I Bought a Wii U
There were several things that put the idea of buying a Wii U in my head. On a whim I had bought a Wii on eBay with Wii Fit, then realised that I would need to get an HDMI converter to plug it into the TV.1 Then I remembered that the Wii U was an HD console with an HDMI port.
I’d also been left hungry for more Zelda after playing Breath of the Wild. I’d also been watching Zeltik’s Zelda Lore videos on youTube, which had reminded me about Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker. I’d played Twilight Princess back on the Wii many years ago, but I couldn’t remember anything about it other than that I really enjoyed it. I’d played Wind Waker on the Gamecube but I hadn’t liked it because I felt bored by the massive empty-feeling blue ocean. Both of these games have Wii U HD remasters.
I’d never actually owned a Wii U. The console came out in 2012, when I was starting my PhD and had scraped together enough money to get a mortgage on a flat. I was living on a shoestring budget and the Wii U was a luxury I couldn’t afford. A friend had one though, and I’d played Mariokart and Mario Bros U at their house, and both seemed like fun. Other than that I’d never thought about it.
After looking up the second hand market I realised that I could get a second hand Wii U and a stack of games for much less than a brand new Nintendo Switch. In fact I could get a Wii U for as little as £80, but I’d found one on eBay for £100 that promised to be in almost new condition. I decided to spring for that along with a stack of games.
I thought that was everything, but not quite; while browsing I was reminded about the existence of the Wii U Pro Controller. I messaged my friend who had a Wii U to find out if he thought I needed this.
Yes. It’s one of my favourite controllers ever, and the battery lasts forever. Get a dongle and you can connect it to every other console. I nearly bought a Switch Pro controller because the Wii U one was so good.
After that glowing recommendation, how could I say no? In the end, my purchases were as follows:
| Item | Price2 |
|---|---|
| Wii U Mario Kart 8 32GB Premium Pack | £106.50 |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD | £18.85 |
| Nintendoland | £5.50 |
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | £9.99 |
| Super Mario Bros U | £7.99 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | £27.503 |
| Wii U Pro Controller | £27.95 |
In total I spent £204.28 (note that I already had several WiiMote controllers). At the time of writing, a new Nintendo Switch (without games) costs £280. Sure it’s all a little dated, but that’s never bothered me before. I’ll still get tens of hours of fun out of this console, if not hundreds.
