The Wii That Should Have Been

It's not hard to wonder why Nintendo is losing the console war this generation: they released an underpowered console at a steep price tag. This is unfortunate, because Nintendo still has the ability to put out quality titles with the most iconic characters in gaming. The truth is, I'd like to have a Wii U, for games like Mario Kart and Zelda. The problem is at around $300, the cost of entry is too steep.

And the pity is that the majority of the cost seems to come from the touchscreen controller, which is the biggest hook of the system. And oddly enough, the Wii U can only support one of these controllers at a time, so far. This doesn't exactly scream fun party gaming.

I always felt that Nintendo really missed the boat on this system. And the saddest part is, they had the answer right in front of them.

Why isn't the 3DS the de facto controller for the Wii U, sold separately of course? It has nearly the same control layout and functionality. It would lower the price of the system to about $150, splitting the sticker shock among two purchases. Odds are, if you're in the market for a new Nintendo console, you probably already have the handheld. And what if it could support four 3DS systems at once? Then your friends can bring over their own controllers and jump into the action. And if they didn't already have a 3DS, this would be an enticing proposition. 

And they could have called the damn thing the 'Wii DS'!!! That would have leveraged the power of both brands and given people something really exciting and new.