Seriously considering getting a Wii U but....

As far as I know, cemu is hunger for RAM and processor power, if your pc is good enough and you want to save money then use cemu.
Otherwise get a used Wiiu, yes it's worth it, there are many good games required the Wiiu gamepad, and personally I really like the wiiu gamepad and the second screen idea, its a shame Nintendo decided not to use that anymore.

I agree with the second screen idea, I would like to be able to play while I watch my shows, lol.

I use my Wii U not only for Wii U games, but for Wii and Gamecube games. Although my laptop is pretty good at emulating Wii U, Wii, and Gamecube, I prefer my Wii U because I don't have to go through the trouble of setting up my laptop to the TV.

Issue is there are almost no exclusives on the thing

AND you can't even get them that cheap

Since you can pirate on switch and wiiu, and the switch is probably only gonna cost you ~100 more, and switch has most of the same games

There is really almost no place for the wiiu at that point - yeah you can play gc/wii, but you could do the same with a Wii for like $20

There's no way a Switch is only $200.

Besides, I already own a Switch. And seeing as how MonolithSoft stated they won't be porting Xenoblade Chronicles X to the Switch since it's "too costly," having a Wii U wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Admittedly the price of the wiiu has dropped since I last checked, it's currently in the $140 range

While eBay lists the switch trending at $268

So used, that's a difference of $128,

$28 off from my initial estimate, but I don't think that's too different tbh

If you're buying the wiiu for one game I'd say use that money towards your pc and emulate.

While I can recommend the Wii U (it plays games from all Nintendo consoles except the Switch + a few more systems thanks to RetroArch and VC), the fastest and cheapest way to bypass your pairing issues would be this:

https://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-W010-Wireless-Sensor-DolphinBar/dp/B00HZWEB74

$129 for the black 32 GB, and $99 for the 8 GB, at GameStop. Not sure where you're looking at, but you're not too far off. The 8 GB one will suffice either way.

As far as the games go, it's actually a lot more than one game. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, The Legend of Zelda- Twilight Princess HD, Super Mario 3D World, to name a few.

I wasn't sure if that one works with Windows 10 or not, as it says Windows 8.1, Vista, 7, and XP.

When it comes to drivers and stuff, Windows 8 = Windows 10 (in most of the cases) so you should be fine.

Hmmm. Seems good.

I still want to give the emulation a try, but I've had bad luck with Cemu in the past. And reading the comments on the compatibility charts, some of the games I wanted to play on it aren't all "playable," but rather they "run" (which means there's glitches that prevent completion) or don't load at all. Not to mention the different file formats don't always work with Cemu. It still won't recognize three of my games.

Well while WII U wasn't consider the success most people had hoped, I think it is a good system, though It would have benefit a bit more in popularity if they had more developers making games for it, since the time of the games to wait for release was very long. There is some good games, but most of the ones people would care about are already moving to switch, probably gonna close the gap soon and shut down the online services to boot.

My favorite thing about the system was the two-screen gameplay of some games. I always praised the NDS for that since it not only made for some unique gameplay but some games benefit from it while others just add it as a gimmick for spectacles. RPG games for example having a map on one screen and game on the other, easy management and shortcuts with just touching the screen, it's exactly why I like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV on NDS.

One of the things that made WII U cool was the gamepad, as second screen. Some mutiplayer games like Sonic Racing Transformed mean you could use the gamepad as your own screen when playing with friends. That means you wasn't doing split screen where you had to share with two players, or you can play exclusive local multiplayer with FIVE PEOPLE!

Still I think the virtual console for games especially the added GBA and NDS, it still had full functioning wii game disc compatibility and download titles as well which help the appeal a bit, but I think the biggest appeal it could have benefit from was a Nintendo DS/3DS player accessory much like the gamecube and GBA player. It's the only portable system Nintendo has made that does not have any counter part like GBA player and it's sad. WII u had every means to make a comfortable transition to play on your tv and with the huge list of games to play would have kept the tradition going.

Look at pawn shops. I got my Wii U about 2 years ago for $80, a steal IMO. Just have to look around.

The games you have listed need the gamepad like super Mario 3d world you will need to blow at the Mic in some levels, LoZ: TP HD is better with gamepad, and of course XCX.
And don't ever buy any wireless sensor bar, they work like shit and batteries will finish in few days, it doesn't even give enough light to the wiimote and the pointer will keep blinking, I've tried 2 of them and I end up throwing them in the garbage and got the wired one.
It doesn't matter which windows you are using, the sensor bar doesn't connect to anything, it's just a light to tell your wiimote the location of ur TV.

At the end just go ahead and get yourself a WiiU and enjoy all Nintendo games (except for 3Ds and switch) on one console.