Nintendo forgot that people of all ages played their games in the Wii U era. I remember wanting a Wii U when I was 15/16 but all my friends were on Xbox 360 and moving on to Xbox One and PS4, so I didn’t want to be the weird kid playing the Wii U. I think a lot of teenagers felt that way at the time.
I think the difference between Wii U and Switch was the target market age. I didn't have money to buy a Wii U when I was a teen, now, as a working adult, I can go my way for buying one.
It's a good amount more powerful. The Wii U only had 2GB of RAM with 1GB for the OS and the other 1GB for games. The switch has 4GB of RAM, not certain about reservation but assuming 1GB is also for the OS then 3 is left for games, meaning 3x the RAM is available for games on switch. The switch SOC is also more powerful, despite having a slightly lower clock at 1.02 GHz compared to the 1.24 GHz on the Wii U, the switch has a quad core CPU compared to tri core on the Wii U (!!), and it can also boost to 1.78 GHz under certain conditions.
Another factor that was against the Wii U was technology. The whole hybrid concept wouldn't have worked without USB Type C. It probably still work have worked, but it would have been very clunky and you would have a power plug, an HDMI port, and the USB Type A ports all on the handheld. With USB Type C, it has enough bandwidth to do all of that in one tiny port. For Nintendo to do things with the Game Pad, it literally had to be connected to a special Wi-Fi network from the console for it to work. Even with this solution, it wasn't the most intuitive. Because of the special Wi-Fi, you had to be within range of the console for it to function. Even though it's a tablet controller, the Game Pad can't be taken anywhere. With the dock for the Switch, it fundamentally solved this problem. The marketing for the Wii U was god awful, and it didn't help things obviously. With the combination between poor marketing and technology not catching up, the Wii U failed. They tried to reinvent the wheel when they didn't need to. Let's hope Nintendo's next system isn't another reinvented wheel.
if the wii u had sold better, it might have got a pro upgrade like PS4 and Xbox One did. Instead, nintendo released the switch and tried to remove wii u from people's minds, i don't remember seing a wii u from close after 2017, the only time i remember seeing a wii u was in 2015 (i think so), I even saw a picture proving this a few years ago.
Nintendos marketing was a lot different so it sold better (which is in the video.) And, there are still being sold due to the recent OLED Switch. Bravo, Nintendo. You managed to change from The worst sales ever to the best.. that’s crazy.
I think the marketing was only a small factor great products sell themselves. If it a was a brilliant clear concept with great technology then it would have built customers over time.
True story: Back then I used to despise the switch as a Wii U owner but after playing with the switch when I got it back in 2017 as an early Christmas gift loved it for live and it was basically my definitive favorite console. Then during that era discovered the truth about why the Wi U failed and understood its failure. 2 years later as always played on the switch but the problem was it was for the family only and wasn't allowed to take it with me to my high school classes, Then as Nintendo announced the switch lite, I got the console for Christmas which was a yellow version and absolutely loved it for life and it basically became my own favorite personal switch.
@@-Sheva- That's right. Nintendo releases inferiour hardware, and all their classic titles are extremely childish these days. Would love to find a reason to get a Nintendo console/ handheld, but I cant stand the kiddy gimmicks they put in their games.
I still wish that radical Zelda tech demo featuring a bad ass Link battling a humongous spider on the Wii U was made into a full game. Would’ve loved to played that even the ill fated Wii U or it’s successful successor the Switch.
I love keeping my Wii U & Dreamcast consoles & accessories as far away from my other video game consoles and accessories as possible as a reference to how both were commercial failure to the point where I only five games for the former & fourteen for the latter.
I think when you have a great product with clear functionality it is easy to market and to resonate with audiences. The WiiU felt strange and gimmicky it failed to attract the casual crowd and most people bought a rival console. The concept behind the Switch is so clear you don’t need to lecture your parents about the difference.
Wii U failed so Switch could succeed. We were so good and innovative. They needed a little stopgap to continue and that’s what the Wii U was. It was a great idea but a poor execution and it’s not a bad console at all. It’s just at that time people didn’t really need it because they still had the Wii and likely used 3DS. Switch was an improved Wii U and combined aspects of 3DS and Wii U perfectly. It was targeted toward adults, but it had aspects that kids can use. I have both and I enjoy it.
I was so confused by what the WiiU was. Even many players were unsure. It sounded and looked like some sort of handheld Wii add on and I remember ignoring the commercials thinking ‘why would I want that’. i was also deep into xbox at that point. Being a teenager, even when I got a good look at the WiiU in a store finally, I pretty much ignored it.
From my perspective, Nintendo did a poor job at establishing what the Wii U was, and differentiating it enough from the Wii to have its own unique identity. That why it was initially written off as just another Wii model. What also makes matters worse now is that a majority of the first party titles released on the Wii U have been expanded, remade, or remastered for the Nintendo Switch. This basically nullifies any need to own a Wii U.
The switch is just Wii U minus Wii. By 2012 people were over the Wii. They didn’t really want a successor if they still had it so with a 3DS closing up shop by 2017 it was a perfect time for the switch.
Wii sales drop so fast before Wii U launched plus bad marketing. Meanwhile Switch excellent in marketing plus current sales only slow drop, not fast drop like Wii. From 18 million in year 6 to 15 million in year 7 is not much drop. So Switch 2 next year in good position
They wanted this to be what became of the Switch but the tech just wasn't ready (affordably) to be shrunk down as thin and have the Voltron controllers. So they had to use the WiiU in the meantime.
I had one of the Just Dance games that released for the Wii when I was either a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior in High School I never bought a Wii U because by the time it had released I wasn't playing my Wii anymore
The wii was sm fun to play with many people, we really played it with the entire family. I would love to see another console that really encourages playing with others, instead of staring at my screen all alone. I just have the switch light, dont know if the full switch is more multi player
People also forget that another big reason why the wii u failed because Nintendo was originally trying to make the switch back in 2012 but didnt have the technology to do that and we ended up with a wii u.
I enjoy the Wii U especially the drawing aspect and sharing with others and the games was fun but yea I guess advertising for the system wasn’t great remind me how the Dreamcast was such a powerful system but wasn’t advertised like it should :/
The switch would still have sold without the pandemic, as it already had a ton of sales before it. Also, people couldnt play on the go either because it was forbidden to get outside
I worked at gamestop for awhile around the time wii u released. Hardly anyone knew what it even was. The marketing was atrocious for it. For starters, the marketing focused 90% on the controller which yes is the most unique part of the console, but the console itself was always in the background, looked like a standard wii, and people were still using wii remotes in the commercials. This confused people and made them think the wii u was just a tablet add on to the wii and not a new console. Secondly nintendo was still laser focused on the casual market, most of whom just moved on to smartphone games by that time. The wii also succeeded in the casual market because it was so simple to market what the wii could do, unlike the wii u. Third, the marketing was focused on children, which isn't bad on its own, but if you know anything about children, they want to play what the big kids are playing
I love the switch because of its games. But to be honest (and to others) the switch is quite boring. And I can tell why everyone is still on their Wii U's. The UI of the switch feels too adultish. But the Wii U UI, it is amazing. Miiverse was so fun back then, and this may sound fake but its true, people are buying Wii U's. The Wii U even had music. If Nintendo tried a little harder, they would get a lot of units sold with the Wii U.
The wii was such a succes the only negative thing i could say about it is that some tvs where smashed by the flying controllers exept for that i really cant talk negative about the wii (wii u just failed because the advertisment was really really poor and had people thinking it was just a wii)
I feel like you failed to mention one big pro of the Switch. The Switch also serves as a good companion console to people who have other consoles. This was something that the Wii and Wii U failed to do, but unlike the latter, the Wii was carried by wowing casual gamers and people who never really cared to pick up a console.
the wii u isn't a failure, it didn't get the marketing the switch got IMO, it's a good console, just because it didn't break any sales records or pass previous consoles in sales, doesn't make it a bad product
WiiU was tethered to a console and the Switch is the whole package. And why the hell would you name your next generation console the SAME NAME as the previous?
I love that the Wii U had no publishers making games for it, so Nintendo went and made one of the best games of all time to secure the nintendo switch's future! Its like when Barcelona put Messi in their first team!
the Wii u was my best love console i loved back in 2012 it was nostalgic console for me the switch is lame and shit i hate why nintendo made there console like a hyper tablet cartridges on the switch is trash there should have done discs like the xbox one i used to have insted the 3ds had a better cartridges then the joycons are terrible they break move easy and not fun! this is why i like the gamecube/wii/wii u better as a home console,
Nintendo got lucky with the Wii despite it being extremely underpowered and becoming obsolete almost immediately after releasing. By the time the Wii U dropped, smartphones and mobile gaming entered the scene, taking over the casual audience the Wii catered to. All the “hardcore” gamers stayed with Sony and Microsoft, so Nintendo got left in the dust. The switch is the same, except it sold well because of its mobility
Nintendo forgot that people of all ages played their games in the Wii U era. I remember wanting a Wii U when I was 15/16 but all my friends were on Xbox 360 and moving on to Xbox One and PS4, so I didn’t want to be the weird kid playing the Wii U. I think a lot of teenagers felt that way at the time.
I was a kid playing on my DS and I wasn't expecting for my parents to get a Wii U
I think the difference between Wii U and Switch was the target market age.
I didn't have money to buy a Wii U when I was a teen, now, as a working adult, I can go my way for buying one.
Me too but i didnt regret getting an xbox because i made good friends. Now that im older i can calmly get a nintendo console
@@tarnw3301 I think Nintendo has a hard time making for both Wii U and 3ds at the same time???? Switch felt like all hands on deck.
The Wii U walked so the Switch can sprint. That's the best way to put it.
The Switch didn't deserve this
@@mr.s4ndman ohh 😢😢😢
I feel like without the wii u, we wouldn't have gotten the switch
And if we wouldn't have gotten the Switch, Nintendo would be dead.
The Wii U is like a switch prototype
Nintendo couldn’t explain what the Wii U was. Their marketing was really REALLY horrible.
U stands for Unique but nobody know that
exactly 100% Right
Is it a Wii that's for college?
Wii U (university) 😂
Such a shame that they both have basically the same hardware despite a 4 year difference
True
Switch is more powerful than Wii U but not too much
WiiU: (2013 - 2017)
It's a good amount more powerful. The Wii U only had 2GB of RAM with 1GB for the OS and the other 1GB for games. The switch has 4GB of RAM, not certain about reservation but assuming 1GB is also for the OS then 3 is left for games, meaning 3x the RAM is available for games on switch.
The switch SOC is also more powerful, despite having a slightly lower clock at 1.02 GHz compared to the 1.24 GHz on the Wii U, the switch has a quad core CPU compared to tri core on the Wii U (!!), and it can also boost to 1.78 GHz under certain conditions.
Because they couldn't make the Switch too powerful, otherwise it would have made it more expensive and bulky and have VERY bad battery life.
Another factor that was against the Wii U was technology. The whole hybrid concept wouldn't have worked without USB Type C. It probably still work have worked, but it would have been very clunky and you would have a power plug, an HDMI port, and the USB Type A ports all on the handheld. With USB Type C, it has enough bandwidth to do all of that in one tiny port. For Nintendo to do things with the Game Pad, it literally had to be connected to a special Wi-Fi network from the console for it to work. Even with this solution, it wasn't the most intuitive. Because of the special Wi-Fi, you had to be within range of the console for it to function. Even though it's a tablet controller, the Game Pad can't be taken anywhere. With the dock for the Switch, it fundamentally solved this problem. The marketing for the Wii U was god awful, and it didn't help things obviously. With the combination between poor marketing and technology not catching up, the Wii U failed. They tried to reinvent the wheel when they didn't need to. Let's hope Nintendo's next system isn't another reinvented wheel.
if the wii u had sold better, it might have got a pro upgrade like PS4 and Xbox One did. Instead, nintendo released the switch and tried to remove wii u from people's minds, i don't remember seing a wii u from close after 2017, the only time i remember seeing a wii u was in 2015 (i think so), I even saw a picture proving this a few years ago.
I think good clear products sell themselves that is why the switch has been a massive success. I do worry about the successor though
Switch is basically a redesigned Wii U
Nintendos marketing was a lot different so it sold better (which is in the video.) And, there are still being sold due to the recent OLED
Switch. Bravo, Nintendo. You managed to change from
The worst sales ever to the best.. that’s crazy.
True, Nintendo really stepped up their game
@@Charbergames* (if you know what I mean)
@@DDDTJno not their games, not with those specs 😔 but in the bright side it is cheaper
@@shrimpshufflr7745 o h
I think the marketing was only a small factor great products sell themselves. If it a was a brilliant clear concept with great technology then it would have built customers over time.
True story: Back then I used to despise the switch as a Wii U owner but after playing with the switch when I got it back in 2017 as an early Christmas gift loved it for live and it was basically my definitive favorite console.
Then during that era discovered the truth about why the Wi U failed and understood its failure.
2 years later as always played on the switch but the problem was it was for the family only and wasn't allowed to take it with me to my high school classes, Then as Nintendo announced the switch lite, I got the console for Christmas which was a yellow version and absolutely loved it for life and it basically became my own favorite personal switch.
Im always gonna say that Splatoon was one of the things that made the wii U good and memorable
The Wii U was extremely outdated when it came out
To be fair the switch was even more outdated hardware wise when it came out.
@@-Sheva- That's right.
Nintendo releases inferiour hardware, and all their classic titles are extremely childish these days.
Would love to find a reason to get a Nintendo console/ handheld, but I cant stand the kiddy gimmicks they put in their games.
@@chodagreat7876right why is it all kid themed
@@chodagreat7876Nintendo doesn’t need realistic or the last of us-ass games to be successful
@@-Sheva-except the switch was fully mobile, so it got away with being underpowered for a few years
I still wish that radical Zelda tech demo featuring a bad ass Link battling a humongous spider on the Wii U was made into a full game. Would’ve loved to played that even the ill fated Wii U or it’s successful successor the Switch.
This reminds me that Switch 2 might be a beefed up Switch which sounds quite worrisome.
I love keeping my Wii U & Dreamcast consoles & accessories as far away from my other video game consoles and accessories as possible as a reference to how both were commercial failure to the point where I only five games for the former & fourteen for the latter.
I think when you have a great product with clear functionality it is easy to market and to resonate with audiences. The WiiU felt strange and gimmicky it failed to attract the casual crowd and most people bought a rival console. The concept behind the Switch is so clear you don’t need to lecture your parents about the difference.
I have a switch, but getting a wii u and hacking it for every game is cheaper than buying them for the switch
Wii U failed so Switch could succeed. We were so good and innovative. They needed a little stopgap to continue and that’s what the Wii U was. It was a great idea but a poor execution and it’s not a bad console at all. It’s just at that time people didn’t really need it because they still had the Wii and likely used 3DS. Switch was an improved Wii U and combined aspects of 3DS and Wii U perfectly. It was targeted toward adults, but it had aspects that kids can use. I have both and I enjoy it.
I was so confused by what the WiiU was. Even many players were unsure. It sounded and looked like some sort of handheld Wii add on and I remember ignoring the commercials thinking ‘why would I want that’. i was also deep into xbox at that point. Being a teenager, even when I got a good look at the WiiU in a store finally, I pretty much ignored it.
From my perspective, Nintendo did a poor job at establishing what the Wii U was, and differentiating it enough from the Wii to have its own unique identity. That why it was initially written off as just another Wii model. What also makes matters worse now is that a majority of the first party titles released on the Wii U have been expanded, remade, or remastered for the Nintendo Switch. This basically nullifies any need to own a Wii U.
Nintendo’s worst selling console was the Virtual boy not the Wii U, the Wii U sold 13.M units, the virtual bot sold like 800K units
Before you type:
T: Is it true?
H: Is it helpful?
I: Is it inspiring?
N: Is it necessary?
K: Is it kind?
Virtual Boy isn't a home console
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂@@Charber
@@CharberWell you don’t need to be so condescending about it …
The switch is just Wii U minus Wii. By 2012 people were over the Wii. They didn’t really want a successor if they still had it so with a 3DS closing up shop by 2017 it was a perfect time for the switch.
Wii sales drop so fast before Wii U launched plus bad marketing. Meanwhile Switch excellent in marketing plus current sales only slow drop, not fast drop like Wii. From 18 million in year 6 to 15 million in year 7 is not much drop. So Switch 2 next year in good position
Idc if Nintendo doesn’t make 3rd party games they run terribly anyway
I rather play those games on PS5 or Xbox
Well depends on which 3rd party game ….
Why does this guy only have 687 subs?(im subbed)
But good editing
They wanted this to be what became of the Switch but the tech just wasn't ready (affordably) to be shrunk down as thin and have the Voltron controllers. So they had to use the WiiU in the meantime.
I had one of the Just Dance games that released for the Wii when I was either a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior in High School I never bought a Wii U because by the time it had released I wasn't playing my Wii anymore
rewatching that Wii U ad with the kid from Jessie felt like having a knife slowly driven into my chest
I loved my Wii U. I still play to this day.
The wii was sm fun to play with many people, we really played it with the entire family. I would love to see another console that really encourages playing with others, instead of staring at my screen all alone. I just have the switch light, dont know if the full switch is more multi player
People also forget that another big reason why the wii u failed because Nintendo was originally trying to make the switch back in 2012 but didnt have the technology to do that and we ended up with a wii u.
Yoo! This is a great video! Looking forward to watching the rest of your content!
I enjoy the Wii U especially the drawing aspect and sharing with others and the games was fun but yea I guess advertising for the system wasn’t great remind me how the Dreamcast was such a powerful system but wasn’t advertised like it should :/
The switch would still have sold without the pandemic, as it already had a ton of sales before it. Also, people couldnt play on the go either because it was forbidden to get outside
if i knew that the wii u would be backwards compatibility i wouldnt have bought a wii(probably)
Thank you being so kind all mighty all knowing God help me and these people to better understand you
theres so many wii u ports to give those gmaes another chance on switc switch
I worked at gamestop for awhile around the time wii u released. Hardly anyone knew what it even was. The marketing was atrocious for it. For starters, the marketing focused 90% on the controller which yes is the most unique part of the console, but the console itself was always in the background, looked like a standard wii, and people were still using wii remotes in the commercials. This confused people and made them think the wii u was just a tablet add on to the wii and not a new console. Secondly nintendo was still laser focused on the casual market, most of whom just moved on to smartphone games by that time. The wii also succeeded in the casual market because it was so simple to market what the wii could do, unlike the wii u. Third, the marketing was focused on children, which isn't bad on its own, but if you know anything about children, they want to play what the big kids are playing
Lol Nintendo Switch Double U😂😂. That caught me off guard.
I love the switch because of its games. But to be honest (and to others) the switch is quite boring. And I can tell why everyone is still on their Wii U's. The UI of the switch feels too adultish. But the Wii U UI, it is amazing. Miiverse was so fun back then, and this may sound fake but its true, people are buying Wii U's. The Wii U even had music. If Nintendo tried a little harder, they would get a lot of units sold with the Wii U.
The wii was such a succes the only negative thing i could say about it is that some tvs where smashed by the flying controllers exept for that i really cant talk negative about the wii (wii u just failed because the advertisment was really really poor and had people thinking it was just a wii)
The Switch was so bad I sold it a few weeks later not sure how it was ever a success, shame the few good games are wasted on poor hardware
Suprised u don’t have more subs bro this sun good content fr
If minecraft was a launch title the wii u would have made way more sales
You forgot to mention that the switch opened the market for game developers, creating a perfect ecosystem for the console to thrive
I feel like you failed to mention one big pro of the Switch. The Switch also serves as a good companion console to people who have other consoles. This was something that the Wii and Wii U failed to do, but unlike the latter, the Wii was carried by wowing casual gamers and people who never really cared to pick up a console.
Wow really well done video. Needs more views
11:19 why does the blue controller only have an analog stick and the red controller 3 analog sticks💀
7:00
“Just”
Not really, 8 deluxe is an almost entirely new game
You also forgot to mention that during the pandemic we got stimulus checks so people had extra money to buy another console or two (in my case)😅
WII U didn't fail Nintendo, Nintendo failed the WII U
Facts
the wii u isn't a failure, it didn't get the marketing the switch got
IMO, it's a good console, just because it didn't break any sales records or pass previous consoles in sales, doesn't make it a bad product
The Wii U failed due to no sequel to battalion wars 2 that was on the original Wii. Also the switch successor better not fail the original switch.
because of the switch is like the ds but you can also play on tv
11:12 who said it was releasing this millenium
WIIU IS THE ULTIMATE VIRTUAL CONSOLE!!!!! It can play n64,NDS,SNES,Turbo Grafx,GBA,WII and if you hack it even plays Game Cube. Suck it Nintendo!!!!
Nice stu icon
I like the ads they are funny
HOT BUTTER POPCORN THATS A DEAL!!🤓
Lack of marketing and advertising sums up the WiiU's failure. Not nearly as much effort put into it as a whole.
thats the same reason the vita ..
Bruh this was pretty much the best Nintendo game system. You cant change my mind, nor the fax.
Which one are u talking about ?
WiiU was tethered to a console and the Switch is the whole package. And why the hell would you name your next generation console the SAME NAME as the previous?
Switch also has portability!!!!
The only downside to the Nintendo Switch is that it doesn’t easily allow the use of Wii Remotes or controllers anymore
I love that the Wii U had no publishers making games for it, so Nintendo went and made one of the best games of all time to secure the nintendo switch's future! Its like when Barcelona put Messi in their first team!
the Wii u was my best love console i loved back in 2012 it was nostalgic console for me the switch is lame and shit i hate why nintendo made there console like a hyper tablet cartridges on the switch is trash there should have done discs like the xbox one i used to have insted the 3ds had a better cartridges then the joycons are terrible they break move easy and not fun! this is why i like the gamecube/wii/wii u better as a home console,
Back when Nintendo had 2 pronouns lol
WIIU WIIU WIIU
BECAUSE THEY RERELEASED THE SAME GAMES ON A SHITTY UNDERPOWERED SMALL HYBRID PIECE OF SHEIT
Wii u = inferior to psp
Switch = better than psp
Nintendo got lucky with the Wii despite it being extremely underpowered and becoming obsolete almost immediately after releasing. By the time the Wii U dropped, smartphones and mobile gaming entered the scene, taking over the casual audience the Wii catered to. All the “hardcore” gamers stayed with Sony and Microsoft, so Nintendo got left in the dust. The switch is the same, except it sold well because of its mobility
the switch appeals to both casual and hardcore gamers, mainly cause she have games + 3rd party support (on top of being hybrid of course)