Yes — most Wii U consoles can play original Wii discs and use most Wii accessories, running them as standard Wii games.
Despite the similar name, the Wii U isn't a slim or updated version of the Wii — it's a completely separate, more powerful console released five years later, in 2012. The naming similarity causes real confusion for casual buyers, so here's the actual breakdown.
The Wii (2006) is a sixth-generation-adjacent console built around motion controls and standard-definition output. The Wii U (2012) is a genuinely more powerful, HD-capable console from the following generation, built around its distinctive second screen — the GamePad, a controller with its own built-in touchscreen that can display gameplay independently of the TV. They ran on entirely different game formats: Wii games use standard optical discs, while Wii U games use a proprietary high-capacity optical disc format that Wii discs are physically compatible with, but not vice versa.
Most Wii U consoles can play original Wii discs and use most Wii accessories (including original Wii Remotes and Nunchuks), which is where a lot of the naming confusion comes from — a Wii U effectively contains the ability to run a Wii library. But this only runs Wii games as Wii games; it doesn't unlock Wii U-exclusive features or graphics for them, and Wii U games themselves do not run on original Wii hardware at all — compatibility only goes one direction.
Beyond raw power, the Wii U's headline features are the GamePad (enabling asymmetric multiplayer and off-TV play unique to the console) and full HD output, a first for a Nintendo home console. It also had its own separate digital storefront (Wii U eShop) distinct from the Wii's earlier WiiWare/Virtual Console channel system, though both digital storefronts have since been discontinued for new purchases, which affects how you can access digital-only titles from either platform today.
If you're specifically collecting Wii games, you don't need Wii U hardware — an original Wii (or a Wii U used as a Wii-compatible player) both work. If you want the Wii U-exclusive library — including several late first-party Nintendo titles that never appeared on other Nintendo hardware — you need the Wii U specifically, since that compatibility doesn't run in reverse. They're tracked as separate platforms for exactly this reason: different game libraries, different hardware generation, different collector market.
Yes — most Wii U consoles can play original Wii discs and use most Wii accessories, running them as standard Wii games.
No — Wii U games require Wii U hardware. Compatibility between the two only runs in one direction (Wii U can play Wii games, not the reverse).
No — despite the similar name, the Wii U is a separate, more powerful console from the following console generation, not a hardware revision of the Wii.
Yes — since they have different game libraries and collector markets, Gamevaro tracks them as distinct platforms with their own pricing data.
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