Topic: Wii U VS Switch

A few months ago, I made a rant about the Switch being a very inferior version of the Wii U. I did that after years of using the Wii U and just days away from getting hands on with the Switch. Now, after spending several months playing games on my Switch, I can make a more thorough and founded comparison. So, let's begin.

Let's start with a very most important aspect for any console, game lineup. I'll only list exclusive games here.

Game lineup (Wii U):

• Xenoblade Chronicles X (best game ever after Breath of the Wild)
• Wind Waker HD (REMAKE) (best Zelda not counting Breath of the Wild, and also one of the best games ever)
• Bayonetta 2 (fun game, but don't really care)
• Project Zero 5 (haven't played, but looks interesting)

Game lineup (Switch):

• Super Mario Odyssey (best 3D Mario game, maybe beaten only by Galaxy 2)
• Astral Chain (haven't played, but looks promising)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (haven't played this or the first one, but I'm very hyped after playing X)
• Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (REMAKE) (again, very hyped because of X)
• Link's Awakening (REMAKE) (great game, among my favorite 2D Zelda games)

Who's the winner in this category? It's not really a hard choice. Xenoblade Chronicles X alone makes the Wii U superior to anything, and just to make the difference even bigger, there's also the enhanced Wind Waker HD. And those 2 games will either remain exclusive to the Wii U or have a broken Switch port, because porting them to Switch would just ruin them, since it would mean removing fast travel for Xenoblade X (or making it cumbersome) and removing constant map/inventory for Wind Waker HD, in other words, Gamecube Wind Waker with improved graphics.

So game lineup goes for Wii U.

No, on to screen.

Both consoles feature a touchscreen that acts as a gamepad. The first main difference is that the Wii U gamepad functions all the time, even while playing on the TV. This opens up a wide range of possibilities, from the basic stuff like managing inventory / having a map available all the time, to more complex stuff, like looking around you with the builtin camera (Project Zero and Zombi U are good examples of this). This functionality is simply gone with the Switch. The other main difference is that the Switch can work in handheld mode without the need of being close to the dock, so you can take it anywhere you want. The screen itself also displays a much better picture overall, with increased resolution and better colors.

So, who's the winner in this category? It goes down to increased gameplay functionalities for the Wii U VS true handheld gaming and better picture for the Switch. For me, being able to play away from the console is an utterly useless funcionality, since I'd never dare take any console outside my house, and while I do like the better display on the Switch, gameplay is still more important than anything, and the endless possibilities that the second screen offer are unbeatable. So Wii U is the winner again. Still, I do have to say the Switch produces the most beautiful graphics I've ever seen in a handheld console.

So screen goes to Wii U as well.

In summary, Wii U is better in both in terms of game lineup and gameplay. The Switch has a better display and slightly better hardware, but obviously gameplay and games are more important, so while the Switch is a very good console, it can't compete with the best console in gaming history.

Also, the production quality is light years apart. Hold a Wii U pad in your hand, then take a Switch one, and you'll see the Switch uses cheap plastic and feels light and fragile.

Wii U is still the best console to ever exist and will most likely remain unbeaten for all time.

It's a shame the world didn't appreciate it, and Nintendo had to make a rushed and inferior console to please the crowds, removing the most revolutionary idea in gaming history only to include a true handheld mode. But that's the world we live in, good things don't last and people don't understand them.

Give fine cuisine to monkeys, then give them bananas.

Are you trolling or serious? I can't tell.

@Brummieendo90 I'm dead serious, and it really pisses me off that whenever someone says the opposite of the universal accepted "truth" around the world, it's automatically labeled as a troll.

I'd like someone to explain to me why the Switch is better than the Wii U, with FACTS.

Fact 1: Wii U had a secondary screen, the Switch doesn't.
Fact 2: Wii U is built with good materials, feels strong and solid. The Switch is made from cheap plastic and feels like it will break into pieces if it falls.
Fact 3: Switch games are mostly ports and remakes.

Now give me your facts about Switch.

I love the Wii U, it's one of my favourite consoles and the Gamepad functions are really cool, but if I compare the two from an unbiased/objective perspective I have to admit the Switch is better in most ways. It has a much higher quantity of quality games, more power, faster UI, etc. And hey, bananas are nice.

Also, what's going on with your games comparison? 'The Wii U has 3 good games and the Switch has 5 so obviously the Wii U is better.'

@Dogorilla Switch doesn't have more quantity of quality games. Most Switch games are ports and remakes, and the few that are exclusive can't compete with Xenoblade X. It's not only quantity, but quality. A gold coin is worth much more than 1000 copper coins.

And by the looks of it, it will never have good quality games, because Nintendo is pretty much dead. No news of new games on the horizon. Metroid Prime 4 and Breath of the Wild 2 are in the limbo, and all we get are a constant stream of ports and emulators/ROMS for the price of a full game. Oh, how I miss 2015...

It's true, the Wii U uses two screens so it's like twice as powerfull as a Switch which only has a single screen. However a Game & Watch had two screens first so it beats both the Wii U and Switch.

@jump It's not more powerful, but it has infinitely more possibilities gameplay-wise. Nintendo has been better than the competition since the Wii because their consoles offered unique ways to play games. What does Switch offer? Handheld mode? Ohhhh, what a revolution!

Also, the production quality is clearly superior. Just hold both consoles, and then you tell me.

@diego_vizia Most third-party Wii U games are ports too; doesn't mean they're bad. There are far more third-party games worth playing on the Switch though. I do agree Nintendo themselves are leaning a bit too heavily on ports of their old games at the moment, but they have released plenty of original games on the Switch and will continue to do so.

I am genuinely glad to see some love for the Wii U but I'm not sure that condescendingly telling a bunch of strangers on a Nintendo forum that it's better than the Switch is a good use of your time. Just enjoy the console for yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I like the Wii u but the switch has the better library and third party support.

@Dogorilla I appreciate your non-attacking replies.

Yes, the problem with the Switch is that Nintendo is the one making ports and remakes, not third parties. I'd like to have your positive outlook and believe that Nintendo will continue to make games. If you ask me, Nintendo is becoming Konami. In a few years, all we're gonna see are remakes and Android games. I think Breath of the Wild 2 will never see the light. Neither will Metroid Prime 4.

And yes, I will keep enjoying my Switch, because it still is a good console, but I like sharing my opinions and letting people know that I believe Wii U is the best console to have ever existed.

@1UP_MARIO Third party support? Yes, because developers didn't understand Wii U's potential. Library? That's personal, but I prefer Wii U's, mainly because it has Xenoblade X.

You're ignoring the fact it has true HD portability and that is enough of a point to turn the table

Just as an FYI, Bayonetta 2 is on the Switch and is no longer a Wii U exclusive. I suspect Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD as well as Xenoblade Chronicles X are the next likely candidates to be ported to the Switch. You're also missing plenty of exclusives on both sides. I could kind of understand a shortened list if you only listed the exclusives you've played, but as you mentioned you haven't played some of the games you listed, so your library comparison is a bit strange.

Wait a sec, so did it take you... six minutes to write this whole thing based off the timestamps? Or did you write this elsewhere and just paste it in after making an account? Rather fast... In any case I'd wish there were some more exclusive Switch games aside from ports. Granted there's been some here and there but soon enough we'll get the big guns.

One counterclaim I have to your argument is that there's been a significant increase in third-party games, from all kinds of well-respected publishers. I doubt the Wii U would have been able to even consider handling games like "The Witcher 3", "Skyrim", "The Outer Worlds", and even "Doom: Eternal". The fact that these games were built for modern consoles, and that people were able to make them work on Switch, also tells us how Nintendo has made development for the Switch easier.

The Wii U had dismal third-party support from the very start, starting with games like ZombiU, which sold badly. So this turn of pace for Nintendo was fascinating. I don't buy third-party games as much, because I have a PS5/4 for such titles, where they can run better.

Games themselves... that's a little dubious. It's entirely subjective so touching on it would only anger a certain group.

And on the build quality of the Switch versus Wii U, personally I found the Wii U GamePad to be extremely clunky. I don't know if this applies to normal users of Wii U consoles but I noticed that the controller got slightly dirty at the parts my fingers were making contact. Likely due to sweat but glossy white was an extremely poor design choice. The matte black for Switch is easier on the eyes, and for me it's easier to notice cosmetic blemishes.

Quick question; do you have any other video game consoles aside from Wii U and Switch? If you did, and can legitimately say that Wii U is better than all of them, then... full credit I guess. While the Switch is my favourite console, the PlayStation 4 and 5 I feel are superior to the Wii U. They look better, have better controls, and at times have better games, that take advantage of the advanced graphical capabilities.

Besides, the Switch has sold around six times as many Wii U consoles. The common populace believe in the ability to take the console around with you. The Japanese are among this group, because space over there is a premium.

My final note was going to be that I own a Wii U, but I'll leave you with this; In some of your replies you come off antagonising and even patronising. Please keep it respectful. We're all entitled to our own opinions but there's no need to keyboard-warrior your way through this without regard for respectfulness.

@NGNYS the Wii u didn’t get any 3ds ports unless your talking about smash 3ds

@diego_vizia
I have both Wii U and Nintendo Switch machine and games.
Both of them are great Nintendo machines.
BOTH OF THEM.
Switch games library are WAY FAR BETTER than Wii U in term of Quantity and Quality.
I have MORE Nintendo Switch games than Wii U.
Switch have WAY MORE games library diversity than Wii U.
And what are you doing here with your nonsense talking ? 🤨

@NGNYS
"Wii U had many 3DS ports too"

What on Earth are you talking about ?? 🤨
And what are you doing here too ??

I love the Wii U and I love the Switch. But the OP loses credibility with the suggestion that Breath of the Wild 2 will never appear. I'm willing to bet my entire gaming collection that BotW2 will release.

When I was maining my Wii U, I used to wish I could take the gamepad anywhere and still play my games. I could take it into some other rooms, but not all. Now I have my Switch I love the portability, but I wish it had the dual-screen gaming facility that Wii U and 3DS have. My hope is that the next Nintendo console has it all.

Other points in Wii U's favour in this argument:

• backwards compatibility with Wii
• better activity log
• user replaceable battery
• integrated web browser
• local save file management