When Nintendo launched the Wii U at the end of 2012 it had plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the system's chances. The console took the most notable feature of its forerunner the Wii - motion controls - and added more powerful hardware and a unique, tablet-like controller which looked set to tap into the consumer frenzy over products like the Apple iPad. Having won the last-gen war with the Wii, Nintendo could have been forgiven for assuming that its next machine would continue that trailblazing commercial success - but sadly, that hasn't been the case.
Total worldwide sales of the Wii U currently stand at around 8 million. In contrast, the PS4 - which has been on the market a full year less than the Wii U - has recently blasted past the 18 million units sold marker. Nintendo's marketing for the Wii U has at best sporadic and at worst totally counter-productive, leaving many confused punters to incorrectly assume that the console is merely a controller upgrade for the existing Wii - a system which most people have relegated to the back of their cupboards after their fixation with Wii Fit and "waggle control" has waned. Sluggish sales have resulted in many big-name third party publishers abandoning the console and consequently software releases have been reduced to a trickle, with Nintendo's own output being subtly augmented by digital download releases via the console's eShop platform.