was never fully taken advantage of.
Lmao my 2ds has...5 Zelda games on it too, all 3 gbc games plus oot and MM
I’m glad you made an episode on one of the most underrated, beautiful consoles that ever graced our land. The Wii U will always have a place in my heart. The machine is a powerful beast.
EXACTLY.
Nah, only dumb people like it
@@chillswany WoAh EdGeLoRd AhEaD
@@Narusasu98 nah not 14 years old to be "edgelord😎"
@@chillswany ayeee a 8 year old who had no actual childhood yet poor thing :((((
Every time I see the fan art for Satoru Iwata it makes me ball my eyes out It’s so fucking sad :((((
Nintendo died when Iwata passed 🙏🏾
@@thefitgurutv shut up no
@@thefitgurutv You people need to do more research.
@@AkameGaKillfan777 I think they're referring to how anti-consumer Nintendo has been lately.
@@chiefbeef6251 Lately? Nintendo has ALWAYS done stuff like this. Iwata STARTED a lot of what Nintendo is doing today. Oh, but he said he's a gamer at heart and he did funny skits with Reggie, so it's like it never happened.
Everyone was giving Iwata the backlash he deserved with the laundry list of problems he was responsible for especially during the Wii U are, but now that he's gone, everything was suddenly great under him?
Can't wait for the next C.E.O. to replace Furukawa and screw things up and see people talk about him like he was an angel sent down from the heavens who did absolutely nothing wrong either. Under both Kimishima and Furukawa, the creator's program was abolished, the Switch wasn't Reigon-locked, they've stopped encouraging censorship, and the Switch actually had games prepared at launch, just saying.
I absolutely loved the Wii U and feel that it gets way too much hate.
Exactly. #GOGENZ
I think it was just because of the overall lack of good games
@@milesrowe9228 I doubt that since those games became some of the most requested and best selling switch games.
@@buckroger6456 right but there weren’t many.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some amazing games. It’s just that there was a very low quantity of them. Not enough to last a whole console generation, thus it only being produced for four years.
since it was discontinued in 2013 that's why. Had it lasted into 2016 or 2017 it'd be a different story, because then it'd have lasted 4 or 5 years, not 4 or 5 months.
So much research and thought put into this, from personal stories and opinions to in-depth facts and information. Thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic trip!
Congrats on the success of the video and your life with your new family!
Thanks!
Everytime I hear about Iwata I cry still after almost 6 years
RIP Iwata
Looking at the artwork with Kirby trying to give him a M Tomato it breaks me, so young such talent will forever be missed
Wii U and PSVita are so under appreciated
Sony was reeeeally dumb with the Vita.
Other than the pricy memory cards, the hardware was excellent and the 3DS at launch was on the ropes.
But after a small handful disappointing releases, Sony just *quit.*
I'm a Nintendo fanboy and even I find Sony's abandonment of the Vita to be baffling.
ill never understand what was so confusing about the e3 unveil of the wii u. i knew exactly what it was and thought it was a great system that had lots of great games
simple, parents are dumb. XD
i think you just gotta put yourself in the shoes of a person who isn't into games and only owned a wii, the showcase at e3 11' barely detailed the console and solely focused on the gamepad, you could understand how it, with its initial marketing and name, could confuse a consumer
"New controller"
It's not their fault there not hardcore gamers nintnedo marketing is confusing
same issue with xbox right now, the name was terrible (wii 2 or better yet not using the wii branding would have been better). There's no way to know its a sequel unless one is paying attention to the announcement. It literally sounds like a wii add on.
I love my WIi U. I kinda scoffed at it at first, but when Insaw the Zombiu bundle I finally gave in.
I worked at Best Buy during this time too. I look back very fondly at those midnight releases. I remember buying the new game once everyone left, then we’d all go home and stay up all night playing. Then we’d come back to work the next day and talk about how awesome the new game was.
This was the first console that I ever truly followed. Despite the fact that it was a commercial failure, it holds a very special place in my heart since a few of my friends and I all followed the Wii U pretty closely, and we'd always be talking about the new games that were coming out for it. May Satoru Iwata, and this legendary console, rest in peace.
Thanks for this video. Wii U is a very special console for me cause I had stopped playing videogames after Nintendo64 and then I came back to the videogame world with my Wii U in 2014.
And as u said, Nintendo is back to Brazil, 2020 was a great year for us because of that.
I have my Nintendo Switch of course, but my Wii U has a special place in my heart!
I bought 3 Wii U games yesterday, it is still hooked up to my tv! (jan/2021)
I found your channel today through your Xbox video (i can imagine it sucks to mostly be recognized for one video alone) and started watching your work.
I gotta leave some love here: This channel is pure gold!!! I really like your style, superb quality and detailed information and can only wonder why only so few people have watched the videos.
Greetings from Germany, im already excited for more content to come up here :)
What a magnificent documentary. I also love the wii u!! I still have my launch console 32 wii u and lots of games. It is still a blast to play it and even its not an old console. It is nostalgic for me
We all miss you Iwata.
Gone too soon
I still remember getting my Wii U in 2014 coming home from school I still love the console even though it doesn’t work anymore R.I.P. my Wii U 2014-2018
Love my Wii U
I bought a used Wii U recently for our family with two pro controllers. And BOY is it amazing! HD graphics, multiplayer indie games, the best eshop experience ever, super AAA titles, Super Mario 3D world and the incredible Splatoon original, some truly awesome Gamepad magic and Nintendoland. It's actually a defining console and people just didn't know what to make of it. Now with the switch out, I know that this was the inspiration for it. It's amazing.
Splatoon looks like something Sega would've come up with for the Dreamcast.
Now that you say it… absolutely! The first title reminds me definitely of Jetset Radio
looks more like a wiiu game made by nintendo
Splatoon 2 is a very very legit game I seriously suggest you try it with online.
27:08 really hit me, i got my Wii U the month after it came out at Christmas and I was so excited, surprised and happy. It was the last console I got as a gift from my parents.
I remember getting a Wii U all the way back in 2013 with Nintendo land and Super Mario 3D World installed on it
I had a a Wii U and enjoyed it, but thankful for the Switch era... Wii U was a test drive for Switch and necessary. Very thorough series 💯.
As a 2010s kid, I loved the 3DS/Wii U generation of Nintendo. Being a Nintendo fan since 2011, I just loved the games they made. The 3DS was my first console and it was very good. Then the Wii U came and it was even better. I spent lots of gaming hours on the Wii U. It’s such an underrated gem. Too bad the console flopped. It’s the best console ever imo.
The ads for the Wii U are the best ads ever and you can’t argue against me.
Wii U was my first Nintendo console, was basically a sony only gamer... I loved it and still play the system. Now I can say I am a proud playstationintendo gamer
Thank you for this video, I remember Nintendo’s E3’s showing off the Wii U, but I mostly remember Iwata’s video discussing the features. And of course King Reggie. But I never followed it much unfortunately.
And while the Switch will surpass the Wii in overall sales, the mobile style menu after seven years is really underwhelming, and the fact that the Switch is essentially just a gaming device. The Switch made me realize how much I just miss the novelty of handhelds, and the 3DS/2DS as a whole.
I wonder if the Switch might have actually had some charm, music if Iwata were still alive. For me personally though, I regret not getting a Wii U at launch, I definitely would have happily spent my time between games on the Miiverse. RIP Wii U. 😢❤
There was never a sadder moment than my Wii U gamepad not working, I love the Wii U such a good console
Playing Nintendoland with my daughter last weekend was amazing. It truly is an awesome console and have played it more in the last month than my Switch
This video convinced me to buy a Wii U. I won't buy a Switch until 2027.
@Gord Man I bought my Wii U 2 weeks ago. $225 dollars for the console, gamepad & 60 games
Nearly all WiiU games have been ported to switch
@@totallyahuman5055 yeah and they're expensive as shit. No thanks.
Why though?
@@Amexy-mr6lw why what? Why did I buy a Wii U, or why will I not buy a Switch until 2027?
Such a strong, informative video of contemporary gaming history. The Wii U is an interesting console that birthed the Switch through all of its flaws.
Am I the only one who cried like a baby at the end? I miss Iwata more than I could ever express in words. We honestly didn't deserve him. 💔
I'm a fountain right now 🥺 I can't believe I'm crying for a man I barely know about, for a company CEO, but he was such a charismatic figure and he meant so much to my childhood and adolescence, that I really feel it like a loss 🤧
(And this many years later)
@@superdonario9578 Agreed, he was so dedicated to the players and his company, it's remarkable
Ugh, you people never shut up
@@AkameGaKillfan777 Dude, you shut the hell up. You're not a saint for saying this message. People are still a sad after his death, and they have every right to be. If you keep trying to spread this message, then you'll be fighting for the test of your life or for at least as long as people still care about Iwata. Just accept that people will saying this, and being disrespectful as shit.
@@j-meister3284 These same people blasted him when he was actually alive during the 3DS/Wii U era, and I guarantee you the same will happen when Furukawa gets replaced.
RIP mr iwata. It was truly a sad loss for Nintendo fans and all gamers alike.
This video brought back so many memories of watching Nintendo Directs with Iwata. Can't believe it's been over 5 years. RIP.
I almost cried not gonna lie
Looking back at my time with the console, it was a nice exclusive experience and I'm glad I was a part of it.
OUTSTANDING video!! This is my first time seeing anything on your channel and I was blown away with the quality and how in-depth everything was, yet somehow was paced exceptionally well. I can't wait to watch more!!!
Side note it was great to see such love for the Wii-U. I was one who contributed to it's original failure by passing it up, but I absolutely love mine now! I got one 3 years ago and actually it's now my first complete set as a collector. I continue to play it near daily to this day.Long live the Wii-U!!!
Fantastic breakdown; I was one of few kids at my college who played the Wii-U so religiously, so I remember each event vividly. This presentation has me feeling nostalgic.
This channel's about to explode, I can tell. Great research and great delivery. Keep up the awesome work.
Got mine in 2013, so many classics!
I still have a lot of fond memories with the Wii U
The Wii U was very misunderstood. It is one of the most ingenious consoles ever made. Still a blast to play today
Yeah it was so misunderstood even nintendo didn't understand it lmao
New viewer, this filled in a lot of gaps I didn't know about the Wii U as a 2 year owner of the system. A really well done look at it and a good 'complete series' video combining them all seamlessly.
This is incredibly heartbreaking about Satorou Iwata...
I purchased my WiiU on the opening day. I love this system. One of my favorite systems of all time. Revolutionary system.
The Saturn has amazing games, especially in Japan. Shmups, RPGs, fighters... It's one of my favorite consoles. It and the PC Engine/CD are my favorites that didn't do well here but did great-amazing in Japan.
I ended up not buying any 5th generation consoles, partly because after an initial reaction of "Ooh wow!" I quickly found myself turned off by the early 3D graphics. Of the three main consoles on the market, the Saturn is what I most wanted because of it's 2D games.
Yes the Saturn library in Japan is awesome and legendary
@@aegisreflector1239 Sega of Japan were focusing on arcade games cause arcades was still popular in Japan where as Arcades were a dieing thing in the western market cause gamers in the western market wanted to know what as can gameing consoles bring to the table besides arcade games.
@@ressljs Lol in 1995 u was like “this shit ugly asf” 😂😂
WiiU was a fun console that I got to share with my daughters. We spent hours on Mario 3d world, and Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon. I will have those memories forever, thank you Nintendo and WiiU.
thank you for doing this video. I predict the Wii U will be rediscovered by the masses in a decade or so. When all the Switch hype will be gone and the focus will be on the games rather than on the sales data. I still love this console and I think the parallel with the Dreamcast is a good one, both consoles saw no chance of winning the market but still kept releasing amazing titles through the end.
It won't happen, the switch scrub Wii U owners in case you haven't got a switch, I'm skipping that port console, it's lame to see the compromise in first party orignal games in favor of ports
@@S5Dic09 plenty of Dreamcast titles, almost all of them, were later ported to Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo consoles. But still, the experience of playing Shenmue or Code Veronica on the original hardware is something special. Prices will only go up for the Wii U games, no matter how many Switch ports are made.
I stumbled on to your channel yesterday (the UA-cam algorithm finally comes through with quality content). It's nice to see an in depth analysis of the Wii U not boil down to "it sucked" or "total failure". While Nintendo never quite got the marketing or branding of the console quite right I can recall the company's multiple attempts to correct the situation. One such case was during E3 of 2013 when Nintendo sent demos of upcoming Wii U games to various Best Buy stores across the US for members of the public to try out. I remember other unique promotions Nintendo tried while I was employed with Best Buy. This video brought up quite a few memories. Thank you!
Great video man! You can tell a ton of work was put in to making this video
Great job! My family has every main console since they have dropped since early 90's and my 9 year old son swears by the WiiU! He loves the gamepad just like I did when it was released. I always felt/knew it was a stepping stone console but to this day fell it was always under appreciated for what happened with the Switch.
(Warning: the following comment is really long)
I remember when I first got my Wii U like it was yesterday!
It all started back in 2014. I was just a kid who simply when to school, did his homework and didn't know (or at least cared for) what videogames were. I was a happy boy, but then one day, I was invited to my friend's house and he introduced me to my first videogame console and videogame I had ever seen: the Wii U and Mario Kart 8! We started playing and..... I LOVED it! (Even though I was really bad at the game)
Suddenly, something changed inside of me. I suddenly wanted to go back and play it again. I loved it so much that I BEGGED my parents to get a Wii U for either my birthday or Christmas. The months went by and every time we went to a mall or a shop, I immediately went looking to see if there was a game store and, of course, if they had any Wii U games, specifically Mario Kart 8. In fact, I didn't even care if they had a Wii U, I just wanted to see if they had the game.
Then came Christmas 2014. Like any regular kid, I woke up and I immediately went to wake up my parents so we could open up the presents. There was one present that was shaped like a big box and just like any human being, I opened it first and suddenly I was the happiest kid in the world. I got a Wii U deluxe set that came with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land, but I was confused after seeing no Mario Kart in any of the presents, but like an idiot, I almost forgot to check the stockings. I checked them and there it was: Mario Kart 8! After that, my dad and I spent the rest of the day unboxing the Wii U, setting up all the data, like our Miis, language, county, etc, and playing Mario Kart 8.
For the rest of December 2014 and January 2015, I was just playing Mario Kart 8 non-stop before I started school in February. I was just having so much fun learning the controls, unlocking all the characters , stamps and playing a lot of battle mode and online matches (Back then I didn't realize how bad the battle mode was. Don't judge me). Of course, I eventually played 3D World and Nintendo Land and as time passed by I got more and more Wii U games to play by myself and with my friends.
I know this comment basically admits that I have A LOT of nostalgia for the Wii U, but I don't care. I love and will always love the Wii U (and Mario Kart 8, of course) and no amount of negative videos or switch ports will ever change that!!
Same
"Bayonetta, the winner of a Nintendo-run popularity contest"
That was a *simple and clean* lie right there.
Great video for those Wii U fans like myself, thanks for effort taken!
I love my Wii U. Almost every game on the system is an amazing experience. I 100% Super Mario 3D World, and it was one of the most fun video games I've ever played. Alongside Mario Kart 8, Splatoon, Captain Toad, and Smash 4, the console was fantastic, and still has some games worth booting it up for.
Fatal frame was released on wii u physically in PAL regions, just under the name Project zero: maiden of Black water
But great video, i subbed 👍🏻
Amazing video and as I can see a deeply personal project and so much work - well done!!! And RIP Iwata, he seemed like such a nice guy...
Throughout me owning a Wii U since Christmas 2012, I honestly never saw any problems with the console and always saw the optimistic side of things, mostly because of the new HD feature it had, and since it had vWii, I could continue to remain satisfied with the console, and still give praise to its installments. I felt people took the Wii U for granted back then with the features it had. The option to still browse the internet, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services being available pretty much right away, and most of all, Virtual Console. The Wii U had it's bad moments, but it's a shame it was underpraised. The Switch may be doing better in terms of games being sold, with Wii U ports being brought on, but it lacked so much out of the box compared to the Wii and Wii U. Hulu is the only accessible streaming service available, and UA-cam was lucky to get a switch release too. There's no form of internet browsing, and worst of all, there's no Virtual Console whatsoever. I think at least VC would be a nice feature to have come back, bringing in the VC installments the Wii U had to offer, and introducing GameCube and 3DS installments too, all in HD, since Nintendo has such a problem with third-party emulation. The Switch is a revolutionary and legendary console yes, but the Wii U had more to offer right out of the box to be honest, but that's just me.
The Switch has better hardware, while the Wii U had better software.
Hardware wise there nearly identical
My favorite Nintendo console. Backwards compatibility options out the wazoo, innovative ways to play, and great games that can't be beat.
On the television show Southpark during the era of the wii they did a 3 part episode about cartman trying to get his hands on the wii.. when the wiiu came out they did a black Friday video game episode and didn't even mention the wiiu not even to make fun of it or critique it it was like it didn't even exist..
You know why i love ur vids and channel, cause you don't rely on bad cringe jokes like many do, you tell everything with passion and knowledge. Keep it up.
SUCH an impressive amount of work. Respect.
I absolutely adored the Wii U. Games like Nintendo Land and Affordable Space Adventures really showed off how incredible the dual-screen gameplay could be, it was just so unfortunate it wasn't expanded much beyond that. I loved my Wii U during it's run with the great first-party releases, amazing Virtual Console selection, and Wii library. As I'm not a Zelda fan, Paper Mario Color Splash was my personal swan-song for the console, and while it was absolutely frustrating at times, the absolute charm and character it had made up for it, and was an amazing last experience for me. Color Splash still ranks as having some of the funniest and best dialogue of any game I've played (beaten perhaps only by Portal 2).
I will always remember the Wii U. I remember the Christmas Day when I unwrapped the gift and was super excited to play.This is my first ever Nintendo console and is what got me into video games. My brother and I spent hours playing the legend of Zelda the windwaker and splatoon . The Nintendo switch is what got me back into Nintendo but I will always cherish the Wii U and I still have it till this day.
While the Wii was my first console, I think that the Wii U will always be the console that I have the most nostalgia for.
Good luck trying to find nostalgia with the switch tho. lol like that would ever happen 👎
Wii U is my baby
My favorite console of all time. I loved it.
Great video! I love the Wii U! I picked up one a few months after launch after saving up for it and it still gets use almost daily.
I have a friend who said it best about the Wii U:
"This was the best console you could take to the toilet to shit with."
If the gamepad didn't lose connection. With the Switch. The tablet IS the system. So you can shit anywhere with no issue. In short, your friend must've been very happy.
But you can't.
@@totallyahuman5055 yes you can. It sure depends how far away your toilet is, but I could play the WiiU in basically any room in our appartement. Toilet included.
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 Well I couldn't even go 10 metre's away without disconnecting
@@totallyahuman5055 mine goes very far!
I love the Wii U. It was a good concept in a time where tablets were booming for Nintendo to jump on that train. Maybe the GamePad was the most misunderstood item; developers didn't knew what to do with it. I have very fond memories and still play it almost daily.
I think I would've been more engaged you had illustrated Nintendo's business situation more. Events like EA dropping the Wii U, Ubisoft not releasing a fully finished game, the horrid marketing, Nintendo's lack of capturing "mature" mainstream appeal, Nintendo's financial situation across the years, ect... You kind of do that at the end, but not often throughout the main body. The Saturn isn't a particularly good analogy, because it was a success. When looking into the business side, the Saturn (despite selling less than half the Wii U) turned a profit because SEGA reduced production costs to accommodate. Nintendo didn't.
Etc is short for latin et cetera . Not ect. Ecetera is not a word.
I remember that star fox zero reference to Iwata. "This game is dedicated to our wingman who fell in battle" Go away tears. Such a amazing man.
You could make this a college presentation or project dude. Great job on this
I love my Xbox One, but ... there's nothing on Xbox or Playstation near the beautiful music and sound fx of the Wii U , it's just magical , and I'm still playing gems like Xenoblade Chronicles X , Yoshi's Wooly World, Splatoon or BOTW.
The Wii U is perfect for me, the music, ui, eshop, Miiverse, games, etc. I love it.
This is possibly the most informative, concise, and best Wii U documentary I have ever seen.
I am a lifelong Sega fanboy, but I have always felt that if Sega hadn't left the hardware business, they would have made the Wii (Sega Bass Fishing anyone?), and Wii U themselves.
I have always felt that the Wii U is just a glorified VMU, and Sega would have released something VERY similar an entire generation prior, just with a smaller screen (say... 3.5 inches or so), with no touch capabilities (we talking 2004/2005. I know what you will say about the DS in 2004, but we talking R&D involved with a home console and much better console hardware).
I have an absolute unhealthy love for my Wii U, and I chalk it back to Sega, and just the overall capabilities, and wasted opportunities of the console.
SEGA!!!!!!
feel like pure shit
just want miiverse back
I miss it so much
@@Hello_SM I miss it too. :(
I remember when Miiverse got discontinued
Ayo check the project called Pretendo out, please. It is a project that will bring back Miiverse and Miiverse capability in games + servers for when Nintendo will shut their own down. Its still in development but they already posted videos showing how far they have already progressed!
@@edwinrodrigues8244 question will they bring back minecraft servers to?
I hope they bring back EVERY online wii u game server
It's been exactly 8 years since Wii U debuted back on November 18th, 2012 here in the United States. The Wii U was Nintendo's first console to use the HD graphics up to 1080p. I still have my Wii U Deluxe in black color.
Love your work man. Keep it up.
The wiiU/3DS era was a very special time for me and the connection I have with those consoles is significant because it marked a big change in how I embraced video games.
For much of the 2000s video games had fallen into the background as a hobby that I tried to play down as little as possible and didn’t have a great deal of passion for. I bought a wii at launch after having been disappointed by the way the mainstream had embraced the GameCube.
By the time the wiiU had been revealed I was left perplexed and with the impression that it was an add on for the wii. In December 2012 I can remember seeing a wiiU demo unit at JB hifi and finally realizing that it was a new console. And seeing its launch lineup which to me looked strong as it looked to me at the time that Nintendo had locked in third party support on par with the competition and had put all their previous struggles behind them and were all set for sustained success. By the time of E3 2013 I became aware of the wiiU’s struggles contrasted with the hype for PS4/xbone. That whole drama got me interested in video games after 2010/11 saw my interest in video games drop off in a huge way. It got me doing research into the three home consoles. I wasn’t all that set on getting any of them but I wanted to approach it with an open mind where if all three appealed I would get them and if none did then that’s as many as I’d buy. And ultimately I chose to get a 3DS and wiiU by 2014. Both had really cool Zelda editions that I was able to obtain. The announcement of some highly promising exclusives for me outweighed the extremely flaky third party support for wiiU. Despite the flow of new exciting games drying up badly in 2016 I enjoyed hunting for gems for it. Around 2015 I began to rediscover my love of game collecting which had been dormant since 2000. I began to learn at a geometric rate how the collecting market worked in the midst of online platforms such eBay and social media. The last time I could truly have called myself a collector I was hunting for Super Nintendo games in the late nineties through pawn shops and classified ads and was hugely limited without online access to broader markets. It took time to understand that the prices I’d previously paid for certain items were a thing of the past and that the increased availability of games through an online fueled secondary market was a beast worth understanding. All the same I started to learn that some games were niche enough to be worth obtaining at release for RRP while others were produced in such high quantity that by being patient could be obtained cheaper preowned or on special. That informed a lot of how I bought games for the wiiU and over time bought a lot of wiiU and 3DS gear, often at good prices well below RRP. And that passion for collecting has not wavered since and I’m enjoying collecting for the switch and I greatly appreciate that Nintendo have combined their portable and home console operations with the switch. As much as I love Nintendo’s portable consoles I did not love how their console library was split between two different machines which necessitated separate game libraries that would cannibalize development resources from one to the other and leave portable consoles as the more appealing option for third parties who saw it as more profitable.
In my opinion, Nintendo started to decline when Iwata died
thanks for the personal recollections. it was fun to hear about your affinity for the system