This console was one of the most bitter failures in the history of video games, but Nintendo learned from it to bring the Switch to life.
With the Wii U, Nintendo thought it would repeat the success of the Wii by offering a console with a strong concept. Unfortunately, the Japanese firm got bogged down in unclear communication and technical problems, which led to a resounding failure. It learned from this to later release the Switch, one of its most popular machines in its history.
In 2008, Nintendo decided to capitalize on the ecosystem of the Wii, one of its biggest successes of all time, to create its new console. Keen to prioritize the pleasure of the game over the technique, the engineers decided to optimize the concept of the previous machine by introducing the idea of an ingenious controller.
Katsuya Eguchi, creator of the Animal Crossing series and producer of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, was then propelled to the production of the multiple games of the system: " To present the Wii U, the first thing I would talk about would obviously be the new controller with an integrated screen, the Wii U Gamepad.
Where we used to play only with the television screen, we can now play with the television and a second screen in our hands.
When I describe the console, I also like to illustrate this by saying that the television in the living room is an object around which we gather, a single screen that we share, but that the screen of the Wii U Gamepad can serve as an individual screen for each one.
It's really stimulating when you think about the possibility of creating new games or completely new ways of playing. " The Japanese designer is then enthusiastic and imagines that many brilliant concepts will emerge with this asymmetrical way of playing. Unfortunately, things will take a turn that strangely recalls the communication error around the Xbox One ...
The Wii U, console or accessory?
Eager to bring back the fans of the first hour (some of whom had succumbed to the charms of high definition with the competition), Nintendo fumbled for many months and the debates, sometimes heated, multiplied internally. This finally resulted in the Wii U (formerly Wii HD, Wii 2 or better known by its code name Project Café), a hybrid console that deserved a better reception. Presented at E3 2011, the Wii U is promising, but Nintendo will unfortunately make a big mistake.
By choosing to focus on the controller with integrated screen and neglecting the machine itself, the Japanese manufacturer is creating real confusion among the public. No one really knows if this is a special controller for the Wii, a Wii fed with high definition or a new console. The confusion is total! The other problem comes from the absence of unifying games and a technology that is, certainly, interesting, but certainly not revolutionary in the era of tablets and other smartphones. The stock markets are not mistaken and see Nintendo's share price plummet.
Wii will rock U
When it was released at the end of 2012, the Wii U tried to bait Nintendo fans by displaying a substantial launch catalog: New Super Mario Bros. U, ZombiU, Nintendo Land, Assassin's Creed III, Mass Effect 3 , Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, etc. It's not bad at all, but it lacks a real new Mario and Zelda. In reality, the problem is all the deeper because there is a real misunderstanding between the Japanese parent company and its American branch. Worse, the criticism even extends to certain spheres of the Japanese company. From the first year, the observation is clear: sales have had trouble taking off and Nintendo is forced to drastically lower its forecasts. Undoubtedly, the name Wii U and the communication focused on the controller have done a lot of harm.
Instead of convincing players, the Wii U put them to sleep and many turned away from it completely, due to a controller that disconnected as soon as you moved away from the console, games that were less unifying than expected (third-party publishers gradually disassociated themselves from the machine) and especially promising concepts (the hide-and-seek game in Nintendo Land in particular) that could be counted on the fingers of one hand. With 13.5 million consoles sold, the Wii U was abandoned at the very beginning of 2017, four years after its release. Far from being uninteresting, it did not resist the tidal wave of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. On the other hand, its existence was vital for the continuation of Nintendo's adventures.
From mistakes great destinies are born
The Wii U episode will indeed be beneficial to Nintendo. As the former president of Nintendo of America, the very charismatic Reggie Fils-Aimé, explains, this event was a springboard for the successful console of the moment: " The feedback we got from consumers was that the idea of a tablet on which you can play, while having the possibility of playing on a TV if you want, was really appealing. But people told us, 'I want to play on this tablet, but when I move 10m away from the TV, it disconnects.' Players hate putting the controller down, so we had to offer something to meet this expectation. " He emphasizes: " If we hadn't had the Wii U, we wouldn't have the Switch either. "
As you can see, the Nintendo Switch is the answer to the Wii U's flaws. In addition to completely revising its console, the Japanese manufacturer has revised its communication by adopting a striking name and a largely optimized concept. Such enthusiasm did not surprise the person concerned: " When I saw the Nintendo Switch for the first time, I immediately knew that it would offer experiences never seen before. I thought that the possibility of taking games with you everywhere of a quality identical to that provided by a home console and playing them with friends, not to mention all the new features specific to the console and the Joy-Con, would change the way people play their favorite titles. "
Despite its commercial failure, the Wii U retains a special place in the hearts of many gamers. It brought interesting experiences, but it is above all its existence that became essential to the reinvention of a Nintendo that was searching for itself. Internally, this period was not easy, especially not the stratospheric success of the Wii and the Nintendo DS, but it was salutary. Today, the Nintendo Switch, which is a reinterpretation of the Wii U, continues to be a hit and will soon give way to a new console that we hope will be just as remarkable. If Nintendo takes up the Nintendo Switch model, we can hope for a revelation in the fall for a release in spring 2025.