Before this slightly baffling era where twenty to thirty new games appear every single week on the ever-blooming Switch, Nintendo's home console operations revolved around none other than the Wii U. A console let down by a lack of third-party support and unclear marketing, and ultimately not generating nearly enough sales, the Wii U has - still undeservedly in our eyes - been quickly forgotten about in the gaming world.
As if to perfectly prove that point, a recent crossword available via The New York Times entirely ignored the poor Wii U when it should have been thrust back into the spotlight. Shared by Reddit user UhhMaybeThisWillWork, the crossword asks for the "predecessor of Nintendo Switch", allowing users to input just three letters for the answer. That's right, even the New York Times is ignoring the Wii U's existence, skipping that generation entirely and believing the Wii to have been Nintendo's most recent console.
While we're only having a bit of fun here, the situation does highlight just how poorly the Wii U was understood or known about among consumers. The person or team behind the creation of this crossword puzzle clearly didn't realise the product existed, presumably after a quick bit of research to double check their answers, too. We'll always stand by our belief that the Wii U had a cracking first-party lineup of games in the end, but it clearly wasn't appreciated by many.
Do you have any fond memories of the Wii U era? Shall we start a 'positive Wii U thoughts' thread in the comment section to make the poor thing feel better? Feel free to join in below.
[source old.reddit.com]
Comments 112
And I......
(Wii)ll always love U....
Wii will remember U.
Wii who? Oh wii mii! No? WiiU... uhm okay if you say so!
(Jk I bought the wiiU on launch and still have the launch model)
Even if it didn't have great support and the marketing was pants, I still believe that it had a fantastic set of first-party games. I still love my Wii U, even with my Switch around!
GameC... Wait, they were expecting GCN?
Just kidding. Poor WiiU
Meh.. I'll always love my Wii U. I had so much fun playing Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon on it. 2 of my favorite games ever. The Switch is great of course, but there are STILL things the 6 year old Wii U does better. The interface is better and far more lively with the Mii plaza. It had Miiverse(rip) and you could even send private messages to friends. The eShop is better designed. It has apps for Netflix and Amazon. It has Virtual Console... You get the idea..
What console was Super Mario Maker released on?
I can't forget it as i bought all exclusives on Wii U, and own over 75 physical games on it + over 150 download games.
I never regretted getting Wii U ever. It has loads of good exclusives.
Q) Do you have any fond memories of the Wii U era?
A) Plenty; I remember being absolutely enthralled by Wind Waker HD, spending nights on a swivel chair and holding my breath as I played Project Zero, an cackling as I outdo snipers in Splatoon as a roller user. From the many days on Miiverse with the system to recording my first playthrough for my channel; I have a lot of fondness for the system, even if it doesn't stand as my favourite console of all. I have so far found more personal attachment to it than the Switch though, with the latter having yet to hook me.
Q) Shall we start a 'positive Wii U thoughts' thread in the comment section to make the poor thing feel better?
A) I don't think you can make the system feel better, but just delighting in fond memories of the system would be nice to discuss. The Wii U's Gamepad does remain my all time favourite game controller and I still eagerly await one last game for the system, Sneaky Ninja.
@Ventilator 75 Physical, that's impressive. I'm trying to get 100 physical for every console I own, but I'm having trouble past the first 50 for the Wii U. I'd rather not fill up on JustDance iterations.
Too soon. The wounds are only just starting to heal.
Dolly Parton, if you may...
To be fair, it didn't say "IMMEDIATE predecessor."
Yeah, "unclear marketing" pretty much gets immortalized here. Granted, Wii U did come out in the age where any misconceptions can be dispelled in a few browser clicks, but when were broad consumer masses associated with willingness to do research? ¯(ツ)/¯
The poor home console successor of dual screen concept did get demoted to a Wii peripheral in many people's eyes. And yes, undeservedly so.
"Predecessor" doesn't necessarily mean the one that came immediately before. It can refer to any of the models that came before. The Gamecube is also a predecessor of the Switch. There is nothing wrong with the crossword puzzle hint.
I'm actually trying to buy a Wii U for cheap for Xenoblade X.
I bet Nintendo are quite pleased about this 😂😉
The Wii U had a bit of a revival in my house recently. I use it mostly for streaming (Crunchyroll and YouTube) and I have been playing through the Metroid Prime Trilogy in the past month.
Haha Cracking photo choice. Poor wee cell shaded Link
Isn't the Wii U an accessory for the Wii? Or is it a Wii HD?
@Trajan
XCX was a disappointment compared to the first Xenoblade Chronicles. Exploring and rebuilding the city is nice at first but the Mech are so over powered, you never get out and it becomes a shooting game. Also the level cap at 50 was a pain in the neck and the story line is boring and unfinished. If you are looking for a great JRPG, go for XC2. If you are looking for an adventure, go for Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo Switch: Successor to the Wii
You mean to tell me that the Wii U isn't just an accessory for the Wii? Really though, I don't blame them for overlooking it. It's a really forgettable system. Easily my least favourite Nintendo console that I've owned but at least they bounced back really strongly with the Switch.
Amazing console, some of the best home console experiences have been on Wii U for me. Bunch of good third party games from its first years during which it still had decent support, overwhelmed by a stellar first party library.
Loved the freedom in how you wanted to play - so many controllers and controller options were supported.
The first HD Nintendo experiences: first ever HD Zelda, Mario etc. felt surreal to behold.
First console with offscreen play and featuring all the modes now popular with Switch: TV mode, tabletop mode and handheld mode. Playing blockbuster games on the shitter felt surreal as well lmfao.
Could care less about the general lack of knowledge/hatred for the thing - I loved it. Wait, I still do.
There's a Splatoon 1!?
Game journalism, everyone.
Wii u is a great console my kids grew up with. Best family coops
Wii U was really bad, no wonder people don't remember it. I love Wii and Wii U was such a big disappointment.... but at least it wasn't a scam like Switch.
Wii U and Switch are the opposite: Wii U was bad, but at least rather honest and fair for the customers (compared to other consoles at least), Switch could be a wonderful device but they ruin it to make it a scam hoping to expoloit consumers that way.
But the best games are still those on Wii, Gamecube and Super Nintendo anyway, not on Wii U and not on Switch either...
I still have my Wii u and me and my son enjoyed countless hours on it sad really all my mates and work colleagues thought it was a pad you could buy to make the Wii a bit more up to date Nintendo really dropped the ball with the marketing on the Wii u
Its 3ds, right?
I loved my Wii U, though it was an odd console.
While many of the good games are getting ported to Switch (which I'm grateful for in the long run), it still has enough worthwhile games for me to keep it hooked up at the moment:
Super Mario 3D World
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (My favourite JRPG on a Nintendo console)
Splatoon 1
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water
Wind Waker / Twilight Princess HD (WW being one of the best HD remasters I've played)
And it also has the most extensive Virtual Console to date, so is currently my go to console for playing the majority of the NES, SNES, N64 and GBA games. Love playing the likes of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Metroid Fusion on my TV.
Would love if the Switch could pick up all of these games as I generally prefer the system, but until then my Wii U isn't going anywhere fast. Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Wind Waker especially.
Wait.. the answer is NES.
Made you look.
With Just Dance 2019 being released on the Wii earlier this year not really suprised
It has Mario Kart 8, Mario 3D World, Smash 4, Splatoon, Wind Waker, Mario Maker, Bayonetta 1 & 2, Breath of the Wild, and more...
It also had a lot of great indie titles...
If Nintendo had marketed it properly (or at all), it would have sold plenty and there would be even more great games on it.
Ultimately it was just a bridge to the Switch, but it's a shame it didn't last a little longer and we would have a more powerful Switch.
@Rhaoulos I have already played both of those games and love them. (BOTW is hard to play after XC2 however).
Apparently the producers and/or writers of Fuller House remember Wii U fondly. The new season just came out on Netflix and in the first episode, the Fullers discover five year old Christmas presents that were hidden away by their deceased father. One of them was a Wii U, to which a kid said, “wow, that’s what I really wanted when they still made them!”
It was a garbage system to me so I don't care if it has been forgotten personally.
@LuckyLand The Switch isn't a scam. Man, where are you getting those ridiculous conspiracy theories?
@Medic_alert Yes, its struggles stand out sharply when I take a Switch break and play something on it. That loading time to the menu is atrocious. The things I've played the most on it are Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, MP Trilogy, and Other M. So I've used it to play games from other consoles for most of its life. I'm glad some folks enjoyed it, but I think I had a better time spent that generation on my 360/X1
Well I only heard about Wii U way after the Nintendo switch reveal... So yeah I don't find this surprising at all
@Alantor28 ignore him it's clearly just a troll
Sad. The Wii U was an impressive system with great ideas that just weren't fully realized by all.
Wii U was great for what I wanted it to be......but the Switch gets more use now because "New". Eventually I'll go back to my Wii U and play some amazing games on it again
@Balta666 Yeah, but it's hard for me to ignore trolls when they say stupid stuff like this. I'm sorry, but it's really hard for me to ignore trolls when they do or say something stupid.
I can see some good in some people, but internet trolls and console fanboys are a different story.
well technically speaking, a Wii was a Switch predecessor, it just wasn't a direct precessor
by the way I absolutely love the WiiU!
Technically this isn't wrong as predecessor just means something that came before, not something that came immediately before. Gamecube, N64 and SNES are all Switch predecessors.
Wii will never forget.
Wait, I think I'm missing something...
@bluemujika @Ventilator I feel the same as you...
@Bass_X0 The 3ds of course
Just wanted to point out that technically, putting down 3DS would be a correct answer as well.
Why? Because of the Switch's hybrid design, it's the first system to claim lineage from both Nintendo's home console and handheld brands.
Maybe 3DS is the answer they were going for, and everyone just assumed it was the Wii.
Just saying....
I loved my Wii U. I actually kind of wish they’d make another game like Nintendo Land’s Donkey Kong cart thing where you tilt the controller to move around. I spent hours on that stupid game and it was so much fun.
Now, the switch? The switch is a modern marvel to me. Very glad I upgraded but I totally loved my Wii U. I think the things that held it back were the trickle release of virtual console games, the slow and sluggish swapping between Wii and Wii U modes. And man, that Star Fox game was awesome except I hated the forced motion controls. Really hoping that becomes a re-release WITH THE OPTION TO NOT HAVE MOTION CONTROLS. However I feel that’s u likely due to the game kind of being built around that whole concept. Oh well. I’m in the camp who appreciates the Wii U.
Wow. All of the Wii U hate in this thread. You know, the one thing I can say that was really negative about the Wii U compared to the Switch was the loading. I remember waiting a while for BoTW to load up on the Wii U, but on the Switch it's not an issue.
Otherwise, the Wii U had a lot of positives that the Switch has, to be blunt, failed at. Like having a FREE online system based on usernames instead of Friend Codes. Like having an actual Virtual Console with tons of games including adding games from the GBA and DS.
The Wii U may have not been a financial success, but I certainly felt a little better about Nintendo during that era than I do now. There are a lot of great things about the Switch, but a paid online service that is worse than the Wii U's FREE one and lack of Virtual Console (an obvious thing that should have been done) really casts a shadow over the Switch IMO. Nintendo just always shoots themselves in the foot somehow. sighs
I'm quite envious of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle.
Hardly surprising the NYT Crossword overlooked the WiiU, millions of other people overlooked it also. The WiiU suffered because many believed it to be an expensive add-on to the Wii. It also didn't help with the many, many different controls available to play games. Not only did you have that Fisher price-esq tablet, but you had a Pro controller and the Wiimote along with it's accessories. And WiiU games worked with most controls that were compatible with the WiiU.
This is a Wii U article, what happened to sligeach_eire?
Random uninformed Wii owner: "Yeah I saw that controller, but I was already done with my Wii by the time that came out."
Smh, poor Wii U, few even knew you were your own system...
Where to even begin... Perma-death undead outbreak simulator at launch (got myself the Zombi U bundle). Tons of superb exclusives, from ghost hunting with a camera 5 to showbizz crossover RPG. From still exclusives like small flower-men army 3 to Switch-ported gems like four gun wielding witch 2. Some greatly enhanced ports of older games, and sadly some really lazy ports as well... AH well, it was an exciting time, even though we all knew at a certain point it wasn't going to pick up on third party support...
@JasmineDragon So any predecessor to Nintendo Switch with 3 letters. Does that mean NES is an equally valid crossword answer?
To be fair, they have to give the readers a chance. No point asking for an answer nobody will have heard of.
It does say "Predecessor", not THE predecessor, which is technically correct. Still, this highlights how much of an impact the poor Wii U made on most mainstream consumers. Mine still gets used almost daily.
I love how the theme of the website changes from red to blue for this article.
@frabbit He isn't actually cel shaded in the Wii U remaster. They added a gradient lighting system to the game.
I had to sell my wiiU (long story, don't ask) but my favourite game was and still is Mario Maker. I would buy another WiiU just for that... In fact I may just do that...
@Octane lol
Fond memories? The Wii U and Switch in my house are considered "active consoles". Online modes for Wii U games are still available. My family play just as much Wii U as we do Switch. Another reason I refuse to buy Wii U ports on Switch. It sucks that the Wii U was not appreciated. It's a fun system.
I actually kinda liked the WiiU. It sure doesn't deserve to be forgotten that's for sure. Ah well everyone makes mistakes so I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it.
Wii will
Wii will
Rock U!
Lol, and this is why the Wii U sold so poorly. People still don't even know it existed.
I have good memories of the Wii U. My 19hr marathon session on XCX, Super Mario 3D World, that Fire Emblem / SMT game (sorry forgot the title). Doesn’t change my belief that the concept and design wasn’t one of Nintendo’s best. It really only offered something for the die hard Nintendo fans; which aren’t numerous enough to make a system successful.
@Alto Check out Yoku’s Island Express, if you haven’t already (or the demo). It doesn’t have the tilt controls, but it reminds me a lot of the Donkey Kong’s Crash Course game play style.
It's still a predesesor. Just not a direct one.
@NEStalgia not if the other answers dont line up.
@Bass_X0
The Wii U, and later given a weak port on the 3DS (no ability to upload levels created).
I love my Wii U, and Mario Maker is by far the biggest reason. I've probably put more time into that game than any other in my 30 years of playing Nintendo games.
But yeah, it was really poorly marketed and supported. Even Nintendo admits this. (At least the marketing part.)
@Balta666 I don't get it. Did you think Nintendo just took a 4 year break from making consoles?
I'm really surprised by some of the hostility towards the Wii U in these comments. I guess some are just trolls.
@Alto In the Arwing you could pretty much ignore the motion controls, but yeah I guess they were unavoidable for the other vehicles.
@SirPrimalform
Yeah mae. Anyone who thinks differently to you is a troll. That’ll be it (rolls eyes).
@electrolite77 Note the word "some" in my comment. Keep working at your vocabulary, you'll get there eventually.
@bluemujika I only have one Just Dance on Wii U, and i skipped the crap games. Still over 70. Note that some games were only released on physical in Europe.
@Mantorock You play crosswords your way, I'll play crosswords my way.
@SirPrimalform
Your original ludicrous point still stands
@SirPrimalform how dare I have an opinion.
I still think the name has been a very big marketing mistake
@electrolite77
I'm glad you agree that my point stands even if you missed it by a mile. I didn't call people who disliked the Wii U trolls, but some of the comments were too obvious and angry and didn't seem at all sincere.
@IBeAGamer I think it's telling that you assumed I was talking about you.
@SirPrimalform you addressed everyone who has a negative opinion of the WiiU.
@IBeAGamer Another person who missed the word "some". Wonderful!
@frogopus Although that would mean it's not a great clue if it has multiple answers like that.
@frogopus Good point! But yeah, it must be a slow news day since this is basically just a crosspost from reddit.
Switch ports in order of need:
1. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X
3. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
I'd even make an argument that Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival would be neat if they just remade it with Mario Party in mind and charged no more than $15 for it.
@SirPrimalform no, my only console until switch was a mega drive and after the N64 generation I got very disconnected from gaming consoles (I would still play some pes or FIFA because everyone around me had a PlayStation for that, and obviously had a few tries at Wii because Wii was the sensation that everyone knows) and only very casually played pc games. To be frank with you I also did no know the name of the Xbox console at the time...
@Balta666 Fair enough, I was pretty curious.
@NEStalgia It would be, if it fit the rest of the clues, but it doesn't.
The best thing about the Wii U is soft modding it. Playing GameCube games (that I legally own) off of a USB hard drive and using the Smash controller adaptor to use real GameCube controllers with certain games that I grew up with and still love and that Nintendo still won't re-release or remaster, such as Mario Golf TT and Mario Kart DD, is a truly great thing. Both games look great on the Wii U over HDMI. And yes I know they'll play in higher res and better on a PC but I don't care - this post is not about pc master race BS, this is about the Wii U.
Also, with the exception of Link's Awakening (edit: I forgot about the DS Zelda games) you can play almost the entire catalog of Zelda titles released for Nintendo consoles on the Wii U without any kind of modding, between VC and Wii mode and the Wii U remasters it has it covered. What other Nintendo console can make that claim?
I think Nintendo also wants to forget that the Wii U was a thing.
@SirPrimalform
Whether it’s ‘some’ or ‘all’ is irrelevant. You’re saying that people who disagree with you are trolls. The internet has been around a long time now, we should be past such stupidity. People have a different opinion sometimes. That doesn’t mean they’re trolls.
@Biffclaven
“The best thing about the Wii U is soft modding it”
Now this I agree with.
@electrolite77 Of course not. I just think that it's fairly obvious that some of the negative posts are obvious bait posted with the intention of trolling. Maybe you don't see any of the posts that way, we can agree to differ there.
What I don't appreciate is your disingenuous attempt to portray me as having said that "anyone who thinks differently to me is a troll".
I have no idea whether you're embarrassed about missing the word "some" from my post and are trying to save face or if you're just oversensitive.
@SirPrimalform
I think you’re being trolled 🤔
I think it's best we all did.
@Fandabidozi
I think a troll that's upset about being called a troll is just trolling themselves.
@Bass_X0 3ds
"The New York Times forgets the Wii U was a thing." Nintendo's executives - "Lucky SOBs, we wish we could forget the horror."
Just shows you how poor they marketed the Wii U. I still meet people to this day that still think the Wii U was an add on to the Wii. Of course if Nintendo named it something then a Wii U perhaps the confusion wouldn't be there.
What a convoluted mess of a console that was. Good riddance I say.
It's a real shame that Mario Maker and Xenoblade X are still stuck on such awful hardware.
The Wii u still sits proudly just below my Switch. It was a system with many great ideas ( and unfortunately many terrible ones), but most of all it's games were fantastic, and Nintendo had a similar mentality as the Gamecube, in just throwing every idea they could at it, giving us Splatoon, Mario maker,the anti gravity of Mario Kart 8, an amazing Smash bros, the best HD remaker ever ( Wind waker) Xenoblade chronicles X, Pikmin 3, Hyrule Warriors,Mario 3d world , DK tropical freeze and dozens more. Sadly, when you barely advertise the system, don't make it clear what it is, and honestly, over charge for it.It was unfortunately screwed before it ever had a chance
@SirPrimalform
Not embarrassed at all. I don’t care whether you’re accusing 1 person, 7 people, some people, or all the people who disagree with you of being a troll. That’s irrelevant deflection. It’s the act that’s worth mocking, whatever the number of targets.
@Ventilator Cheers.
@electrolite77
Yes, clearly all people on the internet are sincere.
Most missunderstood console of all times. Xenoblade Chronicles X alone is reason enough to get the system.
I still play the Wii U i love it and it's very fun playing Virtual Console. Who doesn't want to play GBA and NDS on a huge tablet? 😍
I'm mostly worried about finding a replacement once mine craps out. There isn't too many of the out there really.
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