The Nintendo Wii U (Wii U) was released over 10 years ago, so that leaves us to reflect on the history of it. If you didn’t know, the Wii U is a game console succeeding the Nintendo Wii and preceding the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo tried to bring the highly successful dual screen systems and the sensational Wii together for a next generation home console experience. 

The Wii U was supposed to appeal to more hardcore gamers, as well as the casual audience of the Wii. Most people who bought the Wii had now moved to mobile games, and also thought that the Wii U was just an add-on for the Wii.

The “hardcore” gamers didn’t want to buy a console from the people whose last console was made for casual gamers. The Wii U only sold 13.56 million units, (the mainline Mario game from the system, Super Mario 3D World sold 17.27 million over two consoles) but the Wii U produced arguably some of the best Nintendo games and holds a special place in the hearts of the few who owned one.

Many Wii U games have been brought over to the Nintendo Switch, and sold much better than they did on Wii U, including Super Mario 3D World, and Mario Kart 8.

The console also is loved by the retro gaming community because it can play NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U games. 

But was the Wii U a success, or a failure? Did you own one? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below this article.