I think the Wii itself was fairly user friendly ... basically point at whatever you want to do on the menu and click :-). The controllers were brilliant for the time.
Three things did it in though.
The first was the piles of shovelware released for that system. During the last 3 years of that system’s run, the titles released were complete garbage for the most part.
The second was the decade old hardware it was based on. It was acceptable around 2006 when the system was released. However, by 2008, HDTVs were everywhere ... the Wii only supports a widescreen version of 480p. The graphics were terrible compared to PS3 and Xbox360.
The third was the terrible Nintendo network interface (maybe that’s what you meant by user interface). You needed something akin to a pair of phone numbers to find your friends online.
They screwed up with the WiiU in that they didn’t migrate to the x86 based systems the new PS4 and Xbox1 consoles are using. They had to have known where the industry was going. Had they made that simple decision, they would have gained a lot of market share as they would have been the first “next gen” console on the market by a year!
Also, while that new controller is interesting, there really isn’t much of a demand for something like that.
All in all, when they hit clearance prices, I’ll pick one up and place it next to my Nintendo Virtual Boy (what a silly name) console :-).
I have a Wii U and its a good console, just not enough games to make people want to go out and buy one..same issue with the PS4, I have one and its just collecting dust right now, great system but game quality just isn’t there right now
I always theught the name “Wii U” made it sound like it was having an identity crisis.
Wii U sounds like a college for gamers.
Traditionally what makes or breaks a system is software content. The Original Wii had a weak processor and mostly kids games and sold a ton. I was 29 when I bought one to play Zelda and some of the original Nintendo ROMS. The WiiU has been out for some time and I can’t think of a single title that would induce me to buy a WiiU.
Wii is nothing more that a fancy 70s arcade game
I remember when it was Atari vs. Intellivision vs. Colecovision. B-)
Meh. My gaming preferences are generally more PC, but for party/groups, a console is a better system. So I’m not too current on much of the console market.
That being said, The main console I’m planning on buying here soon when I get off my lazy butt and get one, is an N64. Some of the best games of all time are those from that time, and the newer stuff they have, from what I’ve seen, doesn’t have the same quality and playability of new titles. Sure, the Wii bowling/sports was cool and new, but there’s no awesome titles like Zelda, Starfox, DonkeyKong, etc. And most of the Mario series are just ‘updated’ graphics on Mario party.
(So if anyone’s selling a 64 for cheap, feel free to let me know!)