Wii U

Wii U
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Type	stationary game console
publication	December 8, 2012  November 18, 2012  November 30, 2012  November 30, 2012
Main processor	IBM Espresso clocked at 1.24 GHz
Graphics processor	AMD Latte clocked at 550 MHz
Storage media	SD card , proprietary disk (up to 25 GB per data layer) and external USB removable storage media
Controller	Wii U GamePad , Wii Remote , Wii U Pro Controller , Wii Balance Board and GameCube - or Wavebird controller (only via adapter)
Online service	Nintendo Network , Miiverse (discontinued)
Units sold	approx. 13.56 million (as of June 30, 2020)
Most successful game	Mario Kart 8 (approx. 8.45 million units sold) (As of March 31, 2020)
predecessor	Wii
successor	Nintendo Switch

The Wii U is a stationary game console from the Japanese company Nintendo . It is the successor to the Wii and is Nintendo's sixth home console released worldwide. In North America , she appeared on November 18, 2012 in Europe on 30 November 2012, and in Japan on December 8, 2012. The Wii U is the console of the eighth generation in direct competition with Sony 's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft 's Xbox One . In early 2017, Nintendo stopped production of the console. The successor to the Wii U is the Nintendo Switch .

features

The unique selling point of the Wii U is the tablet- like controller , which has a touchscreen and is referred to as the Wii U GamePad . This means that two screens are available for displaying images: the television and the gamepad. This opens up new possibilities for multiplayer in which players have different information available. Nintendo uses the term "asymmetric gameplay" for this in English. The GamePad offers all known control options of conventional pads, as well as motion sensors, cameras, microphones, stereo speakers and TV remote control.

Alternatively, the Wii U is operated with a classic controller without a touchscreen, the Wii U Pro Controller . Various motion control or pointer-based Wii-U games will continue to use the Wii Remote Plus remote controls known from the Wii as an optional control variant. If GamePad and four Wii remotes or Wii U Pro controllers are used at the same time, local multiplayer games with up to five players are possible.

The console is backwards compatible with the software and accessories of the previous console. According to Nintendo, almost all of the Wii games are supported as well as the control of these with the respective Wii controller. The Wii U is the first HD capable Nintendo console. Optionally, selected titles also support video output in stereoscopic 3D . Anaglyph 3D can be displayed on the screen of the Wii-U GamePad .

For the first time on a Nintendo console, saved statuses, registered friends and other user-specific data are organized in so-called users. Each user is represented by a self-created Mii . The Mii Maker application is used to create and edit Miis . It is also possible to transfer Miis from a Nintendo 3DS or Wii. The user can create their own online ID via the Nintendo Network . A password of your choice, a user name and an e-mail address are required for this. Players without a Nintendo Network ID will not be able to use the console's online features. Up to 12 users can be created on one console. Purchased software from Nintendo eShop and saved data from Wii mode are user-independent.

The system is intended to appeal to both casual and frequent gamers, as the company said when it presented the console. They want to recapture the market of so-called core gamers. By the end of the fiscal year - which ended on March 31, 2013 - Nintendo wanted to sell 5.5 million Wii-U copies. However, at the end of January 2013, the forecast was revised down to 4 million units.

Around 13.56 million consoles had been sold by the end of September 2017.

Development history and publication

prehistory

The Nintendo Wii appeared at the end of 2006 and brought a controller with motion sensors as an innovation . With approximately 86 million units sold through April 2011, the console was a success. Until 2011, however, Wii sales fell sharply, so that Nintendo's sales also fell. On May 20, 2011, the price for the Wii consoles was reduced.

At first there were rumors about a graphics extension for the Wii, which should make the console HD-ready. Since April 2011 there have been many rumors about a Wii successor. There was unanimous agreement about a project café that should have a tablet-like controller and graphics at the level of the competition.

On April 25, 2011, Nintendo officially announced the work on a Wii successor and used this year's E3 , which took place from June 7 to 9, 2011 in Los Angeles , to present the device. There it was available in playable form and was presented for the first time on June 7th at 6 p.m. Central European Summer Time. The performance was broadcast on the official Nintendo website. The controller was the focus of the presentation.

development

Hardware producer Katsuya Eguchi at E³ 2012 with a GamePad in hand

The Wii U is, like all previous Nintendo home consoles, developed by the internal department Nintendo Integrated Research & Development (IRD) under the direction of Gen'yō Takeda . The hardware manufacturer is Katsuya Eguchi . Foxconn manufactures the console.

The first plans for a successor to the Wii console arose immediately after its appearance. Satoru told Iwata, for example, that in 2007 there were ideas for a new console that would use two screens. It was initially unclear where the second screen should be. It was initially decided that the second screen should become its own device that would have to be placed on a table, for example, whereby the screen should be smaller for cost reasons. It was also unclear whether the system should be portable or work with a basic device. Eventually the second screen was integrated into the controller.

In collaboration with Broadcom , Nintendo developed a special form of WiFi for exchanging data between the console and GamePad .

Reactions and publication

After the console was unveiled, Nintendo's share price fell 7.5 percent, lower than in the previous five years. This is explained by the fact that the Wii U could not meet the high expectations of the successor to the Wii.

On September 13, 2012, the console was presented again in detail during Nintendo Direct presentations for the USA, Japan, Europe and Australia, and release dates and prices for the various sales markets were given. Accordingly, the Wii U should first appear on November 18, 2012 in the USA and on November 30 in Europe and Australia. The release in Japan was announced for December 8th. There should be two Wii-U bundles. The basic package contains the console in white with an 8 GB flash memory , of which around 3 GB can be used for software downloads, as well as a Wii-U GamePad also in white. For comparison: the competing consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One each offered 8 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage . In addition to the black console with a 32 GByte (approx. 25 GByte usable for software downloads) internal memory and a black GamePad, the premium package also includes additional accessories such as feet for the console, a charging station and a stand for the GamePad and the Play Nintendo Land . The costs for the basic version in Japan are 26,250 yen and 31,500 yen for the premium package. In the US, the small Wii-U package is priced at US $ 299.99 and the larger package is priced at US $ 350. Nintendo did not quote any prices for Europe and relied on the autonomous pricing of the retailers.

At the time of publication, the reactions in the press were mixed and cautiously optimistic.

hardware

CPU : IBM PowerPC -based tri-core processor with the code name " Espresso " 3 cores with 1.243 GHz clock rate PowerPC 750 architecture with more cache (similar to the CPU of Nintendo Wii and Gamecube ) Asymmetrical Level 2 Cache: 512k for Core 0 and 2, 2 MiB for Core 1 Out-of-order execution 27.73 mm 2 die area manufactured in 45 nm

GPU : AMD Radeon -based graphics processor with the code name " Latte " Clock rate: 550 MHz integrated eDRAM GPGPU feature 146.48 mm 2 die area (eDRAM: 40.72 mm 2 ; rest: 105.76 mm 2 )

Main memory : 2 GB of RAM Consists of four 512 MB DDR3 chips clocked at 1600 MHz each 64-bit memory interface with 12.8 GByte / s 1 GB is reserved for the OS When playing games, the main processor and graphics processor share 1 GB of RAM ( Unified Memory Architecture )

With the PowerPC architecture of the third generation ( G3 ), the console relies on a CPU design that was already used almost unchanged in the Wii and the Nintendo GameCube and originally dates from 1997. The entire chip is comparatively small with around 33 mm ² in 45 nm. With an identical structure size , a single CPU core of the Xbox 360 including the corresponding L2 cache takes up about the same area as the entire main processor of the Wii U and thus has about the same number of transistors . The CPU is thus in the size class of an Intel Atom processor , although even this has partly larger chip areas at 45 nm. An ARM CPU is also built into the Wii U , which is responsible for the IO processes and the OS. This allows the full power of the IBM processor to be used for the games

The console has 2 GB DDR3 -1600- RAM , 1 GB is reserved for the operating system. At 12.8 GB / s, the memory bandwidth to the main memory is around 43 percent lower than that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

A graphics processor from AMD is also used. Optical discs with the dimensions of a regular DVD , but with a proprietary format, are used as storage media . Playback of Blu-ray Discs or DVDs is not supported. About HDMI one is high-definition -Resolution up to 1080p support on the TV screen, continue to the picture via component video , RGB and AV are transferred. In addition, four USB 2.0 ports provide connection options for peripheral devices. So far there have been two differently equipped consoles, on the one hand the version from the basic set , which contains the console in white color with 8 GB of internal flash memory , and on the other hand the black console from the premium set , which has 32 GB of flash memory . The Wii U is approx. 4.6 cm high, 26.8 cm long and 17.2 cm wide and weighs approx. 1.6 kg.

Marvin Donald, Game Director of Darksiders 2 at the US developer studio Vigil , explained that the hardware is at the level of the current generation of consoles. Furthermore, Donald explained that Darksiders II will technically hardly differ on the Wii U from the other versions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. John Carmack , American game developer and co-founder of id Software , also rated the console's performance as on par with current generation devices. Conversely, US developer Gearbox was optimistic about being able to produce " one of the best-looking versions " of Aliens: Colonial Marines for the Wii U. However, the porting of the game was stopped prematurely.

A hacker named Marcan , known for his involvement in hacks for the previous console , the Wii , posted internal details about the Wii U console on the Internet. Accordingly, the Wii-U processor Espresso has three cores with speeds of 1.24 GHz; the graphics processor with the code name Latte runs on 550 MHz. Before that, software developers had suggested that the Wii U had a slowly clocked processor.

Controller

Wii U GamePad

→ Main article : Wii U GamePad

Wii-U controller (current version with analog sticks)

Wii U controller (original variant with slide pads), front view

The most noticeable feature of the console is a controller that has a 6.2-inch (15.75 cm) pressure-sensitive screen ( resistive touchscreen ). For cost reasons, the multi-touch capability using capacitive display technology was dispensed with . To the left of the screen there is a digital control pad, to the right of it the classic buttons with start and select buttons. There are also two analog sticks on the left and right . In an original variant, so-called slide pads were still used, like those on the Nintendo 3DS . Below the screen there is a home, power and TV button. Using the TV button, the Wii-U GamePad can be used as a remote control for devices such as televisions through an infrared port. There are four shoulder buttons on the back. The controller also has a microphone, loudspeakers, headphone connections and a camera. As with the Nintendo DS consoles, the touchscreen can be operated using a stylus.

The controller also contains an NFC chip , the interface of which is located on the left side of the controller. For example, it should be possible to scan figures or cards that also have an NFC chip in order to unlock additional content. Communication with NFC-enabled smartphones should also be possible.

The controller is significantly larger than the controllers of the competing consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Nevertheless, tests have confirmed that it should be comfortable and light in the hand.

Interactions between controller and console are possible. In some games, the controller screen serves as an extension of the television screen. Some games can also be played on the controller while the television screen is being used for other purposes. The game content is transmitted wirelessly from the console to the controller (streamed). Motion control as in the Wii remote control is also integrated, but no external sensor strip is required. The controller also has an integrated sensor bar, which means that Wii games can also be played entirely on the Wii U gamepad. The controller is also intended to enable video telephony.

The controller's screen has a resolution of 854 × 480 pixels . However, the controller is 3D capable, but stereoscopic glasses are required for this. The 3D functionality is already supported by the launch title Assassin's Creed III .

Wii U Pro controller

→ Main article : Wii U Pro Controller

Wii U Pro controller

All available games only support the use of one gamepad, but it was planned that future games may also be able to use two gamepads at the same time. However, since Nintendo announced in January 2017 that no more Wii U games would be released by Nintendo, this was not necessary. In addition to the GamePad, a total of four other controllers can be registered on the console at the same time. These controllers include the Wii Remotes and the Wii U Pro Controller. However, some games such as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U also support the Nintendo GameCube controller (via adapter) and the simultaneous registration of up to eight controllers. Wii remotes and Wii U Pro controllers are also used in multiplayer games as only one gamepad is supported.

Nintendo Network

The Wii U offers the player a variety of functions, most of which are connected to the Nintendo Network .

The Nintendo Network includes all of the functions listed here. A Nintendo Network ID is required for the Wii U to use all functions.

Miiverse

Miiverse logo

One of the online functions of the Wii U is named "Miiverse" ( suitcase word from "Mii" and "Universe") by Nintendo . It describes a kind of social network that is firmly integrated in the Wii U and uses the Nintendo network. It was presented by company boss Satoru Iwata at the pre-E3 Nintendo Direct, which took place one day before the big Nintendo E3 press conference. Since April 2013, the Miiverse can also be accessed from a PC or smartphone via a browser. An existing Nintendo Network account is still required to log into the network. The Miiverse can also be found in the main menu on the television - called the "WaraWara lobby". The name is derived from the Japanese "warawara" and literally means something like "full of life" or "busy". The player sees comments published there as a speech bubble from individual Miis to games, which are currently often commented on. By tapping this Miiverse, the player has the option of calling up the user's Miiverse profile, commenting on the featured article, saving the Mii in the Mii Maker or looking at further information on the respective software title in the Miiverse or Nintendo eShop.

It is also possible to use the virtual keyboard on the Wii U GamePad to write comments and to publish your own current mood by changing the facial expression of your own avatar. Nintendo announced that it would examine comments with objectionable content and spoilers that were not marked accordingly in a special department. The delay caused by this should not last longer than 30 minutes. Miiverse users can also report posts and comments.

As announced by Nintendo on August 29, 2017, the Miiverse service was discontinued on November 8, 2017.

Nintendo eShop

→ Main article : Nintendo eShop

Wii U software is distributed digitally through the eShop service. It contains software downloads, various additional content, virtual console titles and advertising, trailer and demo material for a wide variety of games. The Nintendo eShop also offers reviews of game titles, information, etc. in the Wii U and 3DS versions.

Wii U Chat

Logo of Wii U Chat

With “Wii U Chat”, Nintendo brought a video chat option to a Nintendo game console for the first time. This service, similar to Skype , offered Wii U users the ability to call their friends using the Wii U GamePad while not playing. If you received a call while playing, the edge of the home button on the gamepad flashes blue. To answer the call, the Wii-U chat software had to be started. Currently paused software has been terminated. If you missed a call, the edge of the Wii-U chat icon in the Wii-U menu glowed blue. Since the Wii U GamePad has a touchscreen, it was possible to write handwritten notes during the conversation, which the other person could also see.

Together with the Miiverse service, the Wii U Chat was also discontinued on November 8th, 2017.

SpotPass

As with the 3DS , the system automatically connects to the Internet via SpotPass, e.g. B. Download videos or messages. In addition, it is possible for selected software titles to receive additional content and relevant messages free of charge via SpotPass, even if the respective disc is not inserted or started. As of system software version 3.0.0, content can also be downloaded via SpotPass in standby mode.

Web browser

The first update to the console added a NetFront web browser to the system . The buttons and touchscreen of the Wii U GamePad can be used to scroll through the pages, click on links, zoom in and out, and enter and highlight text. Optionally, by simultaneously pressing the left and right shoulder button, you can quickly scroll through the pages by tilting the GamePad. The website and a small info box for viewers are displayed on the television screen. These can use a pointer function with Wii remote controls . With the help of a virtual curtain, the screen content on the television can be covered. Interaction with the browser is possible with the Wii U GamePad, the Wii Remote and the Wii U Pro Controller. It is also possible to copy and paste text and image URLs . Among other things, the browser supports HTML5 . Plug-ins - such as Adobe Flash - are not supported. The browser can also play videos and live streams . Images in JPEG format can be opened and enlarged in a preview. Both the video playback and the image preview are displayed in parallel on the TV screen and the Wii U GamePad. Optionally, you can continue surfing on the Wii U GamePad during playback without exiting. You can also save websites in a favorites list.

Nintendo TVii

With the Wii U, Nintendo offered its own online multimedia service for the first time. The user received additional information about the TV program via Nintendo TVii. For example, during a sports broadcast on the Wii-U GamePad, particular highlights from the game could be displayed and commented on in real time. If you connected the application with the Miiverse, Facebook or Twitter , screenshots could be shared with friends, among other things. In addition, selected video-on-demand services - such as Amazon Prime Instant Video - could be accessed. Additional information can be displayed on the Wii-U GamePad in addition to the video content offered. For this purpose were Wikipedia -Article, Reviews of IMDb and other online services. Ratings and comments from other users were also available.

The service started in North America and Japan in December 2012. Nintendo of Europe had announced that it would also offer the service in 2013 in certain regions of Europe. According to a statement from Nintendo on its website, this had not yet been achieved. At the beginning of 2015, Nintendo of Europe finally announced that it had not been able to offer Nintendo TVii in Europe due to licensing problems. All efforts have been stopped.

On August 11, 2015, the offer was discontinued due to low demand in North America.

Firmware updates

Nintendo is also distributing firmware updates for the Wii U to add functions or fix individual errors.

Firmware version	Release date	content
1.0.0E	Manufacturing	Pre-installed firmware
2.0.0E	Nov 30, 2012	Creation of a Nintendo Network ID and functions for linking Miiverse Nintendo eShop Web browser Friends list Wii U Chat Messages Download management Wii data transfer Function for software updates Functions for USB storage devices
2.1.0E	0Dec 5, 2012	Improvements to the stability of the system as well as further adjustments to improve user-friendliness
2.1.3E	06th Mar 2013	System stability improvements
3.0.0E	Apr 26, 2013	System stability improvements Improvement of usability Shorten the loading times when starting / closing software Downloads and installations possible in standby mode New features for the Miiverse New control options for the web browser The Wii menu can be started directly at startup New TV and data management options added to the system settings Support two external hard drives at the same time Software purchased in the eShop can now also be copied to external hard drives. Previously, you could only move between the Wii U and an external hard drive. This means that any number of backup copies of the software can be created (one per hard drive).
3.0.1E	21st May 2013	System stability improvements Improved compatibility with certain software
3.1.0E	12th of July 2013	Improvement of the standby processes System stability improvements and other adjustments
4.0.0E	Sep 30 2013	Automatic software download function Support of text input with the help of a USB keyboard Option to block the use of a Nintendo Network ID on other devices Wii U Chat Web browser Wii U menu Wii mode System settings System stability improvements and other adjustments
4.0.2E	Nov 19, 2013	System stability improvements and other adjustments
4.0.3E	Feb 25, 2014	System stability improvements and other adjustments
4.1.0E	0Apr 1, 2014	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.0.0E	04th June 2014	Added quick start function for the Wii U GamePad Added notifications on the Wii U GamePad Improvement of the standby functions Wii U menu System settings HOME menu Improvement of the stability of the system and further adjustments
5.1.0E	July 21, 2014	The eShop can now be operated with the Pro Controller and the Wii Remote Added ability to transfer all data from one Wii U to another Improvement of the stability of the system and further adjustments
5.2.0E	Sep 30 2014	Folder function added Improved home menu The quick start menu can now be customized Added download menu button to Wii U menu Improvement of the stability of the system and further adjustments
5.3.0E	Nov 10, 2014	A menu for managing amiibo has been added to the system settings. System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.3.1E	0Dec 1, 2014	Fixed problem with uploading videos to YouTube in Mario Kart 8 System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.3.2E	0Dec 5, 2014	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.4.0E	0June 8, 2015	System stability improvements and other adjustments TVii logo has been removed from European consoles as the service is not available here.
5.5.0E	Aug 18, 2015	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.5.1E	Jan. 12, 2016	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.5.2E	18th July 2017	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.5.3	04th Sep 2018	System stability improvements and other adjustments
5.5.4E	June 24, 2019	System stability improvements and other adjustments

Games

→ Main article : List of Wii U games

Nintendo sells Wii-U games both in stores and digitally. Wii games can also be played on the Wii U and are upscaled to Full HD. However, the console is incompatible with GameCube hardware and software. However, it is possible to use up to four GameCube controllers for the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U game using an adapter .

Starting title

When the Wii U went on sale on November 30, 2012, the following games were released in Germany:

title	developer	editor	Age rating
Assassin's Creed III	Ubisoft Montreal	Ubisoft	USK from 16
Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition	Rocksteady Studios	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment	USK from 16
Ben 10 - Omnivers	Vicious Cycle Software	Namco Bandai Games	USK from 12
Call of Duty: Black Ops II	Treyarch	Activision	USK from 18
Darksiders 2	Vigil Games	THQ	USK from 16
Family Party 30 Great Games: Obstacle Arcade	Torus Games	Namco Bandai Games	USK from 6
FIFA 13	EA Canada	EA Sports	USK from 0
Funky Barn	505 games	Ubisoft	USK from 0
Game Party Champions	Warner bros.	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment	USK from 0
Just Dance 4	Ubisoft	Ubisoft	USK from 0
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth	Ubisoft Quebec	Ubisoft	USK from 12
Mass Effect 3: Special Edition	Straight right	Electronic Arts	USK from 16
New Super Mario Bros. U	Nintendo EAD	Nintendo	USK from 6
Nintendo Land	Nintendo	Nintendo	USK from 6
Rabbid's land	Ubisoft	Ubisoft	USK from 0
Skylanders: Giants	Toys for Bob	Activision	USK from 6
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - Special Edition	Sumo digital	Sega	USK from 6
Sports Connection	Ubisoft	Ubisoft	USK from 0
Tank! Tank! Tank!	Namco Bandai Games	Namco Bandai Games	USK from 12
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition	Namco Bandai Games	Namco Bandai Games	USK from 16
Transformers: Prime	Nowpro	Activision	USK from 12
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper	Omega Force	Tecmo Koei	USK from 12
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013	Ubisoft	Ubisoft	USK from 0
ZombiU	Ubisoft Montpellier	Ubisoft	USK from 18

Sales figures

According to the market research company NPD Group , 890,000 Wii-U consoles had been sold in North America by early January 2013. As a result, Nintendo generated revenues of 300 million US dollars, which would exceed the revenues of 270 million US dollars from the previous model Wii in the same period. For Japan, the sales figures from market launch to December 30, 2012 were given as about 640,000 consoles. By December 2013, Nintendo sold 5.86 million copies of the console worldwide. Compared to the competing PlayStation 4 console , the sales figures were rated as poor, and in January 2014 Nintendo reduced the expected sales figures for the April 2013 - March 2014 financial year from 9.0 million to 2.8 million devices. After the publication of these figures, German media described the Wii U as a “flop” and “failure”, which was to be seen as a cause of the economic crisis in Nintendos. In July 2014 Nintendo announced that the console had sold a total of 6.68 million times by June 30, 2014 (also due to the release of the Mario Kart 8 game at the end of May 2014). Thus, in terms of sales, it ranks behind the PlayStation 4 and in front of the Xbox One.

According to a study by the market research institute Nielsen in February 2015, most buyers of 8th generation consoles were already owners of a previous generation console. The most important reasons to buy the Wii U were the fun factor, suitability for children, price / performance, downward compatibility with its predecessor and exclusive games and content. 86% of Wii-U buyers had previously owned a Wii, 64% and 65% respectively owned a console from Sony or Microsoft.

Modifications

As with all other consoles currently on the market, various teams and sometimes small unorganized groups of hackers are busy leveraging the Wii U's security system in order to run self-developed software ( called homebrew ) and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux distributions on the console to be able to. Shortly after the console was released in November 2012, the backwards compatibility mode (vWii) was cracked by the hackers, as it was based in principle on an outdated Wii version that was considered defeated at the time.

For a short time it was possible to execute unauthorized code on the console via the Internet browser, which resulted in further research into the system, but also the possibility of reading soundtracks of the games from the RAM. Due to a lack of kernel rights and homebrew software, this gap was of no interest to users, remained largely unused and was closed again in the next system update 5.2. Developers and hackers benefited from the loophole.

Beyond that, little has happened so far with regard to hacks. Above all, the core system of the Wii U and thus also the Wii U security system are considered to be an existing hurdle, although there were first reports in December 2012 that claimed the opposite. On December 20, 2012, the hacker group "failoverfl0w" reported initial successes on the Wii U. Allegedly, the bootrom encrypted with SHA-1 was read and decrypted at the time . The team's work, however, was never disclosed to the public because they did not want to promote the spread of warez .

On February 23, 2014 it was announced that there was an exploit that also enables the bootrom of the Wii U to be read. The SHA-1 hashes are identical to those of Failoverfl0w from 2012 and should therefore speak to each other for the authenticity of the exploits earlier and today.

Surname

While the name part Wii is pronounced like the English we ( we ) and is intended to indicate a console for everyone, the U is pronounced like you ( you ) and is intended to indicate how the player is placed in the foreground. The fact that the pun on the old console is being continued also indicates that the Wii U is backwards compatible and would also like to support its old group of buyers.

The choice of name was described as unfortunate by various sides, as potential customers would not have recognized that it was a new console and not another accessory for the Wii. The fact that the name is said to have had an impact on the low sales figures was also doubted by various sides.

Reactions and evaluation

In the aftermath of the console's launch, several game companies have shown interest in developing for the new console, including EA , which wants to appear with a launch title, and Capcom , which is interested in a Resident Evil offshoot for the Wii U. . Shūhei Yoshida , Managing Director of SCE Worldwide Studios , was interested and at the same time surprised at the path Nintendo had taken with the Wii U. He emphasized that to some extent similar concepts were already being developed between the PlayStation Vita and the PS3 . In addition, however, it is likely that various PS Vita developers would be inspired by the Wii U.

Statements by game developers about the Wii U also became known in the months after the launch. EA CEO John Riccitiello said he was enthusiastic about the capabilities of the Wii U. He went on to say that the console is coming at the right time and that in the future, video game consoles will no longer be just about performance. The Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft , Yves Guillemot, also spoke positively of new controllers. Because this appeals to both casual and hobby players, she becomes successful. He claims that the console will blur the line between the two groups of players.

Guillemot said that Nintendo would put the competition with the Wii U under pressure. Sony and Microsoft originally had a plan to keep their consoles on the market for ten years. The Wii U, however, could accelerate the appearance of the next competing consoles. Guillemot interpreted the Wii U's announcement as a signal that a transition was taking place. The head of Sony Computer Entertainment America sees no danger that the Wii U poses for his company. Therefore, the company is not forced to release its next console earlier. The retail chain GameStop did not expect an earlier release of the competitor successor either. Brian Martel also sees the Wii U as a transition to the next generation of consoles, even if he was generally positive about the console.

Companies like Sega , Activision , Vigil Games or Gearbox , which already had developer kits, said it was very easy to program for the console.

However, support for the console from the leading game publishers declined noticeably after its release. In May 2013, Electronic Arts announced that it no longer wanted to develop games for Wii U. The reasons were therefore that the console did not suit the target group and the company's business model. In June 2014, Ubisoft stated that the release of a game that had been completed six months ago was being held back because the Wii U was still not widely used. In August 2014, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot announced that it would no longer publish games for Wii U that were aimed at an older audience (e.g. Assassin's Creed ), as Wii U versions only account for 3% of sales make out. Instead, one will only concentrate on titles like Just Dance 2015 , which met with greater approval from the platform owners. Activision had also previously decided not to publish its next title in the Call-of-Duty series on Wii U.

As Nintendo announced at the end of January 2017, production of the console was discontinued worldwide.

Web links

Commons : Wii U  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Wii-U at Nintendo.de
• Wii-U at Nintendo.co.jp (Japanese)
• Wii-U games at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Wii U Release at wiiu-spiele.com ( Memento from September 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Wii U technical data ( Memento from June 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ ^{a b} Dedicated Video Games Sales Units , In: Nintendo.co.jp ; dated June 30, 2020, accessed on August 8, 2020.
4. ↑ Top Selling Title Sales Units Wii U , In: Nintendo.co.jp ; dated March 31, 2020, accessed on August 8, 2020.
5. ↑ imagamer.de ( Memento from June 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ): Article from June 6 (accessed on December 8, 2012)
6. ↑ wired.com : Article from June 12, 2012 (English, accessed December 8, 2012)
7. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Iwata-fragt/Iwata-fragt-Sonderausgabe-zur-E3-2011-Wii-U/Iwata-fragt-Sonderausgabe-zur-E3-2011-Wii-U/5-Wii -U-and-the-Wii-Remote / 5-Wii-U-and-the-Wii-Remote-205293.html
8. ↑ http://kotaku.com/5916274/pikmin-3-plays-well-but-im-not-sure-which-controller-is-best-for-it
9. ↑ http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/13/black-ops-2-confirmed-for-wii-u/
10. ↑ Audrey Drake: Nintendo Land Review. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , November 15, 2012, accessed August 6, 2015 . 
11. ^ Richard George: New Super Mario Bros. U Review. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , November 15, 2012, accessed August 6, 2015 . 
12. ↑ Wii U: Assassin's Creed 3 on the GamePad also 3D capable (11/22/2012)
13. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Wii-U/System-Software/Nutzer-und-System-Updates/Nutzer-und-System-Updates-666627.html
14. ↑ ^{a b c} Wii U: Wii successor with display in the controller. In: chip.de. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011 ; Retrieved June 8, 2011 . 
15. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2012/10/24/nintendo-hope-to-sell-5-5-million-wii-u-consoles-by-march-31st/
16. ↑ Nintendo corrects sales forecast downwards, profits upwards ( Memento from March 6, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
17. ↑ Multiple Sources Confirm New Nintendo HD Console . gameinformer.com. April 14, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
18. ↑ Wii U - What We Know So Far . Nintendo Wii U - Universe. 2011. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved on November 3, 2011.
19. ↑ Communication, April 25, 2011, PDF
20. ^ Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 at nintendo.co.jp
21. ↑ Wii U planned directly after the release of the Wii at ingame.de. Retrieved June 22, 2011 . 
22. ↑ http://www.polygon.com/2012/11/16/3653294/wii-u-range-test-gamepad
23. ↑ Nintendo - share price falls after announcement of the Wii U at giga.de. Retrieved June 9, 2011 . 
24. ^ Wii U: Launch presentation (price, release) for Europe - Liveticker . Wiiu-spiele.com. September 13, 2012. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved on September 13, 2012.
25. ↑ The PlayStation 4 has 8 gigabytes of DDR4 RAM and 256 megabytes of DDR3 for background applications , while the Xbox One has 8 gigabytes of DDR3 and 32 megabytes of eSRAM to compensate for the comparatively low bandwidth of 68.3 gigabytes per second disposes. For sources and more information, see the articles on the two consoles.
26. ↑ How much internal memory is available for saved data? . nintendo.de. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
27. ↑ Wii U price - what does the Wii U cost? . Wiiu-spiele.com. September 13, 2012. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved on September 13, 2012.
28. ↑ gamesindustry.biz : News from November 20, 2012 (English, accessed December 5, 2012)
29. ↑ ^{a b} Archived copy ( Memento from October 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
30. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-wii-hacker-reveals-wii-u-cpu-secrets
31. ↑ https://fail0verflow.com/blog/2014/console-hacking-2013-omake.html
32. ↑ http://neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47740115&postcount=1
33. ↑ http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34683.wss
34. ↑ http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/console/0/0
35. ↑ ^{a b c d} http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=185310
36. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130701123901/http://www.chipworks.com/blog/technologyblog/2013/02/04/looking-at-the-wii-u-graphics-processor/
37. ↑ http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47300747&postcount=1
38. ↑ ^{a b c d} http://www.anandtech.com/show/6465/nintendo-wii-u-teardown
39. ↑ http://raid-faq.narod.ru/doc/750_ts.pdf
40. ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-22-thq-clarifies-wii-u-horrible-slow-cpu-claim-but-developer-concern-remains
41. ↑ http://www.3dcenter.org/news/hardware-daten-zur-nintendo-wii-u-schwache-cpu-aber-gutklassige-gpu
42. ↑ Technical data and information about the Nintendo Wii U - All the good games for the Nintendo Wii U. Retrieved on November 29, 2017 . 
43. ↑ ^{a b} WiiU release in Japan at WiiU-Spiele.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012 ; Retrieved September 13, 2012 . 
44. ↑ http://gamingbolt.com/wii-u-ram-is-43-slower-than-ps3360-ram
45. ↑ New information about the Wii U GPU from AMD . Wiiunews.de. June 15, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
46. ↑ Wii U does not play DVDs or Blu-rays at wii-spiele.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011 ; Retrieved June 16, 2011 . 
47. ↑ ^{a b} Wii U technical specifications . Retrieved January 27, 2013 . 
48. ↑ Hardware specifications at nintendo.de
49. ↑ GRTV: Darksiders II-intervju (Swedish) at gamereactor.se. Retrieved April 21, 2012 . 
50. ^ E3 2011: John Carmack talks Wii U (English) at gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved April 21, 2012 . 
51. ↑ Aliens Colonial Marines interview: 'Wii U will be one of the best looking versions of the game' (English) at computerandvideogames.com. Retrieved June 10, 2012 . 
52. ↑ Wii U version is no longer available, Sega announced on PC Games , accessed on April 6, 2013
53. ↑ edge-online.com ( Memento from December 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ): message from November 29, 2012 (English, accessed on December 5, 2012)
54. ↑ eurogamer.net : News from November 29, 2012 (English, accessed December 5, 2012)
55. ↑ E3 2012: Executive Interview. In: gametrailers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2012 . 
56. ↑ Redesigned Wii U tablet shown off by TT Games QA guy. In: joystiq.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012 ; Retrieved May 20, 2012 . 
57. ↑ Archived copy ( memento from June 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Wii-U product page (as of: e3 2012) (dead)
58. ↑ wiiu.gaming-universe.de ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
59. ↑ Wii U GamePad is 3D-capable ( Memento from March 6, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
60. ↑ Nintendo bears the Wii U to its grave: No further games developed. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 (German). 
61. ↑ Wii U will support two tablet controllers per console, price still unknown (05.06.2012)
62. ↑ https://miiverse.nintendo.net/
63. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AkPdAWfFjI
64. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Iwata-fragt/Iwata-fragt-Wii-U/Miiverse-Die-Produzenz/1-Resonanz-Netzwerk-/1-Das-Empathie-Netzwerk--664359.html
65. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of October 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
66. ↑ Miiverse Announcements. August 29, 2017, archived from the original on August 29, 2017 ; accessed on August 29, 2017 . 
67. ↑ Miiverse. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017 . 
68. ↑ Nintendo eShop. December 9, 2014, accessed July 4, 2019 . 
69. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Wii-U/System-Software/Wii-U-Chat/Wii-U-Chat-666629.html
70. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from January 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
71. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from November 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
72. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Wii-U/System-Software/Internet-Browser/Internet-Browser-666617.html
73. ↑ nintendo.de ( Memento from April 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
74. ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/Wii-U-Konsolen-233619/Videos/Wii-U-Browser-im-Video-vorsteller-1049277/
75. ↑ http://www.next-gamer.de/specials/wii-u-nintendo-tvii-ein-erklarungsversuch/
76. ↑ Scott Lowe: Nintendo TVii for Wii U Hands-On. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , December 20, 2012, accessed August 6, 2015 . 
77. ↑ nintendo.de ( Memento from April 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
78. ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-tvii-canceled-in-europe/1100-6425319/
79. ↑ http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/15017/p/431
80. ↑ http://www.nintendo.de/Kundenservice/Wii-U/System-Updates/Neueste-Informationen-zum-System-Update/Neueste-Informationen-zum-System-Update-677417.html
81. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from June 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), June 8, 2015 (English, accessed June 8, 2015)
82. ↑ http://www.gamepro.de/nintendo/news/wii-u/3235169/wii_u.html , August 18, 2015 (German, accessed January 22, 2016)
83. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from January 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), August 18, 2015 (German, accessed January 22, 2016)
84. ↑ Wii games are being upscaled . wiiu-spiele.com. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved on November 21, 2012.
85. ↑ Wii U will not support GameCube games . Nintendo-Online.de. June 8, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
86. ^ Nintendo Gains as New Wii U Sales Beat Predecessor. bloomberg.com, January 11, 2013, accessed April 22, 2014 . 
87. ↑ http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/hard_soft/index.html (accessed January 29, 2014)
88. ↑ ^{a b} Wii U costs Nintendo boss half of his salary. handelsblatt.de, January 29, 2014, accessed April 22, 2014 . 
89. ↑ Notice of Full-Year Financial Forecast and Dividend Forecast Modifications. Nintendo Co., Ltd., January 17, 2014, accessed April 22, 2014 . 
90. ↑ Super Mario's last life? zeit.de, February 6, 2014, accessed April 22, 2014 . 
91. ↑ Danger to Super Mario? sueddeutsche.de, April 19, 2014, accessed on April 22, 2014 . 
92. ↑ http://nintendo-online.de/news/17856/nintendo-veroeffentlicht-finanzbericht-verkaufszahlen-fuer-das-erste-quartal-20142015
93. ↑ No Stranger to the (Video) Game: Most Eighth Gen Gamers Have Previously Owned Consoles
94. ↑ Why are people buying PS4 and not Xbox One?
95. ↑ https://wiidatabase.de/wii-u-browser-exploit-fuer-version-5-1-0-aktualisiert/
96. ↑ Wiihacku.de: Failoverfl0w cracked the Wii U.
97. ↑ Wiihacku.de: Wii U Hack is probably imminent
98. ↑ Wiihacku.de: Wii U Bootrom dumped
99. ↑ Wii U - What We Know So Far . Nintendo Wii U - Universe. 2011. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved on November 3, 2011.
100. ↑ The Wii U name is still hurting Nintendo
101. ↑ No, Wii U's Problem Was Never Its Dumb Name
102. ↑ Wii U Name Is "Abysmal" And It "Cut Sales In Half," Former Nintendo Dev Says
103. ↑ Resident evil - Capcom would like to do a Resident Evil for the Wii U at gamepro.de. Retrieved July 3, 2011 . 
104. ↑ Wii U: EA was part of the launch at areagames.de. Retrieved July 3, 2011 . 
105. ↑ http://www.develop-online.net/news/37930/Yoshida-Wii-U-will-inspire-Vita-experiments
106. ↑ Wii U is predicted by John Riccitiello's great future at sajonara.de ( Memento from August 2, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
107. ↑ eurogamer.de
108. ↑ Ubisoft Ceo Guillemot: Wii U Controller real enrichment at onlinewelten.com. Retrieved July 25, 2011 . 
109. ↑ ingame.de
110. ↑ nintendowiix.net
111. ↑ pcgameshardware.de
112. ↑ videogameszone.de
113. ↑ spieletester.com ( Memento from October 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
114. ↑ wiiu.gaming-universe.de ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
115. ↑ Wii U: EA no longer develops games [UPDATE] ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
116. ↑ Wii U: "Nintendo ticked off pretty quickly for us" - says EA
117. ↑ Ubisoft is sitting on finished Wii U games waiting for larger install base
118. ↑ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/08/18/ubisoft-ceo-yves-guillemot-nintendo-customers-don-t-buy-assassin-s-creed.aspx
119. ↑ Activision and Ubisoft back away from the Wii U
120. ↑ Wii U - production stopped worldwide, was Nintendo's biggest console flop. Retrieved February 1, 2017 .