The Wii U has to be considered one of the greatest console failures in video game history. To date, the system has sold an abysmal 14 million units, and has been discontinued for two years now, despite only releasing back in 2012.
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Beyond porting its games to Nintendo Switch, Nintendo have moved on from the failure of a system, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t still looking the to buy the increasingly rare video game console.
There were never many Wii U’s in the wild to begin with, but after being discontinued back in 2016, they are becoming quite hard to find, at least in new or like-new condition.
But while you can’t get the system in stores anymore, there are places you can: such as from third-party sellers on eBay and Amazon. More specifically, from scalpers.
The unwanted console debuted at $350, a price that felt too expensive for the system back then. Now though, it’s going for crazy numbers.
At the moment of publishing this, sellers on Amazon have the Wii U Deluxe with Mario Kart 8 bundled in at $724.99. Meanwhile, the standard deluxe set with Nintendo Land is running at $789.99. And then there’s the New Super Mario Bros. U plus New Super Luigi U bundle. It costs a pretty $879.99. That’s a lot of money. For the same price of a decent gaming PC, you can buy the Wii U. That’s not how the video game gods intended it to be.
Of course, just because the systems are listed at this price doesn’t mean they’re exactly selling at said price. But if everyone is doing this, it does seem to suggest at least a few are shipping, which means everyone tries it. Because as you will know, scalpers travel in packs.
Luckily, if you’re not in the US, the system doesn’t cost quite as much. For example, Amazon UK has the aforementioned Mario Kart 8 bundle for ยฃ424.99. As you can see, it’s still a pretty expensive asking price, but not as bad.
If you’re out there and thinking about buying a Wii U for nearly $900, please don’t do it. I know of plenty of closets, attics, and dusty corners where Wii U’s live un-loved and forgotten, and I’m sure if you look hard enough you can find someone with a system they’d be willing to sell for much, much cheaper.
Thanks, NintendoSoup.
