Why does everyone say the Wii U was short lived?

I know the system didn't sell like it was supposed to, it had some gems on it.

Everybody tends to say it was the shortest lifespan of a Nintendo system, but it was honestly average?

NES released in 1985

SNES released in 1991

Nintendo 64 released in 1996

Gamecube released in 2001

Wii in 2006

Wii U in 2012

Switch in 2017

So they bounce between 5-6 years.

Well, it spent the last year or so of its life floundering around with no real support from Nintendo. Contrast this with NES or SNES, which were both getting great games well after their successors had released, or even Wii, which was getting some pretty big releases (Xenoblade, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower) all the way into 2012.

This is pretty much the reason why it seemed to not have a long life span.

I'm just now getting around to playing some games for it. I had a few games I bought still sealed never played.

Right, but that's not how most Wii U owners experienced the system, we felt the acute shortage of games and the extreme droughts that plagued the system.

PS4 years were shorter considering that the Pro was released only 3 years later. The difference is that Sony didn't make the PS4 obsolete and they released a system that is noticeably more capable.

probably because of the droughts

I see it as short lived because really, what games did it get?

It didn't get a proper Zelda game, only remasters and one it will share with the Switch.

It had maybe two good Mario games, and a Mario Kart game.

There really wasn't much given to it.

The PS3 and 360 had quite long life cycles and I guess it's still in people's memory. At least that's what I think it is.

The point being, WiiU is lacking in continued new game support upon entry of Switch, and even before the new system release. Which is contrary to previous Nintendo generational transitions, most of which had 3-4 year overlapping support from one system to the next.

Some of the listed consoles, regardless of the time up to the successor, were supported years and years later. This console is like Freddy Kruger in that Nintendo wants to shun it and pretend it never existed.

It never had consistent support and the previous gen was unusually long. But yeah, it technically had a longer lifespan than the original XBox.

Saying 2012 release for Wii U and 2017 release for Switch is a little misleading. The Wii U came out towards the very end of 2012. And the Switch is coming out in early 2017. So the Wii U lasted 4 full years and some months. That time also includes the months after Switch was leaked and soon announced.

In today's age, those numbers isn't that great of a console lifespan. Last gen consoles as a whole, lasted much longer. And the PS4/X1, have no signs of a proper console sequel coming out anytime soon. Even though they came out just a year later after the Wii U.

New Pikmin, Multiple Marios, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Mario Maker, New Yoshi game, Captain Toad game. There was a solid amount.

I bought 4 games for mine...Then it seems Nintendo stopped caring.

It's mostly because their sopport died down a great deal over the past year or so.

In its defense it had a much stronger first couple of years than the other two IMO. The system was a hit machine with top caliber games like Pikmin 3, Bayonetta 2, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Super Smash Bros., and Super Mario 3D World.

That narrative gets told alot probably due to it's low sales also. However... I have more Wii U games then I do ps4/Xbox one combined so...

I'll give you Pikmin, Yoshi, and Splatoon, I forgot about those. I'll give you Captain Toad too, even though really it was a great spin off from Mario 3D world. I forgot about the Xenoblade game that came out as well.

It's still not very much, considering how much have come out on other generations.

It's enough for me though. I don't play games all day everyday. Don't have that kind of time anymore.

@verbtex: I feel like the Wii U only has a good post-lineup. Like, if you were to have a Wii U during its actual lifespan, the game drought would have not satisfied, although come back, now that the system is just about retired, buying a Wii U now for cheap will reveal more than enough impressive games that came out during its lifespan that warrant a worthwhile purchase.

I have played a good handful of games myself, but I've still yet to play games like Pikmin 3, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Pokken Tournament.

I find Nintendo consoles tend to get a lot more respect after the fact they've been said and done. I remember back during the GCN days, that console was widely considered the black sheep of the competition, yet looking back at it now I see more gamers respecting that console for Nintendo did without a doubt release impressive lineup; perhaps, not in a leisurely manner for the satisfaction of the consumers, but looking at the library now as a whole reveals plenty enough enjoyment to be had.

Yep. Excellent post.

Not to mention the Wii U released in Nov 2012 and the Switch is releasing March 2017. It doesn't help that the PS3/360 life cycle was significantly longer either.

It had the weakest support of any Nintendo console (besides Virtual Boy) with way too many droughts. 2015 and 2016 were jokes of a year with Mario Maker, Splatoon, and Xenoblade being the only real standout titles.

I think lack of 3rd Party games made it worse

It probably felt that way because of the system's pretty thin library of games.

The reasons have been thoroughly explained, nothing more to add really. People got used to last gens significantly longer cycle and while the Switch still isn't out, WiiU support has been pretty much dead for a while already. That about covers it.

Though at the risk of coming off like a total shill, I will say that I'm happy Nintendo supported the Wii U as much as they did. They could have scrapped it even sooner, but they held out and at least tried to deliver on good content for their existing customers. Could have been much worse.

Plus Wii-U released November 2012, and Switch in March 2017. You are basically giving it credit for two full years where it doesn't deserve credit for those years. Certainly it doesn't deserve credit for 2017 considering it's already been discontinued in 2016. Just because Switch releases in 2017 doesn't mean Wii-U "lived" until 2017, Wii-U owners have basically been waiting for Zelda to come out for yearly a year. It's generous to say it made it all the way through 2016 considering production probably stopped many months ago. The console was officially dead in barely 4 years. That is short lived. Probably the least amount of major/essential games for any Nintendo console ever, and worse than any Sony or MS console ever. You'd have to go back to Atari Jaguar or 3DO for worse from a major console manufacturer.

Nintendo themselves eventually supported Wii-U better than Vita. That is the only comparison that is even close. But of course even Vita was getting more games support overall than Wii-U, it's just that none of them were major 1st party games.

I guess Nintendo deserves credit for not cancelling Zelda Breath of the Wild Wii-U, they easily could have moved on from that a year or more ago to really put the nail in the Wii-U even earlier.

@n64dd: Do you honestly asking this ?

Go check in metacritic the whole library , start counting games per year , divine that by 5 if that makes it better for you , then take out everything that is considered shovelware and there you have why.

They even delayed Zelda for 2 years to push Switch on release when Wii U was starving for games. Typical Nintendo

I divided it by 10 and I feel much better. A lot of good points in this thread. Wii U was a failure commercially, I just like the system a lot. I look forward to the switch and I hope they get things turned around.

wii: 100 million sold in six years.

wii u :13 million sold in five years.

There ya go.

A little unfair comparing it to the wii.

A console to have more or less 180 games in total in its entire lifespan while its mama keeping one of the main reasons why millions of people bought Wii U in the first place , Zelda , for 2 whole years to push the next product is QQ. It really shows Nintendos mentality and approach to their fans.

Also having in total 36 games in total per year ( thats estimate number based on total / 5 ) to choose from , including indies / 2Ds and shovelware .. Ehmmm.

I really think Switch is the last Nintendos chance to turn this around but if they keep having this arhaic mindset of doing things and letting people down except the very hardcore people that see nothing wrong with Nintendos past consoles/approaches as long as they can play mario/zelda .. we might have the last Nintendo console in history here.

System is only 2 months away of its official release and they still havent say a word about its specs ... and what now sounds cheap .. might be expensive in the end. I dont even know where Switch stands atm in terms of value

I have Smash Bros., Mario 3D World, StarFox Zero, Captain Toad, Nintendo Land (still wrapped..), Mario Kart 8, WindWaker HD.

I never really got much out of my Wii U, albeit I am a completionist for Nintendo games, so I got my value out of what I own.

@n64dd: The last major game for the system was Super Smash Bros in 2014.

2015 saw other games like Splatoon, Yoshi's Wooly World and Xenoblade Chronicles X....

2016 saw virtually nothing for the system.

@jcrame10:

What is a major game in this context?

Tallest midget contest, but it's still my favorite console this gen.

I believe the PS4 will overtake it this year though.

@ConanTheStoner:

The PS4 has such a fantastic year ahead of it. A great variety of games on the way.

High budget, high profile, something that many people bought.

Mario Kart, Zelda, Smash Bros, Call of Duty, Uncharted, Halo, Gears of War, Resident Evil, The DIvision, Battlefield, Pokemon.

Wii U had nothing after Smash at that level. Sure Splatoon sold well into the millions but its a niche game, lets be real it wouldnt have sold like that if the console wasnt starved for a new game, and even better, a new IP

@jumpaction:

Yep, plenty of promising games coming up. I think Nioh is going to steal the show for me. I've been trying to keep my hype to a minimum as to avoid disappointment, but it looks soooo damn good lol.

@jcrame10:

Okay. I thought 2015 was a good year for the Wii U. Perhaps not in the same major title context but in terms of having a variety of solid, fun games.

@ConanTheStoner:

Nioh, yes but Nier also looks excellent! Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a PS4 later in the year so that I can play them. :)

the only games i can even think of were the 3 i named (and i own all 3). everything else i thought was terrible or low budget/forgettable

@jumpaction:

Oh yeah, Nier is also high on my list of upcoming titles. Though I'll likely hold out for the PC version on that one. Just need to hear some concrete info first.

@jcrame10:

I liked Super Mario Maker, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Fast Racing Neo, Runbow, Steamworld Heist and Adventures of Pip.

I haven't actually played Splatoon. I guess I'll have my first experience with it on Nintendo Switch.

@ConanTheStoner:

Persona 5 and Ni No Kuni 2 will also be really fun RPGs.

Mario Maker was good shit.

If you draw an arbitrary line at "AAA" material, then sure, but WiiU got a decent list of fun games in 2015. Not a superb lineup by any means, but not completely dead either.

ohh yeah i always forget about mario maker. but it didnt interest me so thats probably why lol

i do own fast racing neo. it was fun for awhile.

@jcrame10:

I don't gauge my interest in a game based on how much money went into the production nor how high profile the franchise is. At the end of the day, I'll watch a trailer, if the game appeals to my tastes then I'll buy it.

Particularly in the circle of the independent persuasion, games get a hard time for not being AAA titles. The truth is, there's only a fraction of AAA titles that I enjoy as much as simpler games that wear their game-play on their sleeve...

most low budget indie games dont have worthwhile gameplay.

...while playstation last double so long

Not being AAA doesn't mean straight up indie either lol.

That being said, you could extend that same statement to AAA games. Most of them don't have worthwhile gameplay either.

In general, the vast majority of games are mediocre at best. And when really good games do come along, they do so independent of budget.

I found Shovel Knight to be every bit as fun and well designed as Doom 4. An indie vs a AAA.

I found Bayonetta 2 to be one of the best titles this gen, even though it's more of middle class project.

Lower budget efforts like Tyranny and Pillars are shitting on AAA rpgs.

@jcrame10:

In your opinion. ;)

Then you remember Braid cost $180,000.

It depends on what you mean by low budget. The majority of independent games are low budget compared to AAA titles from major publishers. Personally, I'd take Shovel Knight over a large number of AAA titles I've played recently. That's just my tastes. This year there are a large quantity of appealing indie games for me.

There is a trend of discounting indie games or mid-range titles when scaling the quantity and quality of a system's software yearly but in truth, I just as excited if not more by these titles over a number of AAA games which have adopted pop mechanics and design choices that I don't find appealing (Take FarCry, Assassin's Creed, BattleField, Call of Duty, MGSV, Batman Arkham Knight, GTAV for instance).

It's all personal preference, I know but I think all games of varying types deserve to be credited and discussed when talking about yearly line-ups. Otherwise we bottle ourselves into regarding only one style of game - what ever is popular.