h2ohno on 13 September 2021
Both had disappointing first years, but the 3DS kept a steady stream of quality software from late 2011-2016, while the Wii U never got its act fully together.
On the hardware side, the 3DS had a gimmick that proved controversial, with some loving and some hating the 3d effect, but it kept everything that made the DS such a big success. The Wii U was killed by its gimmick and abandoned what made they Wii so appealing. The 3DS despite being weaker than the Vita still looked very nice as an early 2010s handheld, while the Wii U was unacceptably underpowered for a 2010s home console, moreso than the Wii since graphics and HD visuals were supposedly more of a priority with the Wii U while the Wii was all about gameplay over graphics.
