Video: Are People Still Playing Wii U Games Online? Let's Find Out

I rarely played Wii U during this year.
Still only 8 Wii U games i owned, after 3 years i took hiatus to add the Wii U games library.

I'm kind of surprised Nintendo hasn't turned off the servers yet. Good on them for keeping them running. 👍

I still play ME3, CoD's and NFSMW2U until Nintendo cut online

I played call of duty last week on wiiu online

@Pojos98 Shame you couldn't add anything of substance.

Ninth comment.

CEMU will hopefully keep any remaining online functionality available for future generations to enjoy.

What is "clunky" about the Wii-U gamepad?

@rdrunner1178 Everything. It's massive and part of the reason I skipped that generation as I just didn't find it comfortable to play on. Switch is better but still I'd rather play on the TV with a regular controller than undocked.

@rdrunner1178 the Gamepad is wonderful and pure joy!

I am glad there is still an online community for the WiiU...it was a cool system.

I still play MK8, I prefer it to MK8DX online because in DX there is chaos with 2 items for each player and it gets more random and difficult to finish first! And I prefer the gamepad to joycons by far.

Lockdown has have me playing the Wii U a lot with the family. I must of played on it more than any other console this year.

@STARSTor it’s a great console. You won’t be disappointed.

@Clyde_Radcliffe I hear you but, I find it comfy, but my hands are big. I think the real reason I like so much is that my hands are further apart I think. Feels better.

Nineteenth comment

Twentieth comment.

I feel so bad now. Let's quickly add something...

Honestly, I haven't touched my Wii U since Mario Maker 2 was released. And I don't feel like going back.

I loved my Wii U
But I feel like it's the room full of botched Ripley's and the Switch is full Ripley.

@Clyde_Radcliffe
>Everything. It's massive and part of the reason I skipped that generation as I just didn't find it comfortable.

have you ever held a Wii U gamepad at all? it doesn't sound like you had, honestly.
because what is really not comfortable to hold is a pair of thin small joy-cons and the whole Switch in handheld mode. and you'll be tired of holding it pretty fast when playing longer sessions that way.

on the other hand Wii U gamepad is super comfortable to hold and play on. it's big, with bigger buttons, ergonomic, easy on hands, proper d-pad, a headphones jack in, a screen to manage your map or inventory (XCX or Wind Waker are good examples of that).
IMO Switch feels like a downgrade after that.

Still better and with more first launch games than Switch... Switch nowadays it's a shovelware and remastered software machine.

@anynamereally I agree, the tiny buttons on the Switch aren’t comfortable or as easy to press as the larger buttons of the Wii U control pad. Plus I’m forever unintentionally moving the right joycon analogue stick with my thumb because it’s too close to the buttons and my thumb catches it.

You’d think given how the joycons detach that Nintendo would have offered some adult hand-sized alternatives. Even the Power Glove came in small, medium and large and that was years ago!

@YANDMAN I miss call of duty. I miss free online. And for the love of God I miss voice chat.

I pretty much only play single player games on wii u. Still play it regularly though.

@whizzkidd Since there are zero ways in which the Wii U is better than the Switch, I'm certain that your assertion is incorrect, but you're going to have to explain what a "first launch" game is so I can know exactly how.

Had fired up the WiiU during my furlough. Gave me a chance to wrap up Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

Love having Jon here (though I miss him at Game explain).

The Wii U still has a player base, i still play Blops 2 and Splatoon (still popular in Japan). I occasionally play MH 3 and Mass effect 3 online, but need my friends list to fill those games out. Some of my online friends actually skipped Switch this gen, waiting something a bit more powerful, or simply switching to PC or xbox.

Finally sold my Wii U this year. The only two remaining games I was holding out for were Wind Waker/Twilight and it's looking like those might come over this year for Zelda's 35th. An extra $200ish to put toward Switch games.

@JimmySpades games that where first time launch in the WiiU...

@whizzkidd Let me guess...you're counting Breath of the Wild as a Wii U game but not a Switch game for this criterion. Even if that were true, which it isn't, your assertion is still false. The Switch has a better library, no matter how much you skew things in the Wii U's favor.

The Wii U is an amazing system that was vastly underrated and Nintendo failed in unleashing its true potential (as they are doing with the Switch as well...) so much more could have been done with the Wii U Game Pad that some third-party games did that Nintendo failed to do. Despite that it still got some fantastic games that offer a spectacular unique experience no other video game system will ever give, this system was a commercial failure but the system itself is a total success, is a shame many people fail to even give it a chance, it really is a good system. Unfortunately a portion of what made it so unique has been cut due to the shutdown of Miiverse so many games now have unusable modes and functionalities...

Clunky gamepad? I find the Gamepad far more comfortable than the Switch to play games on. In fact I play more games on my Wii U these days as most of Switch's best games have equivalents on Wii U and then I have Wii and Gamecube games that I can play on it too

@JimmySpades Wii u had Virtual Console, free online and native voice chat. Those are a few things the Wii u is better at although the switch overall is the better system. But I miss all those things a lot.

The kids and I still play Splatoon on the Wii U. Always people on to play with, which is greatly appreciated! I still collect for and love the Wii U. My family laments that Miiverse is gone. We loved that service. Switch has no charm without something similar. I miss the online community.

@JimmySpades zero ways? My Wii U can play Gamecube, Wii, DS, Gameboy Advance and Wii U (which includes most of Nintendo's best Switch games), also free online and external hard drive support. Overall I still prefer the Wii U

I still dig up the virtual console for SNES action like Super Star Wars

I have a Wii U and Switch, and I haven't bought any of the upgraded versions of the games I have on the Wii U. So Mario Kart 8 is on the Wii U and Smash Bros on the Switch for example. Even if there are a few extras in a Deluxe version...not worth buying all over again.

Happy to see people that like the WiiU.
The gamepad is one of my favorites controllers ever (big hands).
The game library is only rivaled by GC and makes the Switch a little boring.
The Miiverse was great and should be in Switch too.
The ability to switch between TV-mode and "handheld" mode was revolutionary.

In March and April during the national lockdown i remember playing Mario Kart 8 and Wii Sports Club Online, ad there were a lot of other players online!

@Clyde_Radcliffe The gamepad does feel better than an undocked Switch... It just feels more sturdy.

N64 was my first console. After years of playing on Xbox, then PS, then PC, going back to Nintendo with the Wii U was a breath of fresh air! Some of the most fun gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

The Wii U is still regularly used in the house and hooked up to the primary TV. I own a Switch and I use it, but it has been hard to find things I don’t already own on Wii U that are interesting.

I miss the gamepad. I actually preferred it as a controller

MK8 always has people on, usually get 12 person races on a regular basis. Splatoon can be hard to get a match going. Also, let's stop referring to the gamepad as "clunky", it's comfortable as can be and feels infinitely better than the Switch. Holding the Switch is about as comfortable as playing Monster Hunter on the PSP.

@FarsanBaloo yea, the Wii U is honestly one of the best consoles I own. The library is limited but tons of great games to keep you busy. I actually owned one at launch but sold it within a year cause I wasn't gaming much then. Picked up another one a few months back and am really pouring over some of the games I missed out on. It's a fantastic system with tons of features. Playing Wii games on the tablet is fantastic, I never would imagine that it would be a good way to play the Wii but it really is. My wife and I have a Switch too and honestly, we never play it. Has a great library but the controller on it is downright awful, seriously one of the most uncomfortable controllers ever created. Need to get a 'pro' controller but I just don't care enough to because I still probably wouldn't play it as much as I do the Wii U.

What's there too find out? Of course people are still playing those games.
The matchmaking in Splatoon 1 is actually still faster than in Splatoon 2.

It’s one way to easily play GBA games on a bigger screen.

I would still be playing my Wii U, but it's busted at the moment. It needs a new screen and a new optical drive.

Both me and my sister still play our Wii Us online often, including all of the highlighted games.

@carlos82
Here here!
GC WITHOUT Emulation!
CBHC forever!

I never had a Wii u so all the ports on switch are brand new games to me.

The Wii U GamePad is so overly-criticized. For what it's worth, it gives you no valid reason to get a Pro Controller unless for some reason you can't keep the Gamepad charged/plugged in or you very specifically prefer thin ZR/ZL triggers over the fat ones on all other Nintendo controllers.

Splatoon on WiiU is magnificent. I prefer its pacing to Splatoon 2.

@rdrunner1178
Nothing, its pure genius.

@Clyde_Radcliffe

It is in every way handier than the Switch.
It feels much better on your hands.

I also like the Pro Controller more with its insane Battery Life and much better D-Pad.

@Merry_Blind
Ha nearly the same here.
Only played on PC and PS3 for Years, had Fun with the Wii U as with my SNES.

At this point its basically a retro game emulator box, most of the first party games worth owning migrated to Switch. I just use it for the VC games i have whenever I crave something like Metroid or Castlevania.

Its a shame it was so poorly branded and overpriced, if they made it a more standard console with a pro controller only then it might have done better.

I still think the Switch is more clunky than the Wii U GamePad.
Can't play Switch in handheld, Wii U is perfect though.

I still play Mario Maker 1 every day, and though it wasn't in the video, people are still uploading new levels for it every day as well.

WiiU was such an underrated console, I'm glad it's still having an existing playerbase for its games.

I have both my Switch and Wii U connected to my television and they each have an Ethernet cable for on line play. sadly, it’s been almost a year since I’ve played online games on my Wii U. crazy to know that there are people still playing on line on the Wii U!

69th comment "giggity"

COD Ghosts was my most played online game. Too bad it was the last cod on a Nintendo console .

In some ways, Wii U is better then the Switch

@Koudai1979 , You can get the parts at Aliexpress , cheaper then ebay most of the time , but you have to wait a bit

One of my Favourite systems . Still play all the time but then i have a vast catalogue of games. Yes never have problems getting games online in Splatoon or MK8 , or even NFSMW.
Marvellous game machine and I like the gamepad , just the battery life even with larger capacity battery is a pain due to the Wii U 's constantly checking for up-dates which means the gamepad is always connected to the system so it drains a bit each day. The gamepad literally is in standby mode all the time , the only way to turn it off is to take the battery out.
But the fact that I never bought a Switch is a testament to how good the Wii U is .

@whizzkidd Please, Laharl. Find love. There's enough hate.

@STARSTor I played splatoon and mariokart 8/Mario maker a lot. Loved dk tropical freeze. Pikmin 3. Super Luigi u. Bayonetta 2. Mario vs donkey kong tipping stars and a lot more. I have around 90 physical Wii u games

Never understood all the hate for the wii u. As so many have already said here, the gamepad is super comfortable to use. For me, the most comfortable controller I have ever used. The switch in handheld without some kind of grip is not comfortable at all. I've never liked the joycons. I still like the switch but have always felt a little disappointed with it. The hardware quality felt like a downgrade and not up to Nintendo's usual high standards.

@KITG_GROUP Thanks. I'll check it out. Last I looked on Ebay, the parts totaled around $50, but they also came with the tools to take the system apart.

wow great to see people still playing Splatoon 1 it's such an amazing game.

Sometimes I'll boot up the Wii U for some online gaming, mainly Splatoon and Mario Kart 8. It's still free to play online and there's no controller drift.

Out of the Wii U and Switch, there's only one console with free online. Though personally my Wii U is more of a Wii/VC machine as all the online Wii U games have Switch counterparts nowadays.

I dont understand why Wii U gets so much hate? The fact that it plays games over every generation that Nintendo has ever created and switching back and forth from TV mode to gamepad mode means you dont even need a TV to play it?? WHAT?? Just about every game is interchangeable with just about every controller it has the original wii built right into it which plays wii games obviously as well as GameCube games. What is not to love? It truly was and still is revolutionary and the switch from Wii to Wii U was seamless you got to every game you ever bought whether it was GameCube or Wii discs or everything you spent on the wii virtual console, just glad to know that not only do ppl still play it but theres still online gameplay.

I wish more people were playing Wii-U Sports Club. Finding anyone to play tennis or bowling is like winning the lottery. Not many games to be found outside of your "friends".

Black Ops II is really good on the Wii U. You can even play online with two players on the same console, one on the TV, the other on the Wii U. It's fantastic!

I'm in Australia so I'm around the same timezone as Japan, give or take an hour.

Lobbies are sometimes full on Monday to Thursday but sometimes barren.

Weekends are packed in Splatoon, Mario Kart etc with Japanese, Australians and Americans.

13 million Wii U owners is still a lot of people, with Mario Kart and Splatoon selling 5 million + each. That's a lot of people with free access to online gaming.