Wii U

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Wii U
The Wii U
General Information
Type	Video game console
Manufacturer(s)	Nintendo (Developer) Foxconn Mitsumi
First available	18 November 2012
Discontinued	31 January 2017
Units sold	13.56 million, Worldwide (as of March 31, 2017)
Technical Information
CPU	Tri-Core IBM PowerPC "Espresso" @ 1.24 GHz
RAM	2 GB DDR3
Sound	5.1 Linear PCM, Analog stereo
Timeline
Precursor	Wii
Successor	Nintendo Switch

The Wii U (officially stylized as Wiiᵁ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo and is the successor to the Wii. It competes with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles. The Wii U is Nintendo's first console to support high-definition graphics.

The Wii U GamePad is the primary controller for the Wii U, which features an embedded touchscreen that can either supplement gameplay on the main screen, or be used to play the games directly on the GamePad independently of the television.

The Wii U is backward compatible with Wii software and accessories. Due to this, all Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Wii are also playable on the Wii U (although the Wii U does not support GameCube controllers for the Wii games that were compatible with it on the original console). The Wii U also offers an online service called the Nintendo Network and previously featured an integrated social networking service called Miiverse. The Wii U was plagued with slow consumer adoption, lack of strong launch titles, marketing reasons and third party support and has been considered to be one of Nintendo's worst selling game consoles.

The Wii U officially ended production in 2017. On March 2017, Nintendo released a new flagship video game console, the Nintendo Switch. There are two versions of the Wii U: the Basic White (8GB) and Deluxe Black (32GB).

Controllers

Wii U GamePad

The Wii U GamePad.

The Wii U GamePad is the primary controller for the Wii U. It features a built-in touchscreen, which can either supplement or replicate the gameplay shown on the main display, and can function as a standalone screen without the use of a television screen. (This feature is often called Off-TV Play.)

Wii Remote

Aside from the console's backward compatibility with Wii games, the Wii Remote and its peripheral extensions (Nunchuk, Classic Controller etc.) are also supported in most Wii U games.

Wii U Pro Controller

The Wii U Pro Controller.

The Wii U Pro Controller is the second controller released for the console, available separately. Like more traditional controllers, it features standard control sticks, buttons, and triggers. Many video game journalists have noted the similarities between this controller and Microsoft's Xbox 360 Controller. However, Nintendo claims that the design of the Pro Controller is an “enhanced version” of the Wii Classic Controller and "offers a richer experience".

The Wii U Pro Controller is compatible with most supported Wii U games but is incompatible with Wii games.

Nintendo GameCube controller

Nintendo GameCube controllers can be used with the Wii U via a USB accessory, although it is only compatible with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and cannot be used for any other software.

Amiibo

The Super Smash Bros. Sonic amiibo.

As of November 21, 2014, the Wii U supports amiibo, a series of figurines which uses near field communication on selected software.

A Sonic the Hedgehog amiibo figure part of the Super Smash Bros. amiibo series was unveiled on November 10, 2014, and was released on 10 February, 2015. Currently, it can only be used for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Yoshi's Woolly World, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker, and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

List of Sonic games on the Wii U

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012)	Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Bonus Edition (2012)	Sonic Lost World (2013)	Sonic Lost World Deadly Six Bonus Edition (2013)
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013)	Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)	Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014)	Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016)

Virtual Console

As with the Wii, the Wii U also features a Virtual Console section in the Nintendo e-Shop where past video games, most of which were previously released on past Nintendo consoles, can be downloaded and played on the Wii U. In Japan, the Sonic Advance trilogy was available:

Sonic Advance (Japan only)	Sonic Advance 2 (Japan only)	Sonic Advance 3 (Japan only)

Trivia

• The Wii U is the only eighth-generation home console to have full-on backwards compatibility with its immediate predecessor.

References

Video game platforms