Thinking of getting a Wii U just for the Virtual Console

[rdrunner 378]

This may be a silly idea, but I'll ask it anyway: Would it be worth getting a Wii U just to play Virtual Console games (mostly GBA)?

I barely own any GBA games and with the way prices are skyrocketing, I could easily sell what I have, then get the Wii U and all the same games back, with money to spare.  I know the eShop is probably going to be shut down before too long, but I would guess I have at least a year to explore the best of the library at a discount.

Not terribly familiar with the Wii U, so wondering if there are any glaring flaws in this plan.  The one thing I've read so far is the gamepad isn't really a handheld and so I must keep the console close by.

All thoughts appreciated.  Thanks!

[erac 78]

Your plan's fine. Plan to get a replacement battery for the controller, and maybe a long charging cable - a well used pad may only last 1h. Of course a GBA Everdrive is also an option.

[RH 4,545]

47 minutes ago, erac said:

Your plan's fine. Plan to get a replacement battery for the controller, and maybe a long charging cable - a well used pad may only last 1h. Of course a GBA Everdrive is also an option.

In your shoes, @rdrunner I'd just get an everdrive. If you want to play on a TV, then get a GameCube and a GameBoy Player.

Nothing against the Wii U, but with battery issues, it might be easier to just go the GameCube route. Alternatively, just buy a GBA consolizer.

[LeatherRebel5150 1,007]

@rdrunner any reason you wouldn’t just get a gba flashcart? seems even more economical then getting a whole new console and paying for every single rom

[RegularGuyGamer 1,900]

You can get the Wii U and homebrew the GBA games on there. I think it's a great option. Anyone who used the Wii U for homebrew will tell you it's a monster of a console. 

[twiztor 751]

you know, for how much this board is against repros and stuff like that, i'm kind of surprised to see half the responses suggesting that he pirate the games illegally, where the OP was looking at legally purchasing digital copies.

[TDIRunner 2,502]

13 minutes ago, twiztor said:

you know, for how much this board is against repros and stuff like that, i'm kind of surprised to see half the responses suggesting that he pirate the games illegally, where the OP was looking at legally purchasing digital copies.

There is a HUGE difference between repros and flash carts.  I'm not sure why you would even try to lump them together.

 

[peg 357]

15 minutes ago, twiztor said:

you know, for how much this board is against repros and stuff like that, i'm kind of surprised to see half the responses suggesting that he pirate the games illegally, where the OP was looking at legally purchasing digital copies.

Why?  Nobody gives a shit about pirating roms.  People do not want fake games floating around, how is that not an obvious distinction?

[Estil 1,197]

You know OP, don't sell the actual Wii U games short!  There are several blue chip titles on it, and just off the top of my head, the two GC Zelda remakes (Wind Waker/Twilight Princess) did NOT get Switch re-releases.  And I think in nearly all cases you don't have to use the bulky screen thing and you can just use a regular Pro controller if you prefer.

[Estil 1,197]

37 minutes ago, twiztor said:

you know, for how much this board is against repros and stuff like that,

Since when?  I for one am eternally grateful we live in this modern day and age where we can use Everdrives and PSIO and such to have ready access to the whole system's library with a simple menu and it works just as good as the real cartridge (since you're using original hardware)...and this way you don't have to worry about wear/tear or scratching up/fingerprinting the discs/cartridges.

And as Jimbo would say, I'm not at all into pirating current stuff or anything like that...what I'm doing is about preserving history!

[ICrappedMyPants 302]

5 hours ago, twiztor said:

you know, for how much this board is against repros and stuff like that, i'm kind of surprised to see half the responses suggesting that he pirate the games illegally, where the OP was looking at legally purchasing digital copies.

I’m personally against pirating games, but my biggest problem with repos is them being passed off as authentic and ripping people off.

[phart010 1,676]

I acknowledge piracy is illegal but I don’t judge. For some people especially those in poor countries, piracy is the only way they will experience many games. With that said, I always try my best to support the developers.

Wii U has the definitive version of Super Mario Advance 4 (Mario 3) because the GBA cart did not have enough memory to store all of the e-reader bonus levels. On Wii U you will get all the levels.

Also, Wii U from what I understand has the optimized versions of some games. I read Metroid Fusion was given bright colors on GBA for visibility purposes because the original GBA screen was not backlit. When you play it on the SP it looks too bright. My understanding is they optimized the colors on Wii U since you’ll be playing on a tv and it presents the colors more in line with the way they intended it to look. Same goes for some other games.

Wii U will also give you access to some games that didn’t launch in the US and are not yet (or may never be) available on Switch.

 

People in the collectors community mostly don’t care about what other people do regarding piracy. We just don’t like people creating counterfeit physical copies of games that resemble the real thing. They will eventually make their way into circulation and will fool people that don’t know better

[rdrunner 378]

Thanks for the responses!

I probably should have mentioned that I am at least interested in a handful of Wii U games if I go for this.  The two Zeldas are obvious choices if I give up hope that they eventually get ported to the Switch.  Also since I never owned a Wii, I might pick up things like Metroid Prime Trilogy or the Punch-Out remake.

Also yeah...no pirate's life for me.  Sorry that this thread sparked that old argument.  To each their own, everyone.

[B.A. 1,139]

I don't know if it's me, or more likely how rough my kids were on them but I had 3 Wii U's over the years and they all developed the same issue. It got to the point where I couldn't have the controller more than 1ft away from the console before it would lose connection. Which of course made them unplayable as there is now way to wire them.

[TDIRunner 2,502]

10 hours ago, rdrunner said:

Also yeah...no pirate's life for me.  Sorry that this thread sparked that old argument.  To each their own, everyone.

Funny thing is that not a single person suggested piracy.  

[captmorgandrinker 1,639]

24 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

Funny thing is that not a single person suggested piracy.  

Three replies in a row mentioned flash carts for the GBA. 

[TDIRunner 2,502]

1 hour ago, captmorgandrinker said:

Three replies in a row mentioned flash carts for the GBA. 

Correct, but none of them suggested piracy.  Flash carts can be used without pirating games.  

[captmorgandrinker 1,639]

7 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

Correct, but none of them suggested piracy.  Flash carts can be used without pirating games.  

And bongs can be used to smoke pipe tobacco, but c'mon man.

[fox 1,542]

GBA is x100 cooler than a Wii U and a couple roms

[phart010 1,676]

Just now, fox said:

GBA is x100 cooler than a Wii U and a couple roms

That means Wii U is 100x hotter

[Ze_ro 2]

I suggest piracy.

[Gloves 11,180]

5 minutes ago, Ze_ro said:

I suggest piracy.

[SpoonMan Abrams X 697]

Re: Piracy, while I support those that are on a budget or just outright broke downloading the nearest (and safest) Emulator and ROMs to play GBA or w/e, I think those defending/suggesting it over OP's question are being narrow minded and disingenuous at best.

Again, Piracy is fine and go for it if you just want the experience of the games, but there is something (at least for me) satisfying about getting and owning those legit copies of games even if they aren't original carts & hardware. Also, again, doesn't really answer OP's question

I'm where the topic of this thread is at, least ~50%. The other half is mostly for Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD, as those are by far my 2 most favorite Zelda games.

I'm onboard with @rdrunner and would pick one up, but not just for GBA and even Zelda, as there are still a few other exclusive games that have merit for reason. If by chance you don't have a Wii also makes a good alternative to that, or at least space saver if you want to bust out some random Wii Sports Bowling or w/e lol

Edited November 16, 2021 by SpoonMan Abrams X

[RegularGuyGamer 1,900]

I haven't modded a Wii U but from what I've seen, it's definitely worth it.