Editing Wii U

|image          = [[File:Wii U Unit with Handheld.png|275px]]

|lifespan      = {{Flag|NA}} November 18, 2012<br>{{Flag|Mexico}} November 29, 2012<br>{{Flag|South Africa}} November 29, 2012<br>{{Flag|Europe}} November 30, 2012<br>{{Flag|Australia}} November 30, 2012<br>{{Flag|Japan}} December 8, 2012<br>{{Flag|Chile}} December 10, 2012<br>{{Flag|Brazil}} November 26, 2013

|storage        = Internal flash memory, [[SD card]], SDHC Card, USB mass storage device

|controllers    = [[Wii U GamePad]], [[Wii U Pro Controller]], [[Wii Remote]], [[Nunchuk]], [[Classic Controller]], Nintendo [[GameCube controller]] (via an adapter, Smash for Wii U only)

|online service = Nintendo Network

The '''Wii U''' is the sixth internationally released home video game console released by [[Nintendo]]. The console is the direct successor to the [[Wii]] and competed with Sony's {{s|wikipedia|PlayStation 4}} and Microsoft's {{s|wikipedia|Xbox One}} console in the eighth generation of video game consoles.

The console is capable of {{S|wikipedia|1080p}} graphics, but its main distinguishing feature is its controller: the [[Wii U GamePad]]. It features a 6.2-inch touchscreen capable of streaming gameplay seen on the TV screen, serving an original purpose to the intended game, or playing the whole game altogether. The controller also features a camera. The Wii U is backwards-compatible with the Wii, supporting up to four [[Wii Remote]]s and all such accessories. A more traditional controller called the [[Wii U Pro Controller]] is also available. The Wii U is not compatible with [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]] games by official means. However, an official adapter was made to connect [[GameCube controller]]s to a Wii U. The GameCube controller adapter works exclusively with {{Forwiiu}}.

Unlike the original Wii and much like the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii U was not very successful when compared to its contemporaries. It was initially expected to sell 100 million units<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/07/08/nintendo-once-believed-that-it-would-sell-100-million-wii-us/</ref>, but the system only managed to sell 13.56 million units worldwide, making it both a commercial failure and Nintendo's least successful home console to date after the GameCube. Because of this, the Wii U was discontinued in Europe on October 1, 2016, in North America on November 10, 2016, in Australia on November 14, 2016, and in Japan on January 31st, 2017.<ref>http://kotaku.com/wii-u-production-has-officially-ended-for-japan-1791813878</ref> The [[Nintendo Switch]] outsold the Wii U's lifetime sales in only nine months since its release. Numerous Wii U games however have been ported over to the Switch in lieu of backwards compatibility. 

{{forwiiu}} was released for the Wii U on November 21st, 2014 in North America, in Europe on November 28, 2014, in Australia and New Zealand on November 29, 2014, and in Japan on December 6, 2014. As the Wii U is backwards-compatible with Wii games and the Wii [[Virtual Console]], the console can also run ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' (on Virtual Console for Wii).

 

Two playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series hail from games originally released for Wii U:

*[[Alph]], as an [[Alternate costume|alternate character]] to [[Captain Olimar]], in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

*[[Inkling]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.

 

Due to being the original hardware the game was designed for, the Wii U is the preferred system to play {{Forwiiu}}, especially in tournaments. For the first time since the GameCube being incompatible with N64 controllers and games, Wii U games were not made compatible with its successor, the Nintendo Switch, forcing players with physical copies to only use the Wii U. While emulators exist, they sometimes possess bugs and performance issues not present on Wii U. However, the isolated existence of the game, the DLC of the game being unavailable legitimately as of March 27, 2023, and the poor sales of the Wii U have forced the competitive scene to consider and experiment with these alternatives before the game becomes unplayable, and emulation developers have made great strides in making a nearly identical experience, though this scene is far more niche than other games in the series. With the [[Nintendo Network]] being shut down on April 8th, 2024, unofficial networks are the only option for [[online play]].

 

An additional hurdle that only exists for the competitive scene is that the [[Wii U GamePad]] is required to be within a certain radius for the console to function. Due to these GamePads being difficult to replace, the Wii U is arguably at the highest risk of becoming unplayable.

 

Just like how it is possible to dump Wii U discs and SD data onto other systems, some have found ways to make their own discs and SD cards that work on original hardware and dump data from other systems onto them. This allows mods and fan-games to be played on original hardware, though relatively few have been made for ''Smash for Wii U'' so far.