Wii U

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

The Wii U GamePad is the primary controller for the console, featuring 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. There are two versions of the Wii U: the "Basic White" with 8GB of storage and the "Deluxe Black" with 32GB.

The Wii U is backward compatible with Wii software and accessories, and as such all Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Wii are also playable on the Wii U, although the system does not support GameCube controllers. The Wii U also offers an online service called the Nintendo Network and previously featured an integrated social networking service called Miiverse (that has been shut down on 7 November 2017). The Wii U was plagued with slow consumer adoption, a lack of strong launch titles, and bad marketing and third party support. It has been considered to be one of Nintendo's worst selling game consoles.

Nintendo officially ended the Wii U's production in 2017, with the eShop closing on 27 March 2023.

Controllers

Wii U GamePad

File:Wii U controller illustration.png

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.

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

File:Wii U Pro controllers.png

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

File:SSB4 Amiibo Sonic.png

The Super Smash Bros. Sonic amiibo.

As of 21 November 2014, the Wii U began supporting amiibo, a series of figurines which uses near field communication to add special features to compatible software.

A Sonic the Hedgehog amiibo figure was unveiled on 10 November 2014 as part of the Super Smash Bros. amiibo series and was later released on 10 February 2015. It is primarily compatible with 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. The Sonic amiibo can still be used in a handful of titles without rewards or references pertaining to the Sonic series; in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, scanning any non-Zelda amiibo - including the Sonic amiibo - will spawn a chest containing an assortment of materials.

Sonic games

File:DRGPT.jpg Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012)

File:SARTBE WIIU PACK-FRONT 2.jpg Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Bonus Edition (2012)

Sonic Lost World (2013)

File:Lost World Deadly Six Bonus Edition Art.png Sonic Lost World Deadly Six Bonus Edition (2013)

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)

Other Wii U games

File:M&S2014 Wii U Boxart.jpg Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013)

File:SSB Wii U.jpg Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014)

File:Oie transparent-16.png Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016)

Nintendo Selects

File:SaASRT Wii U Nintendo Selects.png Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2017)

Virtual Console

Similarly to the Wii, the Wii U also features a Virtual Console section in the Nintendo eShop where past video games, most of which were previously released on past Nintendo consoles, can be downloaded and played on the Wii U. Only three Sonic games for the Game Boy Advance were included on this service in Japan. The Virtual Console titles are all unavailable for purchase due to the Wii U eShop's discontinuation on 27 March 2023.

File:Advance JP Wii U Virtual Console.jpg Sonic Advance (JP)

File:Advance 2 JP Wii U Virtual Console.jpg Sonic Advance 2 (JP)

File:Advance 3 JP Wii U Virtual Console.jpg Sonic Advance 3 (JP)

Characters Introduced

• Deadly Six
  • Zavok
  • Zazz
  • Zomom
  • Master Zik
  • Zeena
  • Zor
• Sticks the Badger
• Lyric the Last Ancient

Trivia

• The Wii U is the only eighth-generation console to have complete backwards compatibility with its immediate predecessor.
• The Wii U is the first home console with no native 4:3 support for any of its Sonic games; some Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Sonic titles supported it (i.e. Sonic Unleashed and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I and Episode II), and all Wii Sonic titles supported both 4:3 and 16:9. If the Wii U is set to 4:3, all Wii U Sonic titles will be displayed in letterboxed widescreen on 4:3 displays. The Wii Sonic titles, on the other hand, can still be played in 4:3 on the Wii U as long as the system itself is set to 4:3.
• This is the final home console to have analog video support.
• The Wii U is Nintendo's final home console since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to have a budget label; as of November 2022, no Nintendo Switch titles (including Sonic titles) have been re-released under the Nintendo Selects label.
• The Wii U would be Nintendo's final home console to include region locking for both physical and digital titles, whereas its successor, the Nintendo Switch, supports physical titles from other regions and allows for digital titles to be downloaded from other regions.
  • Much like the Nintendo 3DS, the Wii U eShop's region will always correspond to the region of the system, regardless of where it is used; if a North American user gets ahold of a European Wii U, they will still only have access to the European eShop.

External links

• Wii U at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Video game platforms

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