8 Awesome Wii U Features You Might Not Be Aware Of

Nintendo’s Wii U console has been a disappointment to say the least.

With lifetime sales hovering in the 10-12 million units sold, the Wii U is well behind the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and nowhere close to the original Wii (for reference, the Wii has sold approximately 100 million to date). With the recent announcement of its successor, the Nintendo Switch, the Wii U will become a legacy console in a mater of months. Still, if you set aside all of the Wii U’s shortcomings and the fact that it’s pretty much dead at this point, there are still a lot of things to like about Nintendo’s console. It’s got some great games, is more affordable than the competition, and has some nifty features that can’t be found on any other console. Seasoned Wii owners and new converts alike would still do well to familiarize themselves with these less obvious, but still useful, features.

8. The Gamepad’s Built-In Sensor Bar

The Wii U in general has a bit of an issue with making its features obvious, so it’s no surprise to find out that Nintendo buried a Wii sensor bar in the gamepad without doing much to advertise it. It’s not exactly the most useful feature, but the built-in sensor allows you to play original Wii games right off the gamepad without having to hook up anything else. No more fumbling around with that flimsy sensor bar when you want to bust out Super Mario Galaxy.