NintendoGeneration 8
Wii U
2012
AU Release
30 November 2012
AU Launch Price
$429 AUD
~$590 today
Units Sold
14M
Technical Specifications
Processor
IBM PowerPC Espresso (3-core, 1.24 GHz)
Memory
2 GB DDR3
Storage
32 GB Flash (expandable via USB HDD)
Media
Wii U Optical Disc (proprietary)
Best-Selling Wii U Games
Global lifetime sales
Cultural Impact
The Wii U was Nintendo's most commercially disappointing console. Confusingly marketed — many consumers thought the GamePad was simply an accessory for the existing Wii — it sold just 13.5 million units in five years. Third-party support dried up quickly. Yet its library, while small, was exceptional: Super Mario 3D World, Splatoon, Breath of the Wild (at launch), and Bayonetta 2 were all critical successes. Many Wii U titles were later ported to the Nintendo Switch where they finally found the audience they deserved. The Wii U was essentially a prototype for the Switch concept.
Did You Know?
The Wii U's GamePad screen has a 5-inch touchscreen that allows Off-TV play — a concept Nintendo refined into the Switch
Breath of the Wild launched simultaneously on Wii U and Switch — it was the last Wii U game Nintendo ever released
Splatoon on Wii U sold over 4.9 million copies despite the console's small install base — remarkable by any measure
From the Same Generation (Gen 8)
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