Nintendo will no longer repair its least successful console of all time
You'll need to take extra special care of your Wii U console as Nintendo ends repairs
👨🏻🔧 Nintendo has ended Wii U repairs due to a lack of parts
📉 The console was released in 2012 but only sold 13 million units
👏 Many of the best Wii U games were ported to Nintendo Switch
🤝 The Wii U arguably paved the way for the Switch to be successful
Nintendo has announced that it will no longer repair the Wii U, its least successful console of all time.
Nintendo has said that it doesn’t have enough parts to fix the aging console, essentially ending any support that was left for the Wii U.
“The period for retaining repair parts as stipulated in the repair service regulations has expired, so as soon as the current stock of parts is depleted, repair services will end,” the company wrote in a service notice.
It comes shortly after Nintendo shut down the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS servers, ending any online multiplayer or ability to access Wii U eShop games, many of which are gone for good.
The Wii U was a colossal failure for Nintendo, selling a meager 13.56 million units. Luckily, many of the best Switch games were originally released on Wii U and have helped drive Nintendo’s successor to a whopping 141 million units sold. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury have all helped Nintendo Switch close in on becoming the best-selling console of all time.
The biggest problem with the Wii U wasn’t the console itself or the GamePad. Nintendo didn’t do a good enough job distinguishing the system from the outgoing Wii, with many believing it was some sort of expensive accessory or add-on.
The console itself looked strikingly similar, and the Wii U branding often left consumers asking more questions than necessary. The lack of sales led to third-party publishers pulling support for the platform but inspired Nintendo to make some of its greatest-ever games.
In many ways, the Wii U walked so the Nintendo Switch could run. Without it, Nintendo’s hybrid console may have never come to fruition and many Wii U owners still hold the system in high regard, despite its commercial failure.
Innovations like off-TV play, Miiverse, and unique titles that used the GamePad effectively like Nintendo Land mean it’ll always hold a place in many gamers’ hearts, including mine.
Nintendo will be hoping that the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t follow the same pattern as the Wii U, which couldn’t follow up on the phenomenal success of the Wii. The Switch 2 is due to be announced this fiscal year, with many predicting a launch date of March 2025.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.