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Smash Bros. Has Brought The Wii U Back From The Dead

Smash Bros. Has Brought The Wii U Back From The Dead

The Wii U is an odd console. It’s the cheapest console out of all three next-gen offerings. It’s the least advanced in terms of media and social features. It has the oddest control scheme. It is frequently mistaken for the old Wii, even to this day. It has the least space, the wonkiest digital shop, and the fewest third party developers making games for it. Finally, by the numbers it’s impossible to deny that the Wii U is the worst selling next-generation console on the market. All of these put together seem to portray the Wii U as a horrible failure, right?

Well most of us would be inclined to agree, but is it possible that the Wii U has a couple tricks up its sleeve.

When listening to an episode of Pat the NES Punk’s Completely Unnecessary Podcast , an interesting fact to note was brought up. In game stores, used stock of PS4s and Xbox Ones is much much larger than used stock of the Wii U. This could mean that, while sales of the Wii U are lower than any other console, resales are also lower, i.e. gamers who buy a Wii U are pleased with it.

In fact, the purchasing habbits of Wii U owners is at this point a pretty commonly known joke. As Smosh Games put it in one of their latest honest game trailers , the Wii U is the console everyone buys when they already have a PS4, an Xbox One, or a gaming PC. So far, that has been basically true. Nearly every major next-gen release that has come out so far has ALSO been released to the PC, with the exception of perhaps Killer Instinct .  I myself have a gaming PC and have done most of my gaming and most of my reviews on that platform, because there’s no particular reason not to. But I can’t do the same with games that come out on the Wii U. If I want to play Mario Kart, Smash Brothers or Zelda , I absolutely need to own a Nintendo console, and so I do.

Smash Bros. Has Brought The Wii U Back From The Dead

Mario Kart 8 caused a huge bump in Wii U sales. Smash Bros. has been preordered way more than Mario Kart was and has broken records left and right. People are purchasing the Wii U just for the sake of getting Smash Bros. and many outlets are going to start offering Smash Bros. bundles for the holiday season. In fact, one bundle mentioned on the aforementioned podcast would come with Smash Brothers, Super Mario 3D World, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze all for $350 dollars. That’s a tremendous deal, and will definitely move Wi U consoles.

Now I’m not saying that this will make the Wii U overtake the PS4 or Xbox One. It’s clear that these consoles are geared toward “mainstream gaming,” the sorts of games that come out on multiple platforms and appeal to basically anyone who has a console. But I am saying that Nintendo can carve out its own little niche in the gaming world. It may not be the main console people get, but it’s a good second console for the people who can afford one, and it’s the only place to go for Nintendo exclusives. Think of the Wii U like the Gamecube or the N64, not dominating but definitely important. That’s where I see the console going in the future.

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