In a recent interview with Fortune, Nintendo bigwig Shigeru Miyamoto gave his opinion on why he believed the Wii U failed:

“I feel like people never really understood the concept behind the Wii U and what we were trying to do. I think the assumption is we were trying to create a game machine and a tablet and really what we were trying to do was create a game system that gave you tablet-like functionality for controlling that system and give you two screens that would allow different people in the living room to play in different ways. Unfortunately, because tablets at the time, were adding more and more functionality and becoming more and more prominent, this system and this approach didn’t mesh well with the period in which we released it.”

Throughout the Wii U’s lifespan, I’ve heard numerous theories from fans as to why the console sold considerably less than Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Some claimed it was due to the lack of good exclusive games for the console. Some would take the technical aspect and claim its failure was due to the fact the Wii U was a much weaker system and therefore couldn’t possibly be on the same level as the superior newer consoles. The last popular excuse I heard was due to the Wii U’s lack of third-party support, even though exclusives sell a console, you need strong third-party support in order to persuade consumers that it would be a wise, long-lasting investment.

The Wii U is still has brilliant first-party titles, even at the end of its lifespan it still has more to offer.
Image: The Legend of Zelda Wii U