The fact that the list of Wii Virtual Console games is different than the list of Wii U Virtual Console games is confusing in itself, let alone the fact that the list for the Wii is greater than the Wii U's. Yes, you can play the Wii's VC games on the Wii U, but doing so means losing off-TV play and MiiVerse functionality. If these are missing, what's the point of doing it on the Wii U? In a world where anyone can emulate these games easily and freely on almost everything but a Nintendo console, it doesn't make business sense to not offer all of these games on both consoles where they can be paid for. Not to mention that after so many years of the Virtual Console service existing, the list of available games is still pathetically small. The GBA has a huge library to pick from, yet it is limited to 10 Virtual Console titles only available to the very small number of 3DS Ambassadors. Likewise, some consoles are missing from the Wii U that are present on the 3DS, and vice versa. Why can't I play SNES games on my 3DS? What's keeping Nintendo from putting Metroid: Zero Mission on the Wii U? Currently, I think Nintendo just doesn't understand just how much fans want this kind of stuff. Just a look at their inability to keep up with the overwhelming demand for Pokemon Bank shows that maybe Nintendo isn't as in tune with its customers as it could be.
And they probably aren't in tune because they're still stuck in the past in some ways. The Wii originally succeeded because of its wide appeal: Your grandma could pick up a WiiMote and know exactly what they needed to do to play Wii Sports with it. Now a generation later, free to play and easily accessible games are available everywhere. Why would mom pick up a Wii U when Candy Crush is available on her phone for free? During the lifespan of the Wii, Nintendo lost a huge chunk of dedicated and hardcore gamers due to the increasing volume of casual games and the dwindling number of quality third party titles. Now that the Wii U is out, the unknowing consumer doesn't see the difference between it and the original Wii, while the hardcore crowd is long gone in favor of the PS4, Xbox, Steam, or even Android.
That's not saying Nintendo hasn't been trying to get third party support back, but they can do a lot better. Last year saw a lot of policy changes to make publishing easier on indies, though they lacked the aggressiveness that got many indie games onto Sony's platform (like Octodad!). Weird policies like refusing The Binding of Isaac due to blasphemous content are nothing but a lost business opportunity, frustrating fans and making developers less willing to try developing for it. When it's rumored that a game as huge as Watch Dogs might get cancelled for the console, what makes it sound like a good idea to indies, let alone other third parties? When a barely supported console like the Ouya can still put out exclusive games as good as Towerfall, what makes the Wii U a better option?
All of this being said, Nintendo is still doing rather well for itself. The 3DS is selling pretty well and churning out excellent hits like Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion, and Pokemon. Super Mario 3D Land made many game of the year lists for 2013, and most of the first party offerings for the Wii U have actually been pretty solid. If Nintendo can be more attentive to its fans and start taking opportunity of the money making opportunities the eShop could offer, then maybe we can see them rise back to the top again. Whether it's a matter of refining the eShop, scrapping the Wii U and starting anew, or something else we haven't thought of yet, Nintendo needs to act soon.
We love you, Nintendo. We don't want to see you guys end up like Sega did.
