As we bid you a nostalgic farewell, we recognize your role as the forerunner of the beloved Switch, embodying the dreams and lessons learned along the way. For the memories and the path you've paved, here's to you, Wii U.
Dear Wii U,
Your servers have been shut down, and now you are an empty shell of yourself. Which is, well, a tablet? A handheld? A controller? Oh, yeah, a whole console with a gamepad, right.
While no one ever knew what you really were, you always knew what you wanted to be. A new generation that appeals to core gamers and rejects the childish characteristics of the Wii.
But being able to continue playing on the gamepad screen when mom or dad wanted to use the TV? That would have been an amazing feature if it worked well. I mean, it didn't, because of the gamepad's terrible battery and wireless range, but the idea was great.
Perhaps timing wasn't on your side. With your 2GB of RAM and 8 to 32GB of storage, you would have been fine a few years earlier. But your direct competition was the PS4 and Xbox One. They were the problem, not you.
But aside from all that, aside from your really poor sales (13.5 million in 14 years???), you gave us many hours of fun playing with friends, futuristic feelings when games actually used the gamepad display.
You paved the way for your younger sister, the Switch, who is everything we wished for you to be. So, with a touch of nostalgia, here's to you, Wii U.