NINTENDO Wii U

Ah Nintendo. The once, juggernaut of the gaming world, now reduced to thought of by "hardcore" gamers as "that company which makes kiddy games for that motion sensing console." A sad notion, indeed, but it is held by many. Nintendo has actually dominated the 7th generation of video game consoles, beating out the sales numbers of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Nintendo's handheld gaming system, the 3DS, was also a commercial success and is adored by its fans around the world. 

Nintendo has always focused on pure gameplay rather than pushing those big numbers in the graphics department. So, while Microsoft and Sony mesmerized audiences with their pretty exclusive games for their own 8th generation consoles, Nintendo announced the Wii U. The console was met with unyielding excitement from loyal fans and naysayers alike. Although the latter group grew skeptical of the console's success as they found out that the Wii U was, more or less, as powerful as the last-gen consoles. This influenced a rocky start for the Wii U at launch. Gamers flocked to buy MS and Sony's latest offerings and the Wii U was left in the dust. The fact that many third party publishers like EA did not show interest in making games for the console did not help matters either. The lackluster launch titles failed to build the alluring appeal in the minds of gamers.

The Wii U was not actually as bad as many made it out to be. It comes with an innovative controller with a screen built into it. It can be used for playing select titles without even turning on the TV. The screen on the controller can also serve as the second player's screen during split screen multiplayer sessions. 

Backwards compatibility with the Wii is also present for most games. Nintendo's famous Nunchuk and Wii Remote controllers are also supported by the system; if gamers want a more traditional and ergonomic option for playing, they can opt for the Wii U Pro Controller.
Despite these qualities, the main department Nintendo was lacking in – was games. However, that is a thing of the past. In 2014, many exclusive titles for the Wii U suddenly made the console much more attractive to gamers. Games like Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 etc. made quite some noise as users and critics, alike, hailed them as some of the best of the year.  Alongside this many exclusive titles have been announced for 2015, as well. These include XenoBlade Chronicles X, a sequel to the original of the same name. It is an open world RPG with mech combat. Splatoon is a new IP by Nintendo: a paintball-shooting game which looks to be blast to play with friends. A new Legend of Zelda game is also in works and looks absolutely marvelous. 

Might we see Nintendo coming out strong in this generation as well? It is too soon to tell but if Nintendo can keep the momentum going, it might not be so far-fetched, after all.