By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 09 July 2025
Edit Thread
Pemalite said:
SvennoJ said:

Wii laid the groundwork closing the gap between mobile and (non power chasing) consoles. If the Wii and subsequently WiiU hadn't been behind PS4 and XBox One, it would not have been that easy to put WiiU games on the Switch for a second chance. (Or get BotW as a launch game)

Nintendo focused on the dual screen use and asynchronous multiplayer with the WiiU. It's not groundbreaking to launch a 'failed' device. Then it's either the Switch (salvaging the working part of the WiiU as a handheld that can also be connected to a TV) or the Wii setting the trend to make it possible for the mobile and console division to be merged into one. 


Wii is also groundbreaking for other reasons, mainly for tapping into the blue ocean and make video games easy / approachable for different generations, games the whole family can enjoy. That trend continued as well, 1-2 Switch for example was a hit for my younger kids to play with their grand parents. But then Switch kinda abandoned the blue ocean again, or the blue ocean lost interest.

The Switch and Switch 2 are Handhelds first and foremost... And in the handheld space, Nintendo has literally never chased power, they were always a generation or two behind their competitors.

The WiiU had "dual screen" capability, but it's support was rubbish, it's main use-case simply gaming on the tablet instead of the TV and switching between the TV or tablet mode.

Wii was basically a gamecube in every aspect, even the motion controls were originally developed for the Gamecube originally, but never reached the consumer market... And when the Gamecube failed to achieve significant marketshare, Nintendo *had* to change it's strategy... So why not simply re-use what has already been invested? And it worked.

The Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, only hampered by the smaller storage discs.
Same with the N64, more powerful than PS1, but PS1 has the CD storage advantage.
Wii was the first to be significantly behind the PS3, staying in the SD 480i/480p resolution while PS3 and 360 went for 720p/1080p.

The motion controls made the Wii a runaway success, copied by Kinect and PS Move. But was it really the motion controls, or Wii Sports, Wii Fit etc that created the big success. Instead of chasing the trend of ever longer more complex games, the Wii went back to the basics of 'fun' first. Easy to pick up, one button play.

The WiiU followed the low power trend closing the gap between handheld and console. Switch is pretty close to the WiiU in terms of capabilities with more modern components, same ARM architecture, making it easy to put WiiU games on the Switch. Where WiiU failed is going back to a complicated controller and the blue ocean didn't care for the upgrade to 720p/1080p output. 

Yes the main use case of the WiiU tablet became playing without the TV on, but it was marketed as much more than that:

Put it all together, Wii very successful with low power simple visuals and easy motion controls, WiiU tablet form mostly used to play off TV, time for a new handheld while console player base was lagging with the WiiU, and the Switch was born. It's basically two Wii motion controllers clicked to the side of the Switch with analog sticks added, that can be used sideways just like the Wii controllers for 2-player games without the need of the nunchuck or classic controller add-on.

Switch became a handheld that can display on the TV with the charger, no dual use case possibilities anymore. Switch took more after the Wii than the WiiU imo. Wii laid the groundwork to make Switch a success with it's games philosophy, easy motion controls, lower fidelity for cheaper, faster to produce games.