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In spite of this, the Switch is not superior in every way. There are some small areas in which the Wii U excels over its successor, ranging from user interface to accessibility of features. These small advantages make playing the Wii U an enjoyable and unique experience all its own. Here are just some examples of these features.
7 The Game Pad is more comfortable.
It is great to be able to go from playing the Switch on the TV to taking the game anywhere, but the Switch itself is not the best in terms of ergonomics. To ameliorate this, one needs to get a third-party comfort grip or alternative controllers.
The Wii U Game Pad, in contrast, feels a lot more comfortable. The grips on the back of the Game Pad sit in the palms of one’s hand, and the triggers are indented, so that the pointer fingers hook nicely around them. Comfort is important when playing on the Wii U for hours at a time, which is a good way to get wrist cramps.
6 It Has A D-Pad
One thing the Switch Joy Cons lack is a legitimate directional pad, which has been a staple of Nintendo controllers since the Famicom/NES days. Instead, the Switch has independent directional buttons on the left Joy Con. The only way Switch owners can have a D-Pad is by purchasing another controller. The Switch Lite has a D-Pad, but it also lacks the functionality of the original Switch.
The Wii U Game Pad, however, has a directional pad right from the start. The concave design fits the shape of the thumb, making it perfect for the Wii U’s Virtual Console Library and 2-D side scrollers, especially Shovel Knight.
5 The Buttons Are Spaced Out Much Better
The Switch has greater portability than the Wii U, whose Game Pad needed to be in range of the console to play games on it. While this is true for the Switch, the buttons are smaller and closer together, which may not be the ideal setup for some hands.
The buttons on the Game Pad, however, are larger and more spaced out. For players with long fingers, this is an ideal setup, as they won’t have to awkwardly move their thumbs to access the buttons.
4 More Controller Options
One novelty of the Nintendo Switch is that the controller is modular. Each of its two Joy Cons can be attached to the sides of the Switch console, used in each hand like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and they can be used independently of each other. A Switch Pro is also an option. This is great for having friends over, so everyone can play the way they prefer.
The Wii U has many options for controllers as well. One can use the Game Pad or a Wii U pro controller, and the Wii remote is compatible with the system as well. If players wanted to play classic controller-compatible games also, then that was also an option.
3 Backwards Compatibility
While the Switch has an extensive lineup of games for any gamer, it is not backwards compatible with the previous generations of consoles. Yes, Switch online does have a selection of games to play, but it doesn’t have any Wii titles. So if players want to play their Wii Games, they will have to do it on a separate Wii console.
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The Wii U by comparison is backwards compatible with the entire Wii library. So on top of the Wii U’s physical and digital games, the Wii U can also play the Wii’s thousands of titles. The 1080p output of the Wii U also sharpens the visuals of Wii games.
2 Online Play is Free
The Switch has a bustling online community, especially when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The only issue is, if players want to play their games online, then they will have to get a Switch Online subscription. It isn’t terribly expensive, but Nintendo is making players pay for something that has been free for decades.
The Wii U does not have this issue. As long as someone has a game that has online play, then it can be played online. Surprisingly, the online community for some Wii U games is still active. It is still possible to play eight-player matches in the original Splatoonand to compete in matches on Smash for the Wii U.
1 The Wii U Menu Is A Unique Experience.
The home menu on the Switch is slick and minimalist. It does not do anything fancy, but it works just fine. What it lacks, ultimately, is some kind of personality.
In contrast, the Wii U menu is much more polished, and it utilizes the console’s dual-screen functionality. The first part of the menu is a lobby that connected to Nintendo’s Miiverse, allowing players to see what the Wii U community was talking about. The bottom screen listed the system software, in a layout similar to apps on smartphones. Wii U users also had the ability to organize their games by grouping them into folders.
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