Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo began thinking about the Wii U in 2008, after seeing the Wii's limits: no high definition, thin online infrastructure and a reputation as a casual console. It wanted to win back core players. The project was restarted several times. The controller screen grew out of the blue light on the Wii disc slot that signalled new messages: first a small status screen was planned, and much later one that could show the whole game. Its codename was Project Café.

Nintendo announced the Wii's successor in April 2011 and unveiled it as the Wii U at that year's E3. It launched on November 18, 2012, in North America, November 30 in Europe and December 8 in Japan, in two bundles: Basic, white with 8 GB, and Deluxe or Premium, black with 32 GB. It was the first eighth-generation console. Reviewers liked the GamePad, the price and Wii compatibility, but criticised the interface, the performance and the controller's battery.

The GamePad, with a 6.2-inch touchscreen, allowed play without a TV or a different role from the other players. Early sales fell short of expectations, and in 2013 Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Bethesda scaled back or ruled out support. Nintendo cut US$50 from the 32 GB model in September 2013 and relied on its own games, such as Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

The Wii U was a commercial failure and is Nintendo's lowest-selling home console. The company ended production on January 31, 2017, shortly before launching the Switch, which took up and refined several of its ideas. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was its last first-party game, and many of its exclusives were later re-released on Switch. The eShop stopped selling content on March 27, 2023, and online services shut down on April 9, 2024.