Some beautiful sicko out there just managed to acquire a brand-new Wii U console at retail, the first time anyone has made such a purchase for the better part of a year-and-a-half.
"1 new Wii U was sold in the US in September. First time a new Wii U sold since May 2022," according to Mat Piscatella of the US sales tracking group Circana (formerly known as NPD). He also notes that the "last time a new Vita unit sold was in November 2021, when 3 (!!) were purchased." Vita may mean life, but clearly it's the Wii U that's truly winning the battle of the underdog game platforms.
1 new Wii U was sold in the US in September. First time a new Wii U sold since May 2022. Last time a new Vita unit sold was in November 2021, when 3 (!!) were purchased.Is any of this at all meaningful? No. Sales fun facts that do not matter.October 13, 2023
If you're wondering just how anybody can manage to track a single retail sale of a soon-to-be forgotten video game console, well, that's just how Circana is set up. Piscatella explains that "We acquire and process individual store level sales data for every SKU across most retailers, which combined account for about 97% of the hardware market. It does force us to use all our fingers and toes."
It's pretty easy to imagine the scenario where a new Wii U sale might suddenly happen. Maybe some retail worker discovered a long-forgotten console in the back of the storehouse, put it out on a shelf, and after weeks of begging for a new home like a sad puppy in a pet store, some kind soul fell in love with the machine and gave it a new home. Or hey, maybe there was just an inventory error and nobody actually bought a Wii U. But I want to believe!
I've got an inordinate amount of fondness for the Wii U that mostly comes down to the fact that I really miss having a touch screen in hand when playing games on a TV. Games like Splatoon and Pikmin just aren't the same on Switch without a quick reference map in your hands at all times, and building stages in Mario Maker 2 is so much less pleasant without that dual screen convenience.
Of course, Wii U consoles are pretty readily available on sites like eBay, with dozens of units sold every single day, so it's not like the retail market is the only place you can pick the console. If you're looking for the best Wii U games, we've got a big list of recommendations at that link. Sure, yes, you can get most of them on Switch, but then you won't get to play them with a giant, bulky touchscreen gamepad in your lap the whole time.
Yeah sure all those Switch 2 leaks are exciting, but have you considered the excitement that only a Wii U 2 could provide?
