Difference Between Nintendo Wii U and Switch (With Table)

Nintendo Wii U and switch are the video consoles designed by Nintendo, A multinational firm that produces and markets electronics. The video game company has its roots in Japan. Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo Switch are the video game consoles launched by the organization. The launch of the Nintendo Wii U had free major drawbacks and demerits. This was rectified, improved, and launched effectively as Nintendo switch.

Nintendo Wii U vs Switch

The main difference between Wii U and Switch is that the Switch is the successor of Wii U and is efficient in many ways. The difference between Switch and Wii U is that Switch has over 1219 more video games than Wii has. The difference between the CPU speed of Switch is 10.97 times the speed of Wii U.The Switch has 3 USB ports whereas Wii U has only two ports.

Nintendo Wii U is an eight-generation home video consoled launched in the year of 2012. It is also known as the project cafe and the production was terminated due to the reported complaints, low sales, lack of good marketing. With short battery life and an expensive price, it didn’t last long in the market and the turnover was not appreciable. The limited third-party support was another reason why the model was not successful.

The revision and enhancement of Wii U lead to the birth of Switch which came into the market in 2017. Refined, enhanced yet retained concepts of Wii U made it a powerful and user-friendly console. Nintendo Switch system software is the operating system used in the development and working of the console.

Comparison Table Between Nintendo Wii U and Switch

Parameter Of Comparison

Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo Switch

Lifespan

It was launched in the year of 2012 but the production was discontinued in 2017.

It is the successor of Wii U and was launched in 2017 and still actively present in the market.

USB ports, internal storage CPU speed

It has 2 USB ports. The CPU speed is 1* 0.729 GHz and internal storage of 0.5 GB.

It has one USB port. The CPU speed is 4 * 2 GHz and has higher internal storage of 32 GB.

Accessibility

 It is region restricted and the game cannot be accessed across continents. It is not region-free.

It has the privilege of access and enables players from different continents to play. It is region-free.

Dimensions

It has a width of 17.2 cm, a height of 4.6 cm, and a length of 26.9 cm. It lacks an optical disc drive.

It has a width of 173 mm, a height of  102 mm, and a length of 14 mm. It consists of an optical disc drive.

Battery Life

Wii U’s major complaint from the users was the very short battery life. Though expensive the short battery life was not an ideal feature and it is one of the main reasons it was not a successful video console model.

With its Lithium-ion battery power of 3.7 W, it has higher battery life.

What is Nintendo Wii U?

It is the eighth generation video game console also known as the project cafe. It is the first model of the console designed and produced by Nintendo to support HD. It is bifunctional and can be played both on screen as well as the main display. It has 2 USB ports in total.

The processor speed and storage are much lesser than that of a Switch. The input controllers Wii U gamepad are some of the peripherals. Some of the advantages were the innovative gamepad controller, better online functionality, compatibility with Wii software, and peripherals. It has a width of 17.2cm,4.6 cm, and a length of 26.9 cm.

It was launched in the year 2012 and later due to customer discomforts and complaints about its short battery life, high price the sales were very low and they discontinued the production of Wii U in 2017. The difference between the console and a tablet wasn’t big enough. It wasn’t region-free.

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Nintendo Wii U Black Gamepad -...

Nintendo Wii U Black Gamepad – Replacement ONLY – no cables

What is Nintendo Switch?

It is the revised and modified version of the Nintendo Wii U and has rectified the defects of Wii U.It is a hybrid console and it can be used in multiple ways according to the need and comfortability of the user.

It is portable and region-free. It possesses a joystick which is wireless and 3 port USB. It is a handheld device and highly designed with keeping in mind users’ comfort. The refined version of Wii U has analog sticks and some standard buttons as input devices.

Motion sensing technique enables the handheld style of the console. This eight-generation console operates on Nintendo Switch system software. It has higher storage of 32 GB. It has a width of 173 mm, 102 mm in height, and a length of 14 mm. It is the fastest-selling in Japan and the United States.

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Nintendo Switch – OLED Model...

Nintendo Switch – OLED Model w/ White Joy-Con

Main Differences Between Nintendo Wii U and Switch

  1.  Wii U was introduced in the year of 2012 and the model became extinct ever since 2017 due to the demerits. The switch was introduced in 2017 and survives the competition even today. It is one of the fastest-selling video consoles.
  2. Wii U has a very small internal storage space of 0.5 GB. The Two USB port device has a CPU with 1 * 0.729 GHz processor speed. The switch has a very high internal storage space of 32 GB. With three USB ports and processor speed of the CPU being,4 * 2 GHz it is much more efficient.
  3. Wii U failed to address the region restriction. It cannot be played by users on different continents. The Switch however fixed this by being region-free. It is a portable device.
  4. Wii U was expensive yet the battery life was very short. The Switch with its Lithium-ion battery and a power of 3.7 has better battery life.
  5. The Wii U has a dimension of the width of 17.2 cm, a height of 4.6 cm, and a length of 26.9 cm. On the other hand, Switch is much lighter in weight and easily portable with a dimension of the width of 173 mm, a height of  102 mm, and a length of 14 mm.

Conclusion

As the Wii U faced struggle, criticism and led the users to face a few discomforts, the product was terminated and an improved, enhanced, and revised version. It does not neglect the basic model, principles, and operations of the Wii U was launched in 2017 that overcome and fixed all the discrepancies.

As the predecessor faced technical glitches, this version was supported by many publishers and developers that improved the quality greatly. It is constructed of standard electronic components. Over 79 million units sold off and this is one of the fastest-selling consoles in both Japan and the United States.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131510001624
  2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00167-012-2034-2

Last update on 2022-04-02 / Amazon Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API