Wii U Launch Compared To The Wii & GameCube
We’re just 7 days away from the launch of the Nintendo Wii U and we thought it would be fun to go back and compare it to the Wii and GameCube. By the end you’ll see that the Wii U has the best launch line up of all three consoles, and the interesting fact that the new system is launching on the exact same date as the GameCube, 11 years later.
Release Date and Pricing
GameCube
November 18th, 2001 – $199.99 (USA), $299.99 (CAN)
Nintendo Wii
November 19th, 2006 – $249.99 (USA), $279.99 (CAN)
Nintendo Wii U
November 18th, 2012 – $299 (Basic Set), $349 (Deluxe Set)
Retail Launch Titles
GameCube – 12
All-Star Baseball 2002, Batman Vengeance, Crazy Taxi, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, Disney’s Tarzan Untamed, Luigi’s Mansion, Madden NFL 2002, NHL Hitz 20-02, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Super Monkey Ball, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Wave Race: Blue Storm.
Nintendo Wii - 23
Avatar: The Last Airbender, Barnyard, Call of Duty 3, Cars, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Excite Truck, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, GT Pro Series, Happy Feet, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Madden 07, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Monster 4×4 World Circuit, Need for Speed: Carbon, Open Season, Rampage: Total Destruction, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Spongebob: Creature From The Krusty Krab, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Wii Sports
Nintendo Wii U – 27
Assassin’s Creed 3, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Darksiders 2, Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two, ESPN Sports Connection, Fifa Soccer 13, Game Party Champions, Just Dance 4, Madden NFL 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, New Super Mario Bros U, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, Nintendo Land, Rabbids Land, Rise of the Guardians, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Skylanders Giants, SiNG Party, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition, Transformers Prime: The Game, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Wipeout 3, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013, ZombiU
Exclusive Launch Titles
GameCube – 4
Luigi’s Mansion, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Super Monkey Ball, Wave Race: Blue Storm
Nintendo Wii – 8
Excite Truck, GT Pro Series, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Wii Sports
Nintendo Wii U (Ports Under Different Names Aren’t Counted) – 9
ESPN Sports Connection, Game Party Champions, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Rabbids Land, SiNG Party, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013, ZombiU
First Party Launch Titles
GameCube – 2
Luigi’s Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm
Nintendo Wii – 3
Excite Truck, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports
Nintendo Wii U - 4
New Super Mario Bros. U, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, Nintendo Land, SiNG Party
Notable First Time Features
GameCube
Nintendo’s first attempt at disc based gaming, first Nintendo controller with two analog sticks
Nintendo Wii
Motion controlled gaming, digital titles
Nintendo Wii U
Dual screen gaming for a home console with the GamePad, first 1080p capable Nintendo console, first ever console to include an HDMI cable in the box
So, not only does the Wii U have the most launch titles at retail, it will also be joined by a good assortment of digital titles on the eShop. You can check those games out on our November 2012 release date page and feel free to tell us your memories of each console launch in the comments section below.
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