I want to tell you a story you might not believe. I purchased Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on the day of its release. I brought it home, and I played it for a while. I jumped into several online matches, played against a handful of different opponents, and I had a good time. I played it again later that night and still ran into no problems.

And…uh, that’s it. That’s my entire story. Now, that might not sound like much to you, but to me it was freaking incredible.

Perhaps let me back up a moment.

This has been a year plagued by gross missteps in some of the most highly anticipated games of the year. Both PS4 and Xbox One have seen some major exclusives flop and other stumble out of the gate badly because they simply couldn’t figure how to get their online working in time for release. Of all the major consoles out there, Nintendo is always the one I assumed thought the Internet was a series of mysterious tubes that might also be a big truck who knows. Nintendo never seemed to fully grasp this Internet thing, and while Sony and Microsoft seem to have had it nailed down with their consoles by last gen, Nintendo always was a step behind and somewhat oblivious as to how this whole “Internet” thing worked. Their digital content management is still years behind its competitors, and their suggestion if you want to recover your eShop purchases if you lose your 3DS is “don’t lose your 3DS.”



And yet Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U works perfectly, like the 3DS version before it and Mario Kart 8 before that. I know Smash Bros. was not developed directly by Nintendo, but the fact it is running perfectly on a Nintendo system without even the most minor of hiccups online is nothing short of a miracle. This is possibly the biggest release of the year on a system that just last generation was almost ignoring online play completely. When other companies have been floundering and floundering badly when it comes to online play recently, Nintendo consoles have been remarkably strong and well prepared. Smash Bros. was one of the most highly anticipated games of the entire year, and the entire launch process went by with barely a bump.

It isn’t just the fact that the big Nintendo games always actually seem ready for their release date and that their online modes work surprisingly well. Perhaps the biggest advantage the Wii U has is that it is the one console that isn’t trying its hardest to be a computer. It is absolutely true that in terms of raw power, the PS4 and Xbox One outclass the Wii U significantly. This is, however, a bit of an unfair competition as it is one that the Wii U clearly had no intention of ever entering. It is perfectly comfortable being a gaming system, and never aspired to be a PC (possibly because they realized people that wanted something like a PC could just go out and buy what industry experts refer to as a PC).

If someone already owns a high end gaming computer, it becomes very difficult for me to recommend either a PS4 or an Xbox One to them considering the limited number of true exclusives the systems have. It isn’t that either system is bad and there are aspects of both of them that I think are remarkably good ideas. It’s just that in terms of graphical abilities and processing speed, the Xbox One and PS4 are really only competing for second place. Both systems seem to be engaging in a body building competition without realizing the two-time Mr. Universe is also in the room crushing small cars with his biceps. Even a fairly standard computer can surpass what is offered by the PS4 and Xbox One and many of the big titles for these two systems are also available on the PC.



I have no such reservations with the Wii U. In fact, if you are operating on a budget this holiday season, the combination of a PC and a Wii U should best serve all your gaming needs. The Wii U is recovering from an early identity issue and an initial week library of games, but has recently been pushing out many of the top exclusives and really shows an improving grasp on online functionality. The titles that aren’t appearing on the Wii U can usually be found on the PC, and the PS4 and Xbox One do not offer much more outside of a limited number of high quality exclusives. It is remarkable that much of the early debate in this generation of gaming systems was framed on the Xbox One and the PS4, and while they flexed in each other’s direction Nintendo just focused on making games. With the recent release of Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U, Nintendo has moved itself from one time underdog to legitimate competitor in this most recent console race.