5 easy steps to understand the difference between Nintendo Switch and Wii U

We've now seen the Nintendo Switch and we are really impressed. We also know the prices of the console and accessories. Plus the launch games line up and incoming games throughout 2017.
But there is still one question we are asked more often " Should I buy the new NS or get a discounted Wii U ?"
Some people thing Wii U was an unsuccessful console so how has Nintendo improved on the disappointing Wii U  ?
Read on to find out the 5 most essential points !

1-Design :

 In its Switch Dock, the console connects to your TV and looks like a standard Xbox or PlayStation rival. This the trick from Nintendo. The Switch can be removed from its Dock, its Joy-Cons attached directly to either side and used as a standalone portable gaming device.

As for the Switch’s display, it matches the 6.2-inch dimensions and capacitive touchscreen of the Wii U GamePad while also delivering a significant increase in quality. Gone is the Wii U’s woeful 854 x 480 native resolution for a bump to 720p.

In this mode it measures 239 x 102 x 13.9mm and 297g or 398g (Joy-Con controllers attached), making it smaller than a Wii U GamePad.  This isn’t particularly high compared to most smartphones and tablets these days, but colours are vibrant and it is compatible with 60fps gaming.

2-Hardware:

This is the biggest and the most obvious comparison between the two consoles.

Both have dual functonality, max graphical output of 1080p, but comparing the two the Wii U is significantly underpowered.

Compared to modern consoles Wii U uses custom-built chip produced by IBM AMD and Renesas. The CPU is clocked at 1.24 GHz with a shared memory of 3mb. It's also manufactured on an outdated 45 nm node-meaning its neither efficient nor powerful compared to modern chips.

The GPU uses AMD GX2 GPU and comes clocked at 550 MHz and 32 mb of eDRAM cache memory.

To measure the computing heft, the easiest metric is GPU performance.

Wii U manages about 360 Gflops which means it can perform 360 billion operations a second. That's poor comparing to PS4 Pro which manages 4.2 Tflops- that's 4.2 trillion operations a second.

Unfortunately, we haven't had yet the full Nintendo Switch specifications confirmed.

Nintendo Switch is said to be running a Nvidia Tegra X1 processor. this will provide more Vitality to the GPU and CPU. There’s a custom ‘NVN’ API that Nintendo say will bring lightweight and fast gaming , that's expected to compete  with the powerful PS4 Pro and Xbox One S. How will this compare to the Wii U? It’s hard to say. Compared to heavyweights like the PS4 Pro the Wii U is not at the races and it was never meant to be.

However, the Switch has only 32 GB which can be augmented by micro SD SDHC and SDXC cards up to 2Tb.

3-Battery Life:

Battery life was a major problem for the Wii U Gamepad. It ultimately upgraded the 1500 mAh battery to 2550 mAh which boosted stamina from three hours to five to eight hours.

By contrast the Switch is fitted with a much larger 4210 mAh battery, but it looks like battery life will still be mixed. On the plus side Nintendo says the battery can “last for more than 6 hours” but it also says that’s highly dependent on how the console is being used and the company warns playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will flatten the Switch’s battery in just three hours.

4-Price-JoyCons:

At this point, Wii U is different from Nintendo Switch.

The Switch costs just $299.99, the same as the basic version of the Wii U when it launched. For this outlay you’ll get a pair of Joy-Con controllers and a Switch Dock.Extra Joy-Con controllers are $49.99 each or $79.99 for a pair, a Switch Pro Controller is $69.99, you’ll need about $30 on a microSD card, maybe another $30 on an extra Joy-Con Charging Grip and games are $60.The Switch Dock is 89.99$.

5-Games:

One of the big advantages of the Wii U is that it's backwards compatible with all Wii software, which vastly increases the amount of content available on the console. Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t be the case with the Nintendo Switch, given the change in how games are physically inserted into the console.

What might make a big impact in your decision between the consoles is that Nintendo has confirmed it will cease development of first-party games for the Wii U after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There will be no more games from the Japanese giant forthcoming. You'll still be able to play the many already available, with online still supported for the foreseeable future, but don't expect a new Mario, Donkey Kong or the like.