Production of the original Wii console has quietly come to an end as Nintendo Japan changed the "manufacturing is scheduled to end soon" warning on its site to a simple "manufacturing has ended" message. And with that, the once wildly successful console's run is over with 100.04 million units sold worldwide as of June 2013.
Released on November 19, 2006, the innovative Wii console sold out nearly immediately. Consumers — and not just gamers — flocked towards the console as its innovative motion control scheme changed the way we play and experience games.
Unfortunately, Nintendo has been unable to replicate that experience with its follow-up Wii U console which has struggled since its November 2012 launch. The Wii U, despite an intriguing GamePad controller, has been met with tepid sales and lackluster games support. Of course, that could all change this year as Nintendo has a fairly impressive lineup of games slated including a new Super Smash Bros. title.
I bid you farewell, Wii. You had a good run. I never actually owned one, but my parents did — and they don't even play games. I guess that kind of sums up the Wii's life: everybody, and I mean everybody, had to have one.
