Wii U better than Switch?

[LynxJagLunatic]

I own both the Wii U and the Switch and despite the newer games I tend to play my Wii U more. Maybe it’s just my preference but the tablet controller is much more comfortable than the JoyCons. Other than Mario Kart 8 deluxe I haven’t found a Switch game that I enjoy as much as the games I do on the U. Am I alone in this or do others prefer the Wii U over the Switch?

[eightbit]

I am certain I am part of a minority, but I prefer the Wii U over the Switch for a few reasons. Here's why I don't prefer the Switch:

 

 

1. I like my consoles to be consoles. I hate the idea of a tablet being used as a console. The thing sits in its cradle all of the time (and I mean ALL of the time) getting nice a toasty hot as I use it as a console. Obviously you can tell I am not much of a handheld gamer, so that does not sell the Switch to me as much as someone else that may prefer this.

 

2. Probably more than I do not like a tablet to be my "console" is the fact that I do not like the fact that the battery is not removable. Well, at least not removable in a user friendly way.

 

3. I REALLY don't like the fact that if the battery dies the console dies. Yeah, you need a functional battery in the Switch, even if you are using it on a charge. More people will realize this in the future.

 

4. I don't like the joycons. The are small...too small for me. 

 

5. I don't like the controls on the Switch Lite as they also feel way too small. And, Switch Lite cannot connect to a TV which is also a bummer.

 

 

As for the games, I do think the Switch library is incredible. I have been saying this from the start but I will say it again. They just need to make a standalone consolized version of this system (with no screen) that comes with a Pro Controller. Like a PS TV. 

 

 

Why I love the Wii U:

 

 

1. I love the Wii U because it has a fantastic software library, the tablet controller has comfortable controls AND the battery is user friendly removable and replaceable. It was designed as a console with its first thought for the living room TV and the portable aspect just there for when your family wants to watch TV. 

 

2. The interface on the Wii U just feels and looks better...and it also gives me that Nintendo "feeling".

 

3. The Wii U has (or had) the Virtual Console as the Wii did. Savvy people can still have it but I will not get into that. Switch's subscription service is a joke.

 

4. The Wii U has Wii backward compatibility (and Gamecube if again you are savvy to it) which expands the library of playable Nintendo titles incredibly.

 

5. The Wii U also felt like a Nintendo console to me where the Switch just doesn't. I know that makes little sense but I don't feel like the Switch is a Nintendo console....I feel like it is an ARM tablet that has Nintendo games ported to it. I know it is a strange thought, but I can't shake it. It feels like the Wii U is the last Nintendo console in my head for some reason!

Edited April 11, 2023 by eightbit

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, eightbit said:

I know that makes little sense but I don't feel like the Switch is a Nintendo console

Oh I see what you mean, I have a similar feeling towards the Dreamcast, and I'm in the minority as well. 😅

[Tempest]

7 hours ago, eightbit said:

3. I REALLY don't like the fact that if the battery dies the console dies. Yeah, you need a functional battery in the Switch, even if you are using it on a charge. More people will realize this in the future.

 

They're working on that.  I was just reading about someone who managed to bypass the battery sensor so the switch could be used with just a power supply.  It's clunky right now but I'm sure it will be an easy mod eventually.  I know my Switch never leaves the dock so this would be ideal for me.  It's not like the Wii U doesn't have problems with the console just dying.

 

I actually like the Switch interface over the Wii U.  To me the Wii U interface always felt slow and clunky with menus taking several seconds to appear. 

[Asaki]

Same here, love my WiiU. All of the good Switch games are already on it, and now you can get them for dirt cheap.

 

I do need to play more Super Mario Odyssey though, and BotW2 will be out soon.
I actually have been playing a bit of Switch lately, as I'm trying to get through Hyrule Warriors 2.

 

But WiiU was definitely better in its heyday. Losing the Miiverse really hurt it a lot. It lost a lot of streaming services, too. And now the eShop.

But it still has dual screen support, a resistive touchscreen PLUS A STYLUS, a web browser, FOLDERS, Miis, etc. etc.

[zzip]

10 hours ago, eightbit said:

4. I don't like the joycons. The are small...too small for me. 

I hate the joycons, and it's not the size.  They just don't work well.   The range is terrible.  Sitting on my sofa just a few feet from the Switch they disconnect all the time.   Then I do something like try to adjust my angle slightly in Bowling or Golf in Switch Sports, it makes a major adjustment instead.

 

Now I don't have a Wii U to compare it too, but joycons are the Achilles heal of the switch.

[Steven Pendleton]

Switch is what Wii U always should have been and what I always wanted it to be.

[roots.genoa]

6 hours ago, Asaki said:

FOLDERS

THISx💯

[Tempest]

22 hours ago, zzip said:

I hate the joycons, and it's not the size.  They just don't work well.   The range is terrible.  Sitting on my sofa just a few feet from the Switch they disconnect all the time.   Then I do something like try to adjust my angle slightly in Bowling or Golf in Switch Sports, it makes a major adjustment instead.

 

Now I don't have a Wii U to compare it too, but joycons are the Achilles heal of the switch.

Try the Pro controller.  That's the only controller I use these days.  It feels like a proper controller and not a toy like the Joycons.

[Austin]

While I have a lot more nostalgia for the Wii U and I do think there are a lot of good reasons to still own one, the Switch has a far larger library of great games and that doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. It basically wins hands-down right there.

 

"I don't like it as much because it doesn't look like a traditional game console" is arbitrary and a mental roadblock. I.e., it's a personal problem and people that are stuck in that are missing out on a massive library the Wii U simply does not (and never will) have.

2 hours ago, Tempest said:

Try the Pro controller.  That's the only controller I use these days.  It feels like a proper controller and not a toy like the Joycons.

100%. If you're playing solo and docked, there's very little reason to be using the Joycons. There are a bunch of decent third-party options as well, both wired and wireless. You can even grab an adapter and utilize a controller from another console if that's your preference.

On 4/11/2023 at 7:52 AM, Tempest said:

I actually like the Switch interface over the Wii U.  To me the Wii U interface always felt slow and clunky with menus taking several seconds to appear. 

I do wish the Switch interface evolved a tiny bit (it's basically the same now as it was at launch), but it's infinitely faster than the Wii U interface. While I like the touch screen functionality and the look/feel of it, Nintendo never truly fixed the load time issue on the Wii U. Downloading/installing/updating games is especially excruciating. Maybe not as bad as the PS3, but it's still a pretty poor experience. Sadly, it was even worse at launch.

Edited April 12, 2023 by Austin

[+Sauron]

I never owned a WiiU, so I can't really say anything about its positives or negatives, but I simply can't imagine any universe in where it's a better game console than the Switch. Like Austin and Tempest mentioned above, if you're worried about the Switch joycons, there are PLENTY of first- and third-party options available. As I've hardly played mine undocked, I've been using a third-party controller since day 1, which suits my tastes perfectly fine. And that whole bit about "not looking like a console"...really? I'd much rather have the Switch + dock in my entertainment center than one of the current XBox or Playstation behemoths, or even the WiiU for that matter. And don't even try to convince anyone that the WiiU's game library is better than the Switch's, that only confirms that you live in some warped universe well outside of reality.

[eightbit]

On 4/12/2023 at 4:09 PM, Sauron said:

 And don't even try to convince anyone that the WiiU's game library is better than the Switch's, that only confirms that you live in some warped universe well outside of reality.

I don't think anyone in this thread is trying to do that at all. The OP merely says that he enjoys the Wii U games better. To each their own.

 

The Switch undoubtedly has a much more vast/stronger lineup and I don't think many people will argue that fact. Heck, most Wii U games were ported to the Switch already and those games in many cases were improved with more content.

 

Still, it doesn't make the Wii U library a dog either. For what it is and what was released for it I'd say it's got a darn good lineup of titles. It's not the Wii with hundreds of shovelware titles, that is for sure. 

 

If I were to make a recommendation it would be to own a Wii U along with a Switch. It can't hurt to have more Nintendo goodness and you just might be delightfully surprised (or maybe not). In any case its cheap enough to acquire one now.

[Asaki]

On 4/12/2023 at 4:09 PM, Sauron said:

I never owned a WiiU, so I can't really say anything about its positives or negatives, but I simply can't imagine any universe in where it's a better game console than the Switch.

It really was an amazing experience, but now you'll never know, because most of the best features have been removed

 

WiiU and 3DS both had so many fantastic features, and then the Switch is like "it kind of just plays regular old console games, except you can unplug it from the TV and put it in a suitcase if you want or play it on the toilet! And online play isn't free anymore."

They did try to get a little innovative with stuff like the Labo, but that didn't seem to last for very long.

[Shawn]

The WiiU is not better than the Switch, full stop.

[Razzie.P]

3 hours ago, Shawn said:

The WiiU is not better than the Switch, full stop.

Right.  Its one thing to say "I like it more" or "I prefer one to the other," which is fine, but in no way is it "better."

[eightbit]

Better for me since it took 3 minutes to install CFW and break it open to do a TON of things

 

[bandit]

I have both, and I find the Wii-u have better video and control,

 

That is just me.

[roots.genoa]

Better controls sure, but I don't understand the video part. Switch can display in 1080p more easily, and its 720p screen is clearly better than GamePad's 480p one.

[Asaki]

On 7/26/2023 at 4:20 PM, roots.genoa said:

Switch can display in 1080p more easily...

WiiU can display in composite 480i more easily
(I'm sure that wasn't what they meant, though)

[moycon]

If nothing else, I think we can all agree, Wii U is better than Gameboy.

[Asaki]

On 8/9/2023 at 12:12 AM, moycon said:

If nothing else, I think we can all agree, Wii U is better than Gameboy.

I don't know, GameBoy has some really great games, too...and it fits in your pocket

[+swlovinist]

For the thousands of additional modern games I can play on the Switch, I prefer the Switch.   I like the Wii U, but as a Switch owner for years I did the "switch" and did not look back.  

[+slx]

What I like about the switch are the „asymmetric“ games where one player using the joypad plays in „god mode“ or at least sees stuff the others don‘t see. It‘s a pity there aren’t more of those. Maybe a switch successor will regain the ability to use TV and tablet at the same time.

 

Given the small run I am confident that they are going to appreciate over the years as there will be collectors who‘ll want to have every system and/or will be attracted by its peculiar abilities and layout. I bought ours used when people unloaded a bit after the Switch came out (mainly because I could buy 3-5 Wii U games for the price of one Switch game and because of the „asymmetric“ aspect) and recently added a spare unit.

[MCHufnagel]

My biggest reason to keeping a WiiU around is because it is BC to Wii games. No need to keep two consoles around and I already have a Gamecube with the Gameboy Player.

[DarthDuke]

The WiiU is what the Wii should have been to start with. It would be a more popular console if Nintendo had tried harder to market it and had worked with third party developers better.  

I have played a Switch and Switch Lite at friends' houses and at in-store displays. I am not impressed with it. It is flimsy, tiny, poorly designed and built. It is a real disappointment coming from a company renowned for making user friendly, robust consoles. Even the cartridges are poorly designed. They are practically SD cards and barely any bigger than one. I have friends with young kids who have already managed to lose and even accidentally break a few of these cartridges. Nintendo cartridges aren't supposed to break unless you destroy them on purpose with a hammer or something. They've had to replace the joycons too as the thumb sticks quit working right less than a year after they got the system.

I experienced problems with connecting and staying connected as another member has mentioned too. I tried using the pro controller and it was tolerable, but the fact that I needed to use a sold separately controller to be able to play the games with any success is a problem. The joycons that come with it are far too small for an adult with big hands. I had a hard time holding them while still being able to press the tiny buttons. The console itself does get quite hot sitting in the cradle while plugged into a TV. That is a real problem with today's thin portable stuff - it isn't designed to cool itself off very well. 

 They have some good games for the system, but it is possible to play most of the third-party games on other systems better. It was a mistake to try to put PC games on the Switch. The ones I've played looked like I was trying to play them on a low budget off the shelf HP or something. I have yet to see a Switch title that is a 'system seller' for me. None of the ones I've played or read reviews for have made me decide to get one for myself. 

Meanwhile, I still play my WiiU on a weekly basis. I especially love that it is backwards compatible with Wii games and still enjoy playing 'light gun' games on it like Link's Crossbow Training and Nerf games especially.  My wife and I also enjoy using the Wii Balance Board to do the exercise games with. It also makes Tetris a very different experience. Best of all, the WiiU is a truly unique gaming experience. Many games use the screen in the gamepad for one thing while you see something else on the TV. The way it works with Breath of the Wild, for example, is really cool! BOTW just isn't the same game on the Switch and is a good example of how the Switch feels like a step backwards for Nintendo in the gameplay experience department. Another good example is Quest of Dungeons - one of the better 'retro' style indie games I've played. You can see your hero in the dungeon on the TV while simultaneously seeing the map or your inventory on the gamepad. Using your WiiU like this turns the console and your TV into a giant DS.  

The WiiU gamepad feels more robust and durable than the Switch. My friends who have WiiUs too have much better luck with their kids using the system without harming it than they have with the Switch. I have used my WiiU ever since it was a new console with no problems that I couldn't easily solve. The original battery quit charging last year. I just ordered a replacement one on Amazon and installed it in a matter of minutes. 

Yes, the Switch has a more powerful processor that delivers fancier graphics, but the system still can't compete with the Playstation and Xbox consoles on the graphics front. Used to be that Nintendo didn't worry about trying to compete with Sony and MS on graphics because they focused on unique gaming experiences instead. The Switch is basically a touch screen tablet with buttons and joysticks that kinda work with it. When it came out, I predicted that it wouldn't be long before other companies copied it and I was right. Steam Deck, Google Stadia, Aya Neo, GPD Win 3, Retroid Rocket 2, OneXPlayer etc. came along. Heck, even some phones and tablets play games pretty well now. The Switch isn't unique enough to fight off these competitors. 

It is not the fault of the console that it doesn't have a larger library of WiiU games. The few it does have are pretty good though. I especially love Yoshi's Wooly World and Super Mario Maker. Two of the best platformers ever made.