Mii + U = Wii

The WiiU is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, it does have a rather glaring deficiency of actual games. Yes, more and more companies are avoiding releasing games on the system, even going so far as to not even attempt to come up with reasons for shunning the console anymore. But despite this I do think that the WiiU deserves more credit that. So I'm going to attempt to give a few reasons why upgrading to the WiiU might be a better idea than you'd think.

Fight the crash!

As much as most gamers would like to say otherwise we are most likely approaching another games crash. I don't think that this one will be nearly as devastating as the crash of 83' but there is always a distinct possibility. Anyways, if we want current-gen gaming to survive the coming crash then we need to support the industry, while not supporting the terrible behavior that is endemic to it. In terms of the new console generation the only console that seems to be worth picking is the WiiU. The PS4 doesn't seem to have any real improvements over the previous console, and not just in the graphics department. I'm no stickler about graphics, but really, if the improvements are completely unnoticeable then why would I spend $500 on a new console? And that isn't even getting into the horror that is the new XBOX. 

So already the WiiU is winning by default. But I do genuinely think that if anyone can survive the coming crash in their current form then it is Nintendo. As they are the one of the major three whose bottom line comes almost entirely from games, as much as I'm sure that merchandise also plays a role, Nintendo is the only one who will probably want to fight for their survival. Sony and Microsoft would take a hit from completely ditching their game-making sections but would eventually recover and stabilize, Nintendo, as they need it more, would probably stick through the hard stuff and come out okay.

History repeats itself

In recent years Nintendo consoles are treated by hardcore gamers with immediate derision upon announcement and subsequent release. This is usually regardless of overall quality, and its because of this that I find it difficult to believe when people call the WiiU "the worst thing evarrrr."When the Wii was first announced it faced a similar degree of angry consumers, and eventually that gained a decent amount of respect over the years. Besides I think that whether or not consumers are happy with Nintendo this week matters a touch less than...

Anti-Nintendoism, from developers

I am aware that this sounds relatively conspiracy theoryesque but hear me out. Imagine for a minute that you are a third-party developer, living the high life as your market is almost exclusively dominated by the PS3 and XBOX 360. You only have to make two versions of you game, one for each console, before launch. Then Nintendo comes along and wants your games on its system. The first thought that floods your mind is the uncomfortable thought of more work for you to do, which is then supplanted with thoughts of what things used to be like under prior Nintendo-ruled eras. The fact that the version of your game that goes on their console will NOT be identical to the other version, memories of their proprietary controls and disks, their higher standards for third-party involvement in the past... So what do you do? Do you accept them back into the fold, or do you essentially boycott their system? You know, make up some crap about it being 'underpowered', about how the control system won't work, about how you don't know what to do with the screen on the controller. Which of course leads me pithily to my next point...

Innovation is nice... games still matter more though

This is the long and short of it, Nintendo is probably going to be the only immediate console-maker to survive the crash. And while I will enjoy companies that I already despise like Ubisoft and EA come crawling to Nintendo wanting to be let back into the fold, and I would enjoy it more if these companies dissolved and their former members went off to form new companies, like the crash of 83'. The problem is that Nintendo cannot sustain an entire console off of first-party exclusives. So at the moment we need games for it, reasons for people besides the already converted to buy them.

Basically what I'm saying is that while forcing developers to come up with actually interesting uses of the WiiU's unique screen interface is eventually a good idea we need to start by having a game library on it. You can't just ask people to upgrade Nintendo, you need to prove to them that they are actually signing on for the next generation of consoles. And admittedly this isn't your fault, this time, to my knowledge, but it is something that needs fixing before you can consider yourselves back in the game.

Conclusion

The WiiU is a good system, currently being let down by an apathetic public and a (seemingly) hateful group of developers. These are all problems that NEED to be solved. If the we have any hope whatsoever of avoiding the next games crash then we need Nintendo. They are the only ones who treat their consumers like the ones that matter, like us having good experiences is important to them. And frankly in these times, that is more important than ever.