Getting a Wii U development unit costs around $[2000,4000]+import tax. It's free for the first n months (1 or 3 I can't remember) and then you have to pay to keep the unit.

If you plan on releasing it on the eshop you will have to pay an exorbitant sum to each countries ESRB equivalent which is a complete racket.

So yes, it is a developer hostile company. Then again, Nintendo has always been behind with keeping up with the latest tech trends and features. For example just look at their online services: * No party chat. * Very little 3DS/Wii U cross compatibility for NNIDs (and don't forget the horribly long FCs). * No cross licensing between 3DS/Wii U. If I want to buy Super Mario Bros 3 I should NOT have to pay for it twice. * No remote play support * No 3DS controller support (besides Monster Hunter) * Digital Games on the eshop aren't priced competitively as you can almost always find a physical copy cheaper. This part baffles me.