Topic: Which device to buy for the first Nintendo experience?

So I live in a country where they don't sell Nintendo consoles or handhelds. And I'm only 14 years old so I've never had a Nintendo system. I've just discovered Nintendo about 2 years ago and I've only played Super Mario 64 on an emulator ,watched Mario Galaxy, 3D Wordl, 3D Land, 64, Super Mario Maker on YouTube and they all look amazing. I've never played games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. I've decided that I want to buy a Nintendo system, but cant decide if I want to buy a Wii u or the new 3DS XL.

Nintendo is working on their new console code-named NX. So if I buy a Wii u then they come up with their new consoles, I'm basically left out with an old console, never get to play classics. But I get to play games like Super Mario Maker and TheWind Waker HD remake.

If I buy a 3DS, as it's a handheld so I can bring it and play it everywhere! I can play it at school breaks or take it outside wherever I'm going unlike the Wii U. But Super Mario Maker is a fantastic game and I don't get to play that.

So what should I do?

The Wii U will play a larger variety of games. You'll get access to games from the NES, SNES, N64 and GBA on the virtual console. You'll have full backwards compatibility with the Wii and also have the ability to download some Wii and DS games from the eShop. And ontop of that you'll also have access to all of the Wii U's content.

The 3DS as you said is more portable and it's also cheaper. The virtual console only covers the NES, GB and GBC from Nintendo's side of things but there are also some Sega games available. It has full DS backwards compatibility and there have been quite a few N64 remakes. And of course you get access to all of the original 3DS content.

And don't worry about what the NX is, it's a good year away yet and we still don't know what it is. For all we know it could be replacing either of the 3DS and the Wii U, both or possibly neither.

The NX might be a hybrid between console and handheld, so if you're really unsure which to get why not wait until they reveal the NX next year. Rumors say it might be released in 2016 as well, and if it has backwards compatibility you can play the classics of 3DS and/or WiiU on it too.

You fill find similar games to allmost all games the WiiU has to offer on the 3DS. And i mean really similar.
The WiiU games are for the most part surperior to their 3DS counterparts tho. But you will not find that many counterparts to 3DS games on the WiiU.
While the WiiU got some great games in its library, its lrbrary is rather small compared to the library of the 3DS.
In addition to that i think that the library of the DS is better than the library for the Wii.
If you want a system right now i would suggest the New 3DS. I don't think you can do anything wrong with buying that machine.
Even if they announce the NX early next year it won't be released that soon. The WiiU is on its last few breaths. Star Fox as well as Zelda should be the last two big titles.
In the end you still have to decide if you want to sacrifice looks for portability. Gameplay on both systems is excellent.

I would not be surprised if Nintendo would bring a version of Mario Maker to the 3DS. But this is more of a speculation that you should not consider when making your descision.

Only if we don't count other upcoming Wii U games and if we assume that the NX will come in 2016 and will replace the Wii U, which of course, have yet to be confirmed.

You should know by now people operate on doom and gloom when hype backlash happens due to lack of anything to hype. We still don't even know what the NX is, let alone if its actually a console or not.

Don't worry about the NX, unless you're hard for cash and need to sell systems for new ones, there is zero reason to think on holding buying a WiiU or N3DS. Even then a Wii U or 3DS you'll have games to play, assuming the NX is even happening relatively soon and given Nintendo recent launch track record, I'd doubt it'll have that much going on in the game department.
Keep in mind my general thought process when it comes to game consoles, is that every one is worth buying and being up to date doesn't really matter all that much.

I think I'm going to wait and see what the "NX" is like. I hope they will release a version of Super Mario Maker on "NX" too.

If you desperately need your Nintendo fix, I think the 3DS would be a solid choice simply because you can take it anywhere.

If you want a home console, either go for the Wii U or find an older Wii model. With the Wii U, you'll be able to play the new titles coming out, Super Mario Maker (one you seem really interested in) as well as other Wii U titles, and the entire Wii library. Older model Wiis will give you the Wii library and the GameCube library (though you'll need GameCube controllers, of course). Both systems have a Virtual Console that'll let you go farther back if you so desire.

@Afrosar:
Nintendo probably will release a version of Super Mario Maker on NX. However, even if they don't the NX will probably be backwards compatible with the Wii U, so you can just play it that way! Happy Gaming!

@pherret022: Super Mario Maker was a 30th Anniversary thing, I'd be surprised if they released the game again on another system.

@Octane:
I did not mean re-releasing Super Mario Maker. (I should have made that more clear. Oops...) I meant releasing Super Mario Maker 2 or New Super Mario Maker or something...

You should wait for NX and you'll get the new games and most probably the old ones as well.

Nintendo will re-release lots of 3DS and Wii U games on NX, I'm pretty sure.

They've never done that before, so I don't understand why everyone's expecting Nintendo to do that with the NX (assuming it's a home console). Also, more specifically, Super Mario Maker was made to celebrate Mario's 30th anniversary, that alone makes it very unlikely that it will get a re-release anytime soon.

You could probably get a used Gamecube for pretty cheap

Well, the only reason why people think Wii U will be replaced by NX, is because they think the Wii U's specs are too weak to support 3rd parties, which is why people aren't buying it anyway. That's contradictory on a few levels, mainly because Wii U can run the games, and they weren't going to buy it anyway, which is why they think NX will fix things, when we already have Wii U.
That is why you should have no doubt in buying one, especially if you are interested in games like Mario Maker or those other games you mentioned.

We could just as easily say that the New 3DS could be replaced, but specs has nothing to do with the sales, which is the reason why people think Wii U should be replaced. That is how it goes back to Wii U being replaced by NX as contradictory.

Ultimately, buy the one you find more interesting. If I didn't have either and haven't played the Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask games, I'd probably go with New 3DS. So, that is my answer.

You can't go wrong with either a Wii U or a 3DS. Both have pretty solid libraries on their own, but with the Wii U you get backwards compatability with the Wii, and with the 3DS you get backwards compatability with the DS. That means you're basically getting two systems for the price of one, plus the virtual console.