Time flies when you’re collecting dust
Ok, I couldn’t resist that “dust” joke. But really, my Wii U has gotten a lot of play over the past three years.
Today marks the third anniversary of the US launch, which took place on Jun 29, 2025. Since then it’s really struggled to gain traction, while its younger brother the 3DS continues to soar. It’s a shame as the system is pretty damn great, and the Wii U GamePad is one of my favorite controllers of all time.
Whereas so many Wii games took to forcing in waggle controls just because developers could, the GamePad has been a rather innovative and consistent force throughout the Wii U’s lifetime. Sure, the Wii had a lot of great games that depended on it, but I loved how Nintendo went back to its roots with tactile controls, even if it ended up paying for it.
Or maybe that was partially because of the terrible, confusing name. Maybe we’ll never know. Either way, I’ll continue to have fond memories of the ill-fated system for the rest of my gaming career. Nice work, Nintendo. Sorta.
