10 Most Popular Video Game Consoles Of The Last 10 Years - Ranked

6. Wii U

If you take the time to wade through the furore of negative press that survived the Wii U thanks to its godawful sales figures and marketing, there's actually a supremely neat system underneath.

Sure, it's a stepping-stone to move between the Wii and the Switch, but its Gamepad is a joyously chunky tablet capable of playing many full-screen games away from the TV. With that in mind, a lot of the Switch-associated "Just play on your couch!" appeal started here, as did a better method of accessing everything from the NES onwards.

Brilliantly, as the Wii U Gamepad wasn't a glorified TV remote, every Virtual Console game immediately felt far more natural and comfortable, not requiring additional controllers for the likes of N64 games. Atop that, you had backwards compatibility with the entire Wii library and some phenomenal exclusives like Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker and the ace Wind Waker HD remake.

We might have all dog-piled on the Wii U for being a strange, awkward, barely marketed abomination, but there's a lot of heart buried under those deformed bones. Plus, until the Switch gets its act together this is the only way to experience the legacy of Nintendo on the big screen - a huge reason to invest.