Wii

The Wii (/ˈwiː/ WEE) is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others.As of the first quarter of 2012, the Wii leads its generation over PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales, with more than 101 million units sold; in December 2009, the console broke the sales record for a single month in the United States.

The Wii introduced the Wii Remote controller, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and which detects movement in three dimensions. Another notable feature of the console is the now defunct WiiConnect24, which enabled it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode. Like other seventh-generation consoles, it features a game download service, called "Virtual Console", which features emulated games from past systems.

It succeeded the GameCube, and early models are fully backward-compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the E3 2004 press conference and later unveiled it at E3 2005. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in the four key markets.

Wii U

The Wii U (/ˌwiː ˈjuː/ WEE EW) is a home video game console created by Nintendo and the successor to the Wii. The system was released in November 2012 and was the first entry in the eighth generation of video game consoles; it competes with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.

The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics. The system's primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touchscreen. The screen can be used either as a supplement to the main display (either providing an alternate, asymmetric gameplay experience, or a means of local multiplayer without resorting to a split screen), or in supported games, to play the game directly on the GamePad independently of the television. Games can support any combination of the GamePad, Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Balance Board, or Nintendo's more traditionally designed Classic Controller or Wii U Pro Controller for input. The Wii U is backward compatible with most games released for the Wii. Online functionality on the Wii U centers around the Nintendo Network platform and Miiverse, an integrated social networking service which allows users to share content in game-specific communities.

Splatoon

Splatoon is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in May 2015. The game centers around characters known as "Inklings"—beings that can transform between humanoid and squid forms, and hide or swim through colored ink sprayed on surfaces using gun or brush-based weaponry. Splatoon features several gamemodes, including 4-on-4 online multiplayer and a single player campaign.

Splatoon received positive reviews upon its unveiling and release, with critics praising Nintendo's decision to enter the genre with a new intellectual property, the game's overall style and presentation, gameplay mechanics, and its soundtrack. Criticism was directed at the exclusion of voice chat and private lobbies—features that are commonplace in the genre of multiplayer shooters, the small number of multiplayer maps, and issues with online matchmaking. Splatoon debuted to strong sales, debuting at number one and two respectively on sales charts in Japan and the United Kingdom; 144,000 copies were sold during its launch week in Japan, and the game was the fastest-selling new franchise on the Wii U in the United Kingdom. By December 2015, 4.06 million copies of the game had been sold.