Editing Wii U

|release={{release|USA|November 18, 2012|Canada|November 18, 2012<ref>https://www.straight.com/life/nintendo-wii-u-console-set-november-18-release-canada</ref>|Mexico|November 29, 2012|South Africa|November 29, 2012|Europe|November 30, 2012|Australia|November 30, 2012<ref>[http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=news]</ref>|Japan|December 8, 2012<ref name="WiiU">rawmeatcowboy (September 13, 2012). [http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=185310 JAPAN - WII U NINTENDO DIRECT #1 LIVE STREAM/BLOG]. ''GoNintendo''. Retrieved March 5, 2020.</ref>|Chile|December 10, 2012<ref>https://www.emol.com/noticias/tecnologia/2012/11/29/572013/nintendo-presenta-su-nueva-consola-wii-u-en-chile.html</ref>|Brazil|November 26, 2013<ref>http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2013/11/07/mais-caro-do-mundo-wii-u-sai-no-brasil-por-r-1899-em-2611.htm</ref>}}

|discontinued={{release|Europe|October 1, 2016<ref>SSF1991 (September 23, 2016). [https://mynintendonews.com/2016/09/23/europe-retailers-will-no-longer-be-able-to-order-wii-u-consoles-after-october-1st/ Europe: Retailers Will No Longer Be Able To Order Wii U Consoles After October 1st]. ''My Nintendo News''. Retrieved March 5, 2020.</ref>|USA|November 10, 2016<ref>Ashcraft, Brian (November 10, 2016). [http://kotaku.com/nintendo-announces-wii-u-production-is-ending-1788802568 In Japan, Nintendo Announces Wii U Production Is Ending]. ''Kotaku''. Retrieved March 5, 2020.</ref>|Australia|November 14, 2016<ref>Kinsley, John (November 14, 2016). [http://nintendotoday.com/new-wii-u-bundle-released-in-australia/ New Wii U bundle released in Australia]. ''NintendoToday''. Retrieved March 5, 2020.</ref>|Japan|January 31, 2017<ref>Ashcraft, Brian (January 31, 2017). [http://kotaku.com/wii-u-production-has-officially-ended-for-japan-1791813878 Wii U Production Has Officially Ended For Japan] ''Kotaku''. Retrieved March 5, 2020.</ref>}}

{{quote2|How U Will Play Next|Advertisement slogan for the Wii U}}

The '''Wii U''' (codenamed '''Project Café''' in development) is an eighth generation home video game console produced by [[Nintendo]] as the successor to the [[Wii]]. It is Nintendo's first home console since the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] to share a portion of its name with its predecessor. It was announced during Nintendo's conference at {{wp|E3 2011}}. The main feature of the Wii U is its controller, the [[#Wii U GamePad|Wii U GamePad]], which has a touch screen, a camera, a microphone, and other features. According to [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]], the Wii U was never shown to Nintendo's software development team prior to its unveiling at E3 2011. With the name "Wii" originating from the word "we", the "U" ("you") was added to reflect the console's intended appeal to single-player play as well as multiplayer. It is the home console counterpart of the [[Nintendo 3DS]].

The Wii U was released in the United States on November 18, 2012, in Europe and Australia on November 30, 2012, and in Japan on December 8, 2012. The Wii U was the third Nintendo console to be released in North America before Japan, the other two being the Wii and the original [[Nintendo DS]]. It is also the first home Nintendo console since the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] to be released before its competitors' consoles of the same generation were announced.

Unlike the original Wii and much like the [[Nintendo GameCube]], the Wii U was not very successful when compared to its contemporaries, the {{wp|Sony}} {{wp|PlayStation 4}} and {{wp|Microsoft}}'s {{wp|Xbox One}}. It was initially expected to sell 100 million units;<ref>[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-07-07-wii-u-was-expected-to-sell-100-million-units/ Wii U was expected to sell 100 million units | GamesIndustry.biz]</ref> however, it only managed to sell 13.56 million units worldwide,<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/ IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Game Sales Units]. ''Nintendo''. Retrieved June 11, 2020.</ref> making it Nintendo's least successful home console. The Wii U's lifetime sales were outsold in only nine months by its successor, the [[Nintendo Switch]].<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42885803</ref><ref>https://hypebeast.com/2019/10/nintendo-switch-passes-wii-u-lifetime-sales</ref> Because of that, it was discontinued in Europe on October 1, 2016, in North America on November 10, 2016, in Australia on November 14, 2016, and in Japan on January 31, 2017, only around 4 years after the console's initial release. Commonly cited reasons for the Wii U's weak sales include confusing marketing, complicated GamePad, few third-party titles, high initial pricing, and lack of Blu-ray and even DVD playback.<ref>https://www.lifewire.com/reasons-the-wii-u-is-a-failure-2498588</ref> However, numerous first-party Wii U titles were ported to the Nintendo Switch.

The Wii U console resembles the [[Wii]], except it is much longer with rounder sides. It has a slot to insert 12-centimeter proprietary high-density optical discs as well as the Wii's DVD optical discs. The console can play high-definition games at 720p and 1080p, the first of Nintendo's consoles to do so. The console itself is approximately 4.6 cm tall, 17.3 cm wide, and 26.7 cm long. When placed horizontally, it slightly resembles the [[Wii#Wii Family Edition|Wii Family Edition]]. It features {{wp|IBM}} microprocessor technology inside.

The Wii U supports all the controllers (and respective peripherals) used with the Wii: the [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]], the [[Wii#Nunchuk|Nunchuk]] controller, the [[Wii#Wii Remote Plus|Wii Remote Plus]], the [[Wii#Wii Classic Controller|Classic Controller]], the Classic Controller Pro, and the [[Wii#Wii Balance Board|Wii Balance Board]]. It is compatible with the Wii hardware and software; similar to the Wii Family Edition and [[Wii#Wii mini|Wii Mini]], however, it is incompatible with the [[Nintendo GameCube]] hardware or software.<ref>http://kotaku.com/5810081/farewell-gamecube-the-wii-u-doesnt-play-you</ref> The Wii U is the first home Nintendo console whose controllers' control sticks can be pressed down to act as extra buttons; although, the only ''Mario'' games that use these features are ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'', ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'', in which pressing the right stick resets the camera angle, and ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'' in which it is used to change the hand on the TV Screen in edit mode. It is also the first home Nintendo console whose controllers include perfectly circular analog stick movement.

The Wii U supports up to eight-player local play, as seen in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U|Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]''. It can support up to two GamePads, a feature never used for any games, though the Wii U GamePad was never sold at retail. The console has an internal flash memory, holding 8 GB for the standard set, and 32 GB for the deluxe set. Additionally, the Wii U has the option to expand its memory by using an external USB hard disk drive—however, even though the Wii U has an [[Memory Card|SD Card]] slot, SD Cards cannot be used for Wii U data storage (excluding Mii storage), though they can be used for storing Wii data via the Wii Menu only. This also means that Wii U game data cannot be transferred onto other Wii U systems on SD cards.

The Wii U allows players to connect to the internet using [[Nintendo Network]], the successor to [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]], via a wireless connection or using the Wii LAN Adapter.

The '''Wii U GamePad''' is the main controller of the Wii U console. The GamePad has a 6.2 inch (15.7 cm) resistive touchscreen in the center, and is the first ever controller for a home video game console to have this feature. Its button layout is somewhat similar to that of the [[Nintendo 3DS]], having the traditional {{button|Stick}} to the left of the screen and the {{button|wiiu|A}}, {{button|wiiu|B}}, {{button|wiiu|Y}}, and {{button|wiiu|X}} buttons to the right. The GamePad has two traditional {{button|Stick}}, one on each side of the screen and over the traditional buttons. The sticks are slightly displaced nearer to the edges of the controller and are clickable. The {{button|wiiu|L}} and {{button|wiiu|R}} buttons are located behind the GamePad, as are the {{button|wiiu|ZL}} and {{button|wiiu|ZR}} buttons. Below the screen is the {{button|wiiu|Home}} button, situated between the microphone aperture and the battery light, and next to the light is the {{button|wiiu|TV}} button. The {{button|wiiu|minus}} select button and {{button|wiiu|plus}} start button are found below the {{button|wiiu|A}}{{button|wiiu|B}}{{button|wiiu|Y}}{{button|wiiu|X}} buttons. The {{button|wiiu|Power}} button is directly below the screen right to the TV button. The controller also has a {{button|wiiu|NFC}} {{wp|Near-field communication|NFC}} sensor, able to read objects or codes near to the controller. The GamePad can be used with a stylus and features a frontal camera, a microphone, a stereo speaker, sensor strip, rumble system, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, rechargeable battery and built-in flash memory to store data. <ref>[http://wiiublog.com/wii-u-controller-has-built-in-flash-memory-and-a-bunch-of-other-things-we-already-knew-about/ Wii U's North American patent sheet]</ref> Using the controller, one can browse the internet, send videos, flip channels, take screenshots, and connect to Miiverse while playing any game. It can also be used as universal TV control. Video chat is also included but cannot be executed while playing. Games for this console can be played on the TV screen, the controller screen, or a combination of both,<ref>http://e3.nintendo.com/hw/#/introduction</ref> known as {{wp|Asymmetry#Other uses|asymmetric gameplay}}. The controller cannot be used to play Wii games, although its sensor can be used for playing Wii games and its screen can be used to display them. The GamePad had a port on the bottom which was most likely made to support accessories, including a [https://nintendotoday.com/wii-u-zapper/ concept Wii U Zapper], but accessories were never released most likely due to low sales and lack of third-party games that feature using third-party accessories.

[[File:Wii U Pro Controller White.png|thumb|left|200px]]

The '''Wii U Pro Controller''' is an alternate peripheral for the Wii U console. Introduced by [[Satoru Iwata]] in a ''Nintendo Direct'' video on June 3, 2012, the Wii U Pro Controller is similar to the Wii's Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro and the GameCube Controller in its frontal button layout and the presence of grips, with all inputs functioning identically to their GamePad equivalents. Unlike previous alternate controllers, however, the {{button|wiiu|A}}, {{button|wiiu|B}}, {{button|wiiu|Y}}, {{button|wiiu|X}}, and the {{button|wiiu|Pad}} are all found below the {{button|Stick}}; this is the only thing besides the button names that sets its layout apart from that of the Microsoft {{wp|Xbox 360 controller}}. The player number lights from the Wii Remote and the {{button|wiiu|Power}}, have been added in the center of the controller, as it is wireless and battery-powered. The Wii U Pro Controller is also slightly bulkier than the Wii's wired controllers, and the {{button|wiiu|ZL}} and {{button|wiiu|ZR}} are arranged differently as actual trigger buttons as on the GamePad, closest to how they were arranged on the Classic Controller Pro. The controller shares the same battery as the 3DS and can last working for approximately 80 hours.<ref>[http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=190115 Wii U Pro Controller and 3DS share the same battery]</ref> When using it in menus, the left {{button|Stick}} controls the pointer. Like the Wii U GamePad, the Pro Controller is incompatible with Wii games, even those that use the Wii Classic Controller (e.g. ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'').

[[File:Wii U GameCube Adapter 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

The '''GameCube Controller Adapter''' is a peripheral allowing use of [[Nintendo GameCube]] controllers for compatible Wii U games. It was announced on May 29, 2014 during a video published by Nintendo<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMQySEjyCUw</ref> overviewing the ''Super Smash Bros.'' Invitational at E3 2014, and has been confirmed to be released during the 2014 holiday season.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/e3-2014-gamecube-adapter-controller-and-smash-bundle-pricing-revealed]</ref> It has four ports for GameCube controllers, and plugs into the Wii U through two USB ports; one is for power, while the other is for receiving and sending input. It launched alongside ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', in addition to a bundle that features the game, the adapter, and a ''Super Smash Bros.''-themed GameCube controller. ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' is the only Wii U game that supports the GameCube adapter. As of system version 4.0.0, the GameCube adapter is compatible with the [[Nintendo Switch]] as well.

'''amiibo''' is a line of figurines usable in compatible Wii U and Nintendo 3DS titles. By placing a figure on the Wii U GamePad's {{button|wiiu|NFC}}, the amiibo is able to interact with the game. The product line launched on November 21, 2014, with ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' as the first title to be compatible with the line. amiibo functionality is also featured in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' as of version 3.0, and in ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'', ''[[Mario Party 10]]'', ''[[Yoshi's Woolly World]]'', and ''[[Super Mario Maker]]''. Certain amiibo figures are also compatible with multiple games (e.g. the ''Super Smash Bros.'' Mario is compatible with ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Party 10'', having the amiibo functionality programmed for those games<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/12/e3-2014-nintendo-on-amiibo-smash-bros-and-custom-figurines]</ref>).

{{main|Wii#Peripherals{{!}}Wii § Peripherals}}

==Appearances of peripherals in the ''Mario'' series==

 

 

 

==Software==

[[File:Nintendo eShop newlogo.svg|left|175px]]

The [[Wii]] Menu is a built in section on the Wii U Menu. It takes players to the Wii Menu from the Wii so they can play Virtual Console games, original Wii and [[WiiWare]] games. There is a Wii Shop Channel where players can purchase downloadable games or download the Wii to Wii U System Transfer to transfer the data from the Wii to the Wii U. The Wii Menu serves the same function as that of the original Wii menu.

The following channels have been pre-installed:

*Wii Menu Manual (a special manual for those who haven't used a Wii)

*Wii U Menu (reboots the console into the Wii U Menu)

*[[Wii#Wii U Transfer Tool|Wii U Transfer Tool]] (used for transferring content from a Wii to the Wii U)

A system update released after the Wii U launched provided the user the ability to hold {{button|wiiu|B}} when turning on the console. This will automatically take the user to the Wii Menu without having to go through the Wii U menu first.

Another system update released after the Wii U's initial launch in the fall of 2013 provided the option of using the GamePad as well to view the Wii Menu, where a sensor bar is built-in to the GamePad to provide Wii Remote support. A Wii Remote is still required to use Wii mode; the GamePad cannot be used as a controller for Wii software.

On January 14, 2015, Nintendo began digitally re-releasing Wii games on the Nintendo eShop that can be started directly from the Wii U Menu, bypassing the Wii Menu. Unlike the disc-based games, the Wii U Pro Controller and Wii U GamePad can be used in any games that support the classic controller. However, a Wii Remote is still required to start up the game. Digital Wii titles also include a digital version of the original manual like Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 64 VC games.

==''Mario''-related games==

*This is the first Nintendo console since the NES to use standard audio/video cables as it supports HDMI and comes with its own HDMI cable, although the system can also use the Wii's composite AV or component AV cables to hook up to older TV sets that don't support HDMI.

{{Consoles}}