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

By Brad Jones January 19, 2017

1132069 autosave v1 2 zeldafeature — Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

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

Gaming

Where to farm Zonite in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Link with a created mining rig in Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild introduced many survival elements into the Zelda formula, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only expands on those concepts. Things like cooking and crafting return in new-and-improved forms, but what hasn't changed much is the need to gather tons and tons of resources. From food to materials, weapons, and ores, Link's pockets will quickly become jam-packed with these materials. Zonite is a new form of resource that is vital for anyone who is enjoying the new Ultrahand ability and creating all types of wacky vehicles and contraptions. If you're hitting the limit on your creations due to a lack of Zonite, here are the best places to farm it in Tears of the Kingdom.
What is Zonite?
Zonite is tied to the ancient Zonai and their technology, which you will be using to build various machines in Tears of the Kingdom. Zonite itself is a material you can collect that, when you have enough, can be used with a Forge to make one of two things: Zonite Charges or Crystallized Charges. Zonite Charges are used to immediately refill any Energy Cell's power, while Crystallized Charges expand those Energy Cells' maximum capacity.
Best places to find Zonite

The best places to find Zonite, like any raw material, are down in the Depths. Here are a few hotspots we've found to have a good supply for you to plunder.
Great Abandoned Central Mine
The Great Abandoned Central Mine is an easy spot to recommend for farming Zonite since it is quite easy to access. You can find it at coordinates -0728, -1860, -0503. Simply drop inside with a hammer or explosives and break the deposits to gather up the Zonite.
Lindor Canyon Mine
If you've drained the Central Mine clean, Lindor Canyon Mine is another spot rich in Zonite. You can find it at the coordinates -2004, 1310, -0715.
Enemies in the Depths
If you're not as much into mining, another method for getting Zonite is to collect it from enemies in the Depths. While not every enemy drops this material, plenty do, so fighting off these tougher enemies can be worth your time. Korok Grove, found at 006, 2521, -0623, has two encampments to raid if you're feeling up to the challenge.

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s new update removes item duplication glitch

Link aims a Ruby tipped arrow while riding a horse.

Two weeks after its release, Nintendo has patched out one of the most helpful exploits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: a popular item duplication glitch.
When Tears of the Kingdom launched on May 12, it felt surprisingly polished considering how complex its open world and systems like Fuse and Ultrahand are. That said, it wasn't entirely free of bugs. Some of these glitches prevented progression, including one that was solved in the Ver. 1.1.1 update, but others were much more helpful, like item duplication. As Digital Trends' guide on the exploit details, players could duplicate items by fusing materials with arrows and then dropping two identical bows within a short timeframe.
According to players, Tears of the Kingdom update Ver. 1.1.2, which was released on May 25, removes this item duplication glitch from the game. Interestingly, this specific exploit isn't detailed in the patch notes, which simply say that "several issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience," among other audio and quest fixes.

You can check out the full list of Ver 1.1.2 patch notes below.

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom guides, walkthroughs, and FAQs

Link soon after awakening in Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is finally here. Already one of our favorite Zelda games of all time and a confirmed spectacular sequel to 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this is a Hyrule adventure that players are going to spend hundreds of hours completing. While hunting down Ganondorf, Link will have to find hundreds of shrines, explore the Sky Islands and a massive underground world beneath Hyrule's great fields, and fight off enemies of all kinds while mastering new abilities and skills.

It's dangerous to go alone! Take these guides.