New to the Wii U ... some questions related to playing Wii games on it...

[82-T/A]

So, my wife and I still play the Wii regularly... oddly enough, it seems to be the system we have that only ever gets played, other than my Atari VCS (new one).

 

The question I have is... the Wii U supports HDMI and some additional games. But I'm not really sure I understand what that weird GameBoy controller thing that comes with it is for, or why I even need that. I'd like to buy a Wii U for no other reason that because I want to be able to play the Wii games in slightly better quality. Is it possible for me to JUST buy a Wii U console, and not even worry about that stupid GameBoy controller with the screen? I heard that the Wii controllers will all work on the Wii U just fine as well, and all the CDs work in there too. 

 

Do I only need that weird controller just if I want to play Wii U games?

 

 

Thanks!

[roots.genoa]

Yes, you can use a Wii remote to navigate and launch games (and probably to power the system on, not sure about that). That being said, you may have to use the GamePad (that's its name) the first time obviously. And maybe you'll learn to love it, who knows? Nintendo Land has a few gems.

[Atariboy]

If you're buying a Wii U, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the system's primary controller. The Wii U has a lot of quality games which the Switch has reinforced given the numerous well received Wii U ports that it has received.

 

As one Wii fan to another, I promise that the Wii U library is well worth investigating. Not only that, but as an added bonus many of the best games are very cheap these days (and much cheaper than their slightly enhanced Switch forms). And you just may be surprised how comfortable the Wii U gamepad actually is to use.

 

If you really just want to enhance your video quality in Wii software and better enjoy the platform these days on your modern tv, the Wii U really only has one thing to offer for you which is automatic aspect ratio detection. It knows if a Wii game is 4:3 (like a Virtual Console download) or 16:9 (the vast majority of the retail software) and stretches or disables stretching appropriately automatically during the upscaling process. No need to enable and disable stretch with your tv's remote control with Wii software when playing it on the Wii U.

 

Otherwise the Wii U only does an okay job at upscaling Wii U software. You'll get better visual fidelity by investing into something like the Retrotink 5X connected to your original Wii via decent quality component cables (not to mention maintain GameCube backwards compatibility, although that sounds like it's probably not important for you).

 

Or if you really want the best while still enjoying Wii software on real hardware, get your Wii modded with the new WiiHDMI mod, which replaces the now discontinued but similar Wii Dual mod. It taps into the system's raw digital video signal before the system converts it to analogue video out and outputs the untouched digital signal via HDMI.

18 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

Yes, you can use a Wii remote to navigate and launch games (and probably to power the system on, not sure about that). That being said, you may have to use the GamePad (that's its name) the first time obviously. And maybe you'll learn to love it, who knows? Nintendo Land has a few gems.

You can indeed power the system on and off with a Wii remote. 

 

While it has now been almost a decade since I first got my Wii U, I do believe the gamepad was necessary to set the system up. Going through the system settings and such requires it as well. So while this 2nd hand Wii U will obviously have the day 1 update and likely many subsequent firmware updates installed, you'll still need it to do basic things like selecting your resolution or getting the system online with the gamepad.

 

The latter of which just might matter for you if you end up investigating the Wii U library. If you decide to make some digital purchases in the next three months before the disabling of purchases happens next March, you'll obviously need to get the system connected to your network to make that possible. Or if you have WiiWare and Virtual Console downloads on your Wii that you want transferred to your Wii U, you'll need to get your Wii U online in order to do a system transfer as well.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Atariboy

[+slx]

Using some home-brew software you can modify the WiiU to allow running Wii titles from the WiiU menu without having to launch the Wii emulation (Virtual Wii) software first which makes it a lot more comfortable. You can also install all titles to a hard disc attached to the WiiU to save the floppy juggling. 

[0078265317]

I got one of these a few years ago.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Goodeliver-Adapter-hdmi1080p-Connector/dp/B0895NQHV2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EC8NMRHOJUTH&keywords=wii+to+hdmi&qid=1672985821&sprefix=wii+to+hdmi%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1

 

It allows me to use my Wii with HDMI.  Works really good.