Report: Nintendo to Stop Production of Wii U Consoles in 2016

You know, I almost agree with you (and definitely would if I could get into the modern Zelda games/remakes, among other N franchises)... and that's saying a lot coming from me. Though I started on an NES (shortly after Atari) and had Nintendo consoles up through the N64 (N64 was the first one I bought myself, I specifically got a summer job at 15 just to save up for one!), something changed in me, soon after...

Once PlayStation/PS2/XBox became popular, and the PC was still getting leagues better all the time, I started to love the titles for those systems and mostly hate what Nintendo was putting out. I couldn't get over the cartoonish, cutesy, G-rated stuff any longer. I wanted realism, mature themes, and challenging games. I still bought a Wii, and quite a few games for it, and I couldn't get myself to play more than a couple hours of any game. I officially became an anti-fanboy of Nintendo in particular.

But now, with PS4 and XB1 just not getting exclusives anymore and inferior versions of multi-platform titles, I have a lot of respect for the Wii U. I still don't use mine except when I play with my 5-yr old nephew, but in the respect of original, first party games with some level of quality, the Wii U certainly has beaten out the other new consoles for anyone with a good PC, IMO. Well, except for Bloodborne, my life wouldn't be complete if I hadn't played that!!

I was literally thinking about if I should buy a WiiU this morning.

Well, the 10 or so great games on the Wii U were pretty great, so thanks for that Nintendo.

Now I am really feeling the new Zelda will just be made to be a launch game for the NX

Wow, so Wii U will officially be the worst performing home console(not counting virtual boy) in Nintendo's history. It'll place it about ~6-7 million below the Gamecube in unit sales.

I adore my Wii U. Never regret my purchase even once. Counted 15 games in my collection that I love.

Bring on the NX!

exciting. I guess this will make it extremely likely that the new Zelda will be on the NX as well.

Depends on how important saving money is to you, once the NX arrives the prices are going to drop quicker. Especially if the NX is backwards-compatible with it. Though if previous gens are any indication the NX will not be compatible with the Wii so if you want a device that plays original Wii games too you'd need the Wii U.

Oh man, I'm really excited (and a little bit scared) for the NX. I just hope Nintendo cooked up something good this time. With Microsoft and Sony apparently shifting to a PC-like incremental update approach, the NX might just be the only "true" console that is worth buying in the future.

Release this year, pretty please.

Actually, Vinny has talked a bit about how Mario has sometimes come off as offensive to him in a past Bombcast.

my wii u is the only console i even have hooked up anymore

what the fuck man. such a weird business.

Better stock up on those Wii U titles before they become crazy rare like the original Wii's library.

Guess that Korean release date has been pushed back indefinitely now huh.

I'm looking forward to the inevitable followup to this story where the NX is formally announced as Wii.3.

Upsetting.

What a weird year this'll be though. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are all (probably) going to be announcing new hardware at E3 midway through the current generation, PLUS VR is hitting later this year too. That's...overwhelming? Maybe they all should've just stuck to that 10 year plan for last gen and delayed their current console releases until 2015 or 2016?

Pretty much. My PS4 has been rendered a BloodBorne Machine and for a japanese gaming fan such as myself, that is astounding.

Quit harshin on Vinny's feelings! :P

Two notes:

1. It's just Nikkei, gramps. Bin that errant definite article.

2. Good idea on eschewing vague Italian stereotypes. Direct stereotypes are easier to understand for the reader and clearly convey spicy meatballs.

I wonder if this means the NX will have backwards compatable

Imagine if the NX launched with Zelda and Splatoon 2. That would be cool.

Rumor has been the new Zelda will launch on the new NX and the Wii U.

wow the nx in 2016 lets go.

Nintendo seems to be floating out in space in terms of what they want to be in terms of the console landscape. They have consoles with gimmicks to differentiate and games with niche appeal which do work a lot of the time, yet compete on price with hardware. This will always add up as falling short.

I guess fans won't be seeing that New Zelda or Metroid on the Wii U after all. And Mario Marker clearly wasn't successful enough to keep the console sales strong. One thing this is proving is that it is becoming very expensive to make games and consoles powerful enough to run them. It makes sense now why Konami got out of the game. This might be spelling doom for the gaming industry itself. I hope not. But with broken launch games, bad PC ports, and Sony and Microsoft admitting their Next-Gen console aren't powerful enough for this generation, things aren't looking so good.

I dont think so. While bad ports and broken launches are very much a thing, there is still a market for games played on a big screen. I think most of us on this site or other people who spend time on game forums and follow its journalism care, but the rest of the public doesn't seem to care all that much. Basically everyone I work with who plays games doesn't seem to care a whole lot about this. They just want the newest consoles to play the newest games. Nintendo just seemed to drop the ball with the WiiU in terms of marketing and just in the general concept of the console. The pad is a cool idea but the only game that seems to make a real case as to why you need one is Super Mario Maker. I think Nintendo was counting on all those people who bought wii's in the niche market to transfer over but that is crazy when you consider how foreign a concept the WiiU pad is compared to how simplistic the Wii Mote was. With all that said, games are still as popular as ever and people want to play them. I cant see the mobile market getting so big that people wont want to play the big releases like Call of Duty or whatever anytime in the near future.

Considering all the rumor and speculation that the NX might be a portable system (or at least have a portable component, or that it might work with 3DS games somehow), it wouldn't be strange at all for there to be a touchpad, considering that the past two Nintendo handhelds have had them in addition to the WiiU.

Whether it has one or not, I doubt they'll end up with all the controller weirdness of the WiiU (like using wiimotes as its secondary controllers was bizarre, among other things). Nintendo is usually good about changing things and learning from mistakes. Usually.

A Mario Maker NX packed in at launch would make the NX a Day One purchase for me.

Have yet to pull the trigger on the Wii U. Waiting for the Zelda announcement. Excited to see Nintendo move more in the direction of Nintendo of old.

Man, what an awkward life this system has had. From providing me with some of the best gaming experiences in recent memory to also super disappointing at some points, it was always a ride. I guess it's the most interesting console of this gen?

Yep. That's all I was expecting from it, and I'm satisfied with what it is. That said, I've hardly used it since getting the PS4.

Cool, I finally picked up this system and even tricked a few friends to follow me to play Monster Hunter triU on it together. I won't be following to the NX, I'll be happy with my 3ds/ WiiU

I was tempted at one point to buy a Wii U for Xenoblade Chronicles, but the reviews of that game didn't live up to my hype.

Another Nintendo console with a handful of good first party games and that's about it. Same old story, but I enjoyed my time with the WiiU.

Edit: Thinking about it further, Nintendo formally announcing a new console probably goes a long way towards legitimizing the decision for Sony and Microsoft to roll out updated hardware. All three players potentially jumping to new hardware this early on is absolutely crazy.

I join those with doubts about backwards compatibility -- though I am hopeful. What I really want is for them to use the opportunity of a new console launch to actually integrate all of their Virtual Console stuff together -- the way it works now is just . . . maddening.

Hopefully we can get some sweet deals on leftover Wii U's by christmas, I still need to play Bayonetta 2, Wind Waker and Monster Hunter.

I still can't believe they haven't price dropped the thing.

I been wanting a Wii U forever purely to play Bayonetta and Wind Waker and even though I have the disposable income, I still can't sanely justify $300 to play two games.

@nightguy:

Same. I got a Wii U for MK8 when the game launched and have been getting the marquee titles for the system up to and including TP:HD. It will be sad to bench the Wii U for it has been my go to gaming console this gen. My PS4 collects dust while I play all the multi-plats on my PC. I am very happy to have seen those GB videos about the Game & Wario drawing mini-game. It has become one of my favorite little distractions in who knows how long.

Same. I own 2 of them actually lol. I've had nothing but great times with the system.

Let's hope my fancy pants Wind Waker Wii U sky rockets in value.

I'm pretty excited to see Nintendo's new thing, but really don't want to think my Wii U is sort of done already.

So long as the new console is backwards compatible, I think this is fine.

Of the little single player console gaming that I do now a days, the Wii U has provided the most by far vs the PS4. There is a good amount of stuff on both consoles that I think with 90% certainty that I would enjoy, but if I ever play them is another story.

Soooo...

http://www.vooks.net/nintendo-says-its-not-stopping-production-of-the-wii-u/

So much for PS-VR or a new graphics card this year, putting my pennies towards Nintendo.

yeah, it's super weird, like when people say the Irish eat potatoes all the time or talk about leprechauns. tbh no Irishman actually cares.

austin could have gone full stereotype and used the italian chef from the simpsons :(

Will have to see if the NX does backwards compatibility or not. Though Nintendo does have a good history of doing so I think it could change this time with the potentially different direction the NX is going in. Though I guess I thought the same thing about the Wii U before that was out...

It all reminds me a bit of the Dreamcast.

@nightriff: Plenty of great games - I'm very happy with my purchase.

I can't say I'm surprised but it is sad to hear. Glad I got one when I did.

well that ended quickly

So, no new Zelda for Wii U?