OPINION: All I want for Christmas is U?

Those looking for a way to criticise the Wii U launch last week had plenty of material at their disposal.

Weariness amongst parts of the specialist media and cynicism from the cutting edge online world has always cast doubt on it.

It was as if some people want Nintendo to fail.

Yes, I’m sure that on terms relative to the other consoles and devices, it was a slower start than some expected. But was it a success on Nintendo’s terms? With its typical long-term focus on momentum, and a Japanese launch only this weekend, we just don’t know yet.

Here in the UK, the Wii U arrival last week was good in ways some have missed or simply not acknowledged yet.

For a start, there technically was a Wii U game at No.1 in the form of the Black Ops II SKU. A tenuous link, but no less emblematic: Wii U has put Nintendo, finally – if belatedly – on an even footing with the other HD consoles.

It’s created more opportunities for third party current gen triple-A projects before the costs ramp up for next-gen ones.

Elsewhere, original Wii software sales were up 1m week-on-week, no doubt driven by the new console’s legacy playback functions.

Other Wii titles – associated with Just Dance and Disney – had risen in the rankings, too. You can’t deny the overall additive effect on the market that it contributes to.

Over 14m was spent on Wii U hardware and software last week.

If Nintendo can build the buzz and maintain the stock flow, that can grow as we get closer to Christmas.

And I think that’s what anyone sane really wants for Nintendo.