My friends and family pestered me with the same question during a recent holiday vacation: “Do I buy the Xbox One or PS4?” My answer shouldn’t come as a shock: “Neither,” I replied. “But if I had to pick one right now,” they continued, “which one would I get?” My answer here, however, may be a surprise: “The Wii U.”
To those that are paying attention, this honestly shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Nintendo’s console is the most affordable on the market, running at a total of $299.99 for either the Nintendoland or Windwaker HD bundle. An Xbox One is $499.99 and significantly more expensive. At a price tag of $399.99, the PlayStation 4 seems like a much more viable option. For only an extra $100, you get the latest and greatest in graphics and features. Well, most features; if you’re looking for remote play then you’ll need to invest an extra $199.99 for a PS Vita. The Wii U can do off-TV play out of the box via the system’s GamePad, cementing Nintendo’s console as the most affordable of the three.
Truthfully, however, it doesn’t matter how cheap your console is if there’s nothing to play on it. This is an issue that the PS4 and Xbox One will face throughout the start of 2014. Pick up a PS4? I hope you like Knack, Resogun, and Killzone as your exclusives. Xbox One owners better be prepared for Forza 5, Dead Rising 3, and Ryse. Wii U owners, on the other hand, can choose between the following exclusives:
– Super Mario 3D World
– The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker HD
– Lego City Undercover
– Pikmin 3
– Rayman Legends (it plays best on Wii U)
– The Wonderful 101 (now available for $29.99 at various retailers)
– Xenoblade Chronicles
– Super Mario Galaxy franchise
Wait, you’re asking why I started to post Wii games? They’re backwards compatible with the Wii U, that’s why.
Finally, and most importantly, Nintendo has demonstrated great resiliency. Yes, Sony did the same thing during the lifespan of the PS3, but Sony always had that console on a 10-year plan. Nintendo’s launch of the 3DS was a disaster of epic proportions. They were the kings of the handheld market, could do no wrong with the original DS, and yet they dropped the ball. The 3DS was doomed…until 2013 when it became the greatest gaming hardware on the market today.
Nintendo knows what it’s like to be the underdog: they just went through that situation with the 3DS. Nintendo also knows what it’s like to be the console underdog: the GameCube had a very quiet yet successful lifespan. They know how to successfully speak to their audience. While they might not know how to re-capture the gamers that grew up on the NES or SNES, there’s no doubting they’ll open their ears and eyes if the same 3DS-like resiliency is shown with the Wii U.
Or if they just blow our socks off with the next entry in the Zelda franchise. If Windwaker HD can move consoles, I can’t imagine what an all new Zelda can do.
