Topic: Is the Wii U still worth it in 2017?

I havent gamed much during my life or owned many games. Ive mostly played on the 3DS.
Recently I got a new tv and the thought of getting a console came to mind. I havent owned a console since the original Wii. Now that the switch is out, is it still worth it to purchase a wii u?

The Switch can't play Wii U games, and Wii U has plenty of games as well Virtual Console and Wii games. (both physical and digital for the popular games)

The Switch does have a few Wii U ports, though, like the new Zelda and Mario Kart 8.

I really want to play with my brother and other family members. Will i be missing out much getting a wii u?

@buffkid260
As of today? Yes, there's a lot more on the Wii U than the Switch. But that's going to change fairly rapidly. I really don't think there's much point getting a Wii U at this point unless you get a very good deal on it. Which is possibly because a lot of people are going to be offloading their old hardware now. But it's not going to be getting any new games going forward.

If you owned a Wii, and played a good number of games on that system, i would suggest to pick up a Switch since you would potentially take a Wii U just for Wii U games and not so much for retrocompatibility

@buffkid260 The Wii/Wii U library is enormous. Buying a Wii U is the best thing you can do if you like Nintendo titles: Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Captain Toad, Starfox, etc.

It will be YEARS before the Switch gets anywhere near the breadth of quality titles available on the Wii/Wii U. I haven't even mentioned the Virtual Console...if your into that sort of thing.

Consoles live (and die) by their games. The Wii U has a lot of them.

The Switch and its games will only get cheaper. I'll probably be ready for Switch in Christmas '18, just in time for a price drop and holiday bundle.

Look at the available Wii U titles (and unplayed Wii titles) and see how it compares to the 2017 outlook of Switch titles you'd actually buy.

@buffkid260 I just bought a Wii U Mario Kart 8 bundle (the black one) last Christmas, so I'm definitely not an early adopter either, and I can tell you it's 200% worth it. Like the others have said, there are SO many titles available for it, AND you can play all your Wii titles on it, so you'd have an enormous catalog of games to choose from. And with you coming from the Wii, games are going to look amazing in HD, and Wii games will also look cleaner and slightly better on the Wii U, because of the HDMI connection.

And then there are all kinds of unique options:

Off TV Play is the greatest thing for families, since while you or someone else is gaming on the Game Pad, the rest can use the TV for watching their favorite programs like they'd usually do.

Multiplayer with one person (or more) playing on the TV, and the other playing on the GamePad can be hilarious, and on top of that, the Wii U has plenty of its own great titles that you will not see on any other console, ever. And some of those games are must-haves for any avid gamer.

If you can get it for a decent price, I'd say it's a no-brainer, especially if you're a Nintendo fan.

@buffkid260 Short answer: Yes it is!
I can give you a long answer (with a list of titles worth playing) but that will take some time.
There are so many great games worth playing on Wii U. And once you get its purpose, the second screen actually becomes a big asset, especially since some games use it in ingenious ways (while others only use it for stuff like inventory and map or off-TV play).
Besides, you can keep your Wii accessories and games and use them on the Wii U. Wii titles will also be upscaled to 1080p, which makes for slightly better visuals.

@buffkid260 buy the Switch. Yes, the Wii U has a lot of amazing games, but it feels like Nintendo is determined to port more and more of its games to the Switch. Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon (2, but a better experience anyway), probably Smash Bros. one day, and then you have Lego City Undercover also coming, all the big nindies coming, and it doesn't feel like... also, you also have/had the Wii (so there's that).. I love the Wii U, but if you're a buying a console now, you better get the Switch - it is just more fun to have a console you know that will be updated and get new stuff and be supported. Wii U online might go kaput too like the Wii's did, if that's important for you. Also Switch seems great for local multiplayer right out of the box.

Personally, with Xenoblade X and Super Mario Maker being on Wii U only, there's no reason to get a Switch over a Wii U now.

Super Mario Odyssey is going to be only be a little distraction from Mario Maker which is the pinacle for (2D) platformers. From my experience a 3D mario platformer is over in about 40-50 hours (100% completed). Mario Maker on the other hand delivers fun content for 1000+ hours. Xenoblade 2 is my most anticipated Switch title, but it will take some time for it to be released.

Zelda, MK8, Splatoon, FAST, Shovel Knight you can get on Wii U, and if you have them you don't really need an updated version. Plus you can play Paper Mario, Tokyo Mirage Sessions and many other overlooked Wii U gems, including the whole Wii catalog with Virtual Console and WiiWare (1000+ games).

It really comes down to portability, the sole reason for owning a Switch over a Wii U, at least until some good exclusive Switch games are coming out.

Wii U was a great multiplayer experience right out of the box, with all your Wiimotes and other Wii controllers working on Wii U - and with Nintendo Land (or ZombiU) being bundled. On Switch you need to buy extra controllers and at least a multiplayer game to get 3, 4, 5+ players into the action.

I think in this day and age, finding a console that has, say 20 games you really want to play is a success. You can sit down and check a full list of WiiU games and see how many you see yourself playing and that hopefully you will enjoy.

WiiU has officially got to the end of its life cycle, so there won't be any new games released for it. What you see is what you get.

On the other hand, the Switch is a new console. There is only one interesting game released for the system so far (Breath of the Wild, also available on WiiU) and its desiderability is entirely based on upcoming games and trust in Nintendo. It's going to take 12 to 18 months for the Switch to have a library of games that could be really evaluated.

It's up to you then. Personally, I think getting a WiiU now is a good choice. You can find bundles for a good price, games are getting cheaper and, with the library it has, you can easily squeeze out of it two years and a half worth of solid gaming. This is also the amount of time the Switch will take to reach its apex, like all consoles.

As for the portability thing, I was never really sold on that. When I start seeing people actually playing on buses, pubs, at the university or public parks I will eat my words, but for now I stand by my idea that for 90% of people being "portable" simply means that "you can play it in bed or in the bathroom". Something the WiiU can already do to some extent.