Minecraft is finally coming to the Wii U

By David Curry Published December 7, 2015

Minecraft is available on almost every conceivable platform, from the PS4 to Windows Phone to Linux, with Nintendo consoles being the major exception.

Thankfully, Nintendo has worked with Mojang to bring the sandbox experience to the Wii U by Christmas. It will start selling the game on December 17 for $30, with all of the features available in the other console versions.

Recommended Videos

Nintendo plans to launch new Minecraft content for fans in the near future, and this might include some Nintendo-themed skin packs and worlds. All DLC and skin packs available on other console versions will be available on Wii U, but downloads from other console versions will not be ported over to the Wii U.

Off-TV gameplay will be supported on the Wii U, allowing users to move from the TV to the Gamepad without an interruption to the game. The performance downgrade from the Xbox One/PS4 will not affect the in-game performance of Minecraft, meaning Wii U players should be able to build worlds of the same magnitude.

Aside from Telltale’s spin-off Minecraft: Story Mode, this is the first Mojang game to come to a Nintendo console. Surprisingly, Minecraft is still not available for the Nintendo 3DS, despite the handheld console selling more units than the Xbox One and PS4 combined, according to VGChartz. Nintendo did not reveal any plans to bring Minecraft to other Nintendo platforms.

This is the first platform launch for Minecraft this year, showing the disconnect between Nintendo and Mojang. We still don’t know if Microsoft or Nintendo caused the delay, or if Mojang simply didn’t value the Wii U platform. This will not be the last platform launch however, with the Oculus Rift and Microsoft HoloLens scheduled to receive the sandbox game in the coming months.

Former Contributor

David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…

Topics

Gaming

The best Wii U games of all time

Nintendo doesn't often have massive blunders, but the Wii U was certainly a dark time for the company. Riding high off the huge success that the best Wii games brought, the Wii U tried to keep that momentum by building on that branding. That strategy ended up backfiring big-time in the sales department, but not due to a poor lineup of games.

While it wasn't powerful enough to compete with the best PlayStation 4 games and best Xbox One games that came out around the same time, the Wii U had amazing entries in almost all it's major franchises, plus some new IP that we think are some of the best games of all time. Sure, most of these Wii U games have been ported over and are now some of the best Switch games, but let's go back to their origin and see just how great this misunderstood system was.

Gaming

All the Minecraft console commands and cheats for console and PC

Minecraft on Chromebooks.

In a game as open-ended and sandboxy in nature as Minecraft, it might seem like there's no need to cheat. Unlike a game like Words With Friends 2, you aren't necessarily competing with anyone in the game. Once you learn the best Minecraft tips and tricks, maybe learn about all the biomes, and how enchanting works, there isn't much you can't do.

Except that isn't quite the case. There are actually a host of fun and useful cheats and console commands you can take advantage of to tweak the game without downloading any mods. Since Minecraft is a cross-platform game available on almost everything, we will go over how you can activate these cheats no matter which version of the game you're playing on.
How to enter console commands in Java Edition

Gaming

Minecraft potions guide: how to brew and enhance potions

A villager looks at a sunset.

If you think about it, mixing potions isn't all that different from mixing materials to make items in Minecraft. That is just conceptually speaking because the act of brewing potions is not nearly as simple or straightforward as just organizing a couple of sticks and stones in a grid. Potions require a bit more nuance and preparation to make, but the effects they can have are quite literally game-changing.

There's a lot you need to do to get started mixing up your own potions, and once you have the tools required, there's no instruction manual on how to make the dozens of possible potions, let alone the best ones. If you want to allow yourself to walk through lava and see in the dark without the use of mods, check out this full potions guide.
How to make a brewing station