DON ’ T HATE THE PLA YA

The Nintendo Wii U is a misunderstood gem in need of rescue from the albatross of sales figures

With all of the razzmatazz of the PS4, Xbox One and Steam Machine launches still ringing in your ears, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that there’s a fourth next-gen gaming option in the mix – one that’s laden with must-play games, too.

Nintendo’s much-maligned Wii U has been in stores over a year now and despite selfperpetuating negativity based on commercial barometers, rather than creative ones, there’s never been a better time to pick one up. Before you snort in derision, let’s take stock.

Okay, such has been the negative press that even people who don’t know what a Wii U is know that it hasn’t sold well. But as a consumer, this can actually be a good thing.

Firstly, a need to compete has made the Wii U much cheaper than its rivals – less than half the price of the competition, in fact. Secondly, the PS4, Xbox One and SteamOS boast small, distinctly hit and miss line-ups, while the Wii U has a raft of great exclusives, from Super Mario 3D World to The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Zombi U, Lego City Undercover and The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker. That’s before you mention must-play reinventions such as Rayman Legends and Need for Speed.

Best of all, after a tricky learning process for developers, the Wii U is now well into its stride, with the likes of Bayonetta 2, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and Smash Bros finally reaching fruition after long gestations.

Nintendo, as a company, sits atop a large mountain of cash, so any reports of it getting out of hardware are fanciful. And even if the Wii U is set to become one of those consoles that the public just didn’t get, it’s in good company. Before-their-time oddities from the Dreamcast to the GameCube are still talked about today for one reason: they were great. Best-selling does not always mean best.