Wii U - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia
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 ウィー・ユー Wii U | ||||||||||||||||
 The Deluxe Wii U console | ||||||||||||||||
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Technical specs
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The Wii U (Japanese: ウィー・ユー Wii U) is Nintendo's home game console for the eighth generation of video games, which serves as one of the company's competitions for Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, the other being the Nintendo Switch.
First officially announced during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 of 2011, the Wii U (previously referred to as Project Café) is the successor of the Wii and is backwards-compatible to all Wii games and controllers. The console features a 6.2-inch touch screen-capable controller equipped with a camera, called the Wii U GamePad. In addition, the console is capable of playing games at 1080p with a 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio. Its handheld counterpart is the Nintendo 3DS.
Unlike the original Wii and much like the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii U did not sell as very well as Nintendo hoped it would be. It would have sold 100 million units, and yet, it only managed to sell 13.56 million units worldwide, making it Nintendo's least successful home console. The Wii U's lifetime sales were outsold in only nine months by its successor, the Nintendo Switch. As a result, it was discontinued in Europe on October 1, 2016, in North America on November 10, 2016, in Australia on November 14, 2016, and in Japan on January 31, 2017, only around 4 years after the console's initial release. Commonly cited reasons for the Wii U's bad sales include some confusing marketing, a complicated GamePad, a few third-party titles with many of them being canceled and/or unreleased, high initial pricing, and the lack of Blu-ray and even DVD and CD playback; numerous first-party Wii U titles, however, were ported to the Nintendo Switch.
Technical specifications
- Size: 1.8 inches high, 10.5 inches deep, 6.8 inches long.
- Weight: Approximately 3.41 pounds (1.5 kg).
- CPU: IBM PowerⓇ-based multi-core processor.
- GPU: AMD Radeon™-based HD GPU.
- Storage: Internal flash memory (8 or 32 GB)
- External Storage: SD memory cards, USB storage.
- Game Storage: Wii U and Wii optical discs.
- Networking: Wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection, USB 2.0 connectors ×4.
- Backwards Compatibility: Most Wii accessories and games are compatible with the Wii U.
- Audio: Uses six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI® connector, or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.
- Video: Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI (3D stereoscopy supported), Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
- Memory: 2 GB DDR3 RAM.
Features
- Miiverse: allowed communication with a community of both Wii U and 3DS owners
- Nintendo Network
- TV Remote: The Wii U GamePad can be used as a regular TV remote
- Near Field Communication (NFC): Can communicate wirelessly with objects above it.
- Nintendo eShop: "The digital storefront for Wii U will be available at launch and offer a variety of content for people to download and enjoy. Consumers will also be able to purchase and download select games that are also available at retail stores." ~ Nintendo. eShop was also used in 3DS.
- Video Entertainment: Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube
- Video Chat: Uses front-facing camera of GamePad to have video chats with other Wii U owners.
- Internet Browsing
Pokémon games
All releases listed are the year in which the Japanese version was released.
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop used the internet to purchase and download select full Wii U titles, Wii U-exclusive downloadable games (including WiiWare and Virtual Console games with money uploaded onto the player's account.
From March 27, 2023 onwards, it is no longer possible to purchase or download these applications on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U, as the eShop has been closed for such actions.
Nintendo eShop titles
Retail titles
Wii titles
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games were old games that were originally released on past consoles, and had been re-released on the Nintendo eShop. They could be downloaded after being bought.
Via backwards compatibility
Running in Wii Mode, the Wii U can be used to play games playable on the Wii.
On game discs
WiiWare games
Virtual Console games
Gallery
Basic Wii U
Wii U GamePad
Back of the Wii U GamePad
Wii U Pro Controller
Cameos
External links
References
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