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Will the Wii U be a valuable collector's item in 15 years?

DeepSpace5D

Member
I never owned a Wii U but I’ve been seriously considering getting one lately mainly for its virtual console. There’s a bunch of titles on there I want like Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, A Link To the Past, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, Minish Cap, etc.

I plan to pick one up pretty soon I think and get all these classics before the store closes eventually. Also interested in a few Wii U games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox Zero, Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD.
 
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PaintTinJr

Member
I suspect the built-in storage will die on lots of the millions of consoles sold, gamepads failing or issues getting another battery, and lots of key games that used the pad properly being unique game experiences - meaning the ports to Switch were never as good, like W101.

This was also Iwata/Myamoto's last console which make it a bit special, and even today there is issues of tracking down 4 official wiimotion plus motes to play Nintendoland - I can see it being an expensive collectors console in just 5years with all the bits, and in 15years I think it will be very expensive - assuming Nintendo don't release a mini version.
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Christian Bale Idk GIF
 

Grechy34

Member
I'm deciding what to do with my Wii U. Everything works perfectly so I can either sell it or store it to hopefully become valuable. It was not a popular system, as everyone knows, so there's not a ton of them out there. That should mean that it's more likely to be scarce, so more likely to be valuable, but at the same time, it doesn't have hardly any exclusive games anymore since they almost all got ported to Switch so there's not really any gaming value to drive the price up.

There's a lot a pieces to the Wii U that could go wrong in that time too. Batteries in the gamepad and system, whatever the gyro meters are getting corroded. A lot of things to go wrong if you store it.

I'm more inclined to believe it will never be all that valuable, like the Virtual Boy, and that I don't want to deal with it. I'd hate to be kicking myself in 15 years if it's worth thousands though.

Like everything else the hardware will degrade but repairs will always be available for people who want to maintain them. I think it's at it's most valuable now (not price wise) in terms of output due to the sheer list of emulated games on the console.
 

Krathoon

Member
Imagine playing Atari 2600 games in the far future. Already some games have licensing issues. AT Games don't have Dragonfire or Berserk for some reason.
 

Krathoon

Member
The Will U really did not utilize that second screen. It is kind of a shame. I do feel like playing Twilight Princess and Wind Waker on it. Maybe some Pikmin 3.
 

Krathoon

Member
I guess you can't do the multiplayer anymore in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
Did it have multiplayer?
 
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elliot5

Member
bro it was a collector's item on release.

That being said, I doubt it'll have that high of value given how easy it is to emulate and the lack of popularity.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Doubtful unless they start failing at an alarming rate. I mean it was a flop of a system but they still sold millions of them, it's not like a Vectrex or a Microvision where they're legit rare to find in working order.
 

jigglet

Banned
Probably, but it's not worth holding onto unless you're lucky enough to have something that returns you millions.

Say you have an item that goes up 10x times. What did the Wii U launch for, $400? That's $4,000, or maybe like $3,000 inflation adjusted.

That'll barely even pay for a few months of bills and groceries.

When I was a kid I kept all my games in pristine condition. One them is now worth $2,500. I would have been shocked as a kid. Now? My expenses are over $10,000 a month lol. When you get older, the idea of a video game going up 10x in value just isn't meaningful anymore in the grand scheme of things.

Long story short: if you actually enjoy it, keep it. If it's an investment...man there are so many better things you can invest in. This advice goes to any "collectable", not just Wii U.
 
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Trimesh

Banned
The Wii U is really not much different from a Wii.

giphy.gif

By that logic, the PS5 is really not much different from the PS4. About the only thing that's exactly the same between the Wii and the WiiU is that it uses the same processor core - although the WiiU has 3 of them and they are clocked at twice the speed. It has an entirely different graphics subsystem (to the point where Nintendo decided it was simpler to get Wii BC by adding the whole Wii graphics subsystem to the chip and just turning off the native GPU).

It's basically two different machines in the same box with a mode bit to switch between them. The original Wii really was just an upclocked Gamecube with more RAM and a added security CPU, but the WiiU is really not like that.
 

Deerock71

Member
Luckily I have that masterpiece in my collection. Should hve bought two
I bought a physical copy and played a digital copy on the hunch 400 might've been the final number. I know it was rumored another print was done, but it's still ridiculously low, whatever the actual number i$$$.
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
Listen here you little shit...
Oops!

In all seriousness, this thread reminds me that I need to pick up a Wii U soon before the collectors market really catches up. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug and who knows how the Wii U will be perceived in the next 10 years.
 
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nush

Gold Member
Oops!

In all seriousness, this thread reminds me that I need to pick up a Wii U soon before the collectors market really catches up. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug and who knows how the Wii U will be perceived in the next 10 years.

make sure you take the gamepad battery out and the cell button in the console if you are going to sit on it. Also pro investment tips, Wii U fit pedometers while you can still get them boxed, Wii U Party with the plastic stand in the game box and those 3rd party USB gamepad charging cables.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Probably, but it's not worth holding onto unless you're lucky enough to have something that returns you millions.

Say you have an item that goes up 10x times. What did the Wii U launch for, $400? That's $4,000, or maybe like $3,000 inflation adjusted.

That'll barely even pay for a few months of bills and groceries.

When I was a kid I kept all my games in pristine condition. One them is now worth $2,500. I would have been shocked as a kid. Now? My expenses are over $10,000 a month lol. When you get older, the idea of a video game going up 10x in value just isn't meaningful anymore in the grand scheme of things.

Long story short: if you actually enjoy it, keep it. If it's an investment...man there are so many better things you can invest in. This advice goes to any "collectable", not just Wii U.


I also have very high expenses each month but I still sell my used shit on Facebook marketplace even if I can get 5-10 bucks for it.

That's just how I roll.
 

TheDreadLord

Gold Member
Old man in shop talking to me in 30 years: "I'm looking for an adaptor to convert from HDMI to GYPW"
Me: "Its gonna cost you an arm an a leg if you want good quality conversion, better to just upgrade to a Holo-TV with GYPW ports tbh mate"
HDMI is a digital signal. If you ever gonna need a converter it will be a mechanical one (just the plug).
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Probably but only because retro collectors are scammers who mark up worthless items to insane degrees.


Markup matters approximately zero to fair market value. What matters is how much people will actually pay. I can go on ebay and find a listing for way over price, but if no one would ever pay for it it doesnt matter.

Hint: search what you want on ebay and then filter by "sold" items. This is the best way to get an actual approximation of FMV.
 

Ma-Yuan

Member
Have 3 wii us. Two are cib like new and one white 32 gb and all the games I like. I am all set for a price rally 🤣
 

jigglet

Banned
I also have very high expenses each month but I still sell my used shit on Facebook marketplace even if I can get 5-10 bucks for it.

That's just how I roll.

Fair enough, but I bet it's out of habit, and not because you're genuinely trying to get rich.

After being thrifty for decades, it's hard to break out of that mindset. But I'm sure your rational side isn't telling you: hoard Wii U's, this is my ticket!
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Fair enough, but I bet it's out of habit, and not because you're genuinely trying to get rich.

After being thrifty for decades, it's hard to break out of that mindset. But I'm sure your rational side isn't telling you: hoard Wii U's, this is my ticket!


agreed, im just a cheap bastard and even though I spend a lot each month, getting something back for something I paid for makes me feel less wasteful. I usually keep a separate cash envelope for those small sales and then spend it on a weekend out or a strip club or something.

Agreed that videogames are not the best investment, much better things to invest your money in!
 

ParaSeoul

Member
Markup matters approximately zero to fair market value. What matters is how much people will actually pay. I can go on ebay and find a listing for way over price, but if no one would ever pay for it it doesnt matter.

Hint: search what you want on ebay and then filter by "sold" items. This is the best way to get an actual approximation of FMV.
I remember there was some controversy a few months back about collectors doing insane mark ups to manipulate the retro market.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
I remember there was some controversy a few months back about collectors doing insane mark ups to manipulate the retro market.

I guess markups could have some effect, if hte supply is very limited.

But eventually the market will stabilize.
 

BigBooper

Member
Fair enough, but I bet it's out of habit, and not because you're genuinely trying to get rich.

After being thrifty for decades, it's hard to break out of that mindset. But I'm sure your rational side isn't telling you: hoard Wii U's, this is my ticket!
Yea, I'm not selling off my retirement account to stock up on Wii Us in the basement. I just want to clear up some clutter in my living room.
 

Xyphie

Member
In general I think newer video game stuff is not going to be worth much other than some low-print games like say Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector's Edition etc. People are just way more knowledgable about taking care of their stuff compared to NES/SNES days so there's way more supply in good condition out there.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I'm sure it'll go up in value, it certainly isn't going down.

Wii U will always be one of my most prized consoles because the system is amazing and has an awesome software library. A modded Wii U is undeniably a god-tier console.
 

Notabueno

Banned
It was. With some really good games, but the console itself (not to mention the Gamepad) was atrocious.

I had (and it's still somewhere) the Wii U: this was a huge failure that is unlike Nintendo, or maybe not unlike the then Nintendo, because even the concept didn't work.

First, instead of making a brand new console they made a somewhat "sequel" to the Wii with the same design cues, controllers, and name, which is very unlike Nintendo.

Secondly, having a fat tablet controller that is poorly envisioned because the iPad just came up, without having picked-up the conceptual non-sense that is the fact that you can't look at two screens at the same time (and the ergonomics where horrible as well), is very unlike Nintendo and I'm pretty sure the people who came up with that were fired.

Thirdly, in terms of library strategy, this was nothing but the expansion of the milking of their franchises they had started on Wii and nothing more.
 

Notabueno

Banned
I'm sure it'll go up in value, it certainly isn't going down.

Wii U will always be one of my most prized consoles because the system is amazing and has an awesome software library. A modded Wii U is undeniably a god-tier console.
aaaahhhh kids with no culture or taste whatsoever, they're the fresh eyes of mediocrity.
 
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