It walked so the Switch could run. The Switch wouldn't have been the excellent system it was without the Wii U.

As for the Wii U, I thought it was really underappreciated. Interesting idea that wasn't quite ready. I really loved the Gamepad, was perfect for Minecraft. Very comfortable controller.

Games were alright. I mainy remember Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze and Splatoon. A lot of other games fell under the radar.

I think the issue with the Wii U, is it didn't know what it was and Nintendo could never clarify things. Still is great they are always willing to try things.

It had a solid library, and some games made pretty good use of the tablet controller. Was it a bit superfluous and was it annoying you couldn't buy spares from a retailer? Yes. But it was a good system that I got a lot of enjoyment out of.

It was a nice proof of concept. Showed off how powerful a handheld could be, but the technology wasn’t where it needed to be. The shape of the thing wasn’t the best for a handheld and it couldn’t compete with the consoles.

However, it was probably the best learning experience a gaming corporation ever had. The Switch refined everything that the WiiU did right and pivoted away from the problems that the WiiU struggled with.

The WiiU was a step in what we now recognize as the right direction for Nintendo, and it’s an evolutionary middle point between traditional consoles and traditional handhelds. That middle phase was awkward, but it worked out in the end.

The best they could do at the time with the technology and price they were aiming for. I respect it, Nintendo truly wanted it to work but there was the console in itself, the marketing and the double system development cycles that were affecting it.

They still decided to lock in and give us amazing games. I appreciated it and had good times with it, and i'm thankful it gave us the Switch and a wake up call to Nintendo.

Had they gone the full hybrid route in 2012 with Switch early on, it would probably be around the specs of a PlayStation Vita. 

It would be a confusing time since 3DS would've launched the year before and the hybrid released alongside it wouldn't have as notable of a spec gap as 3DS and Wii U.

Probably would've had to just scrap 3DS if they were planning the Switch over four years early.

Things worked out in the end. 3DS was profitable after a lot of effort and Wii U failed but taught Nintendo a bitter lesson.

I think I'll always have a soft spot for Wii U. Backwards compatibility with Wii was a great feature and some banger games like Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, and so on. 

It was my favorite console that generation. It was like taking the uniqueness of Wii and giving it some of the 360's core-gamer goodness. And then there was Mii Verse. My goodness did I love that thing. Sometimes, I'll still load it up even know I know it will hang on the loading screen, just to hear that music. Such good times.