Nintendo is done with the Wii U after 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

By Brad Jones Published January 19, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is poised to be the essential pick for gamers planning to buy a Nintendo Switch on launch day. The game is also set to be released for the Wii U — and, in fact, it will be the system’s final piece of first-party software.

Breath of the Wild was first announced as a Wii U exclusive in January 2013, just a couple of months after the console was released. More than three years later, in April 2016, Nintendo confirmed that the game would be released simultaneously for the Wii U and its successor, the Switch.

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This isn’t the first time that Nintendo has implemented this strategy with a new Zelda game. In 2006, Twilight Princess launched for the GameCube as well as the Wii — and it turned out to be Nintendo’s final first-party game released for the GameCube.

Nintendo of America COO Reggie Fils-Aimé confirmed that Breath of the Wild was the Wii U’s final first-party title in an interview conducted after the Switch event that took place January 13. “From a first-party standpoint, there’s no new development coming after the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” he told Polygon. “We really are at the end of life for Wii U.”

This news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given the middling performance of the Wii U over its life span. The console struggled to compete with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and from here on out, Nintendo will be preoccupied with ensuring that the Switch doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

There is some good news for anyone still using their Wii U on a regular basis. Fils-Aime acknowledged that many owners are still playing titles like Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon, and stated that online functionality isn’t going to be shut down just yet.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Gaming

All stamp locations in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Every main Zelda game typically has one "big" sidequest. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, these were finding the Koroks, for example. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom isn't nearly as large as those 3D open-world games, but it still has a sidequest that will take you to every corner of Hyrule if you want to complete it. This is, of course, Stamp Guy's stamp rally. This stamp enthusiast will give you various stamp cards that you need to fill by finding all the necessary stamps and returning them to him for rewards. Scavenger hunts are plenty fun on their own, but not if you get stumped anywhere along the way. Make sure you pack your best smoothie while we help you find every stamp in Echoes of Wisdom.
Where to find every stamp in Echoes of Wisdom
There are a total of 25 stamps to find, but they are divided into five groups of five for each card. Finishing each card will get you a reward, with the last one being the most special. Stamps are collected at Stamp Stands, which can be anywhere on the overworld, but will not be underwater or in caves or buildings. Technically, you can collect all the stamps in any order, but we will go in the rough order you would naturally come across them.
Stamp 1

The first stamp we found is in the Gerudo Desert, northwest of the Oasis between two stone towers.
Stamp 2

Gaming

I wish Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom had Breath of the Wild’s item degradation

Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

I’ve been having a good time with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but a glaring problem has reared its head just a few hours in. The user interface for sorting through Echoes leaves a lot to be desired. By the time I cleared my first few dungeons in Echoes of Wisdom, I already felt overwhelmed by the amount of Echoes available, and I didn’t have adequate ways to sort them. As a result, I'm already finding myself relying on the same couple of Echoes rather than experimenting with each new one I come across.

Echoes of Wisdom is at its best when I can use new Echoes, or a unique combination of them, to solve puzzles or navigate dungeons in clever ways. However, the clumsy UI and overwhelming number of options with Echoes sometimes get in the way of those glorious moments. That has left me yearning for a controversial feature present in both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: item degradation.
Weapon durability and degradation in 3D Zelda games
Breath of the Wild might not have featured an Echoes mechanic, but the game was still built around players exploring every inch of Hyrule and adapting to whatever they find. To encourage continued exploration and interaction, Nintendo introduced a weapon degradation mechanic. Common in survival games, this kind of durability mechanic makes tools or weapons break after a certain number of uses.

Gaming

The best accessories in Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Zelda getting a ring with a frog on it in Echoes of Wisdom.

Equipment has always been a core component of Legend of Zelda series, and Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is no exception. Unlike most past games, however, you won't be getting as many new unique items like bows and hookshots. Instead, you will use your Echoes to solve most problems, but there are a few other new ways to give Zelda an edge. Smoothies are great for temporary buffs, and the new clothing options can occasionally give you a small advantage, but it is the accessories that will make the biggest difference to your build.

These equipable items all have different benefits that range from somewhat useless or only needed in very specific instances, to the kind you will never want to remove. Even if you unlock all the extra slots, there's no way you can equip them all, so make sure you grab these accessories as soon as you can to save Hyrule with ease.
Best accessories in Echoes of Wisdom
There are about 28 accessories in Echoes of Wisdom, although a handful of them are upgraded versions of existing ones that completely replace the original version. In those cases, we will list the best version but tell you how to get the original and upgrade(s) so you can get the best version as fast as possible.
Curious Charm