*** Official Nintendo Wii U thread ***

I don't understand comments that the gamepad isn't being used - it is - virtually every game has off tv play. What else do you actually expect from the gamepad? Is it supposed to be a window into another realm? Narnia perhaps? Should you be able to reach into it and pull out a tenner whenever you're a bit short? Should the gamepad cook you a full English on a Saturday morning? Relationship advice? Scan your nuts for cancer?

I just don't get the expectation - you're getting remote play and a complimentary game screen - WTF else can a gamepad actually do??
 
[FONT=&quot]Loving the replies :)

I never said “[/FONT][FONT=&quot]gamepad isn't being used[/FONT][FONT=&quot]”[/FONT][FONT=&quot]did I? I just feel there has not be anything special done with it. As I mention in my post, off screen play is cool. Though I personally do not make much use out of it as games look much better on the bigger screen due to both higher resolution and size of display.
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merlin said:
I just don't get the expectation - you're getting remote play and a complimentary game screen - WTF else can a gamepad actually do??
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So then if that is all you need from it and expect it to do, would you not object to it being an optional item to buy on their next console?

What I am more concerned about is games making use of it.

I am all for Nintendo innovating and doing something new, in fact I encourage it. But in this instance apart from Zombi U, I did not actually feel like any games I played made any difference whether I had the gamepad in my hand or not. Granted I did not play Pickmin or Wind Waker. Never liked Pickmin and Wind Waker I played already so I opted to just wait for the new Zelda. I am sure Nintendo will innovate with something else in their next console anyway.

I am not sure if it is feasible or not, but with a lack of third party developers Nintendo should be looking to increase their own team and make use of more existing IP's or maybe come up with new ones. I do think if there were third party developers making games for the Wii U then perhaps there would be games that would make much more use of the gamepad.

I think for their next console a gamepad should be an optional item sold separately. I know there are disadvantages to that. But I believe looking at the broad market that is what makes sense. The advantage of doing so I think much outweighs the disadvantage. They can either make a cheaper console as a result or a more powerful system at the same price point. At the end of the day they will need to make something that will be similar architecture to the ps4 and xbox1 but with a bit more grunt to encourage third party developers on board.

This is all my opinion of course. I know many will not share it. I still love Nintendo all the same. I have owned every Nintendo console since the NES :D

[FONT=&quot]Can't wait for the [FONT=&quot]new Zelda. In the meantime I have enough games to enjoy[FONT=&quot] :cool:[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
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I dunno about the whole optional gamepad thing. I would have never bought one if it was optional but I am glad that I have one.

The only thing that annoys me about it is how often you are forced to use it. You can't just use the pro controller to do everything.
 
One of the main reasons I bought a wii u this week is because of the gamepad and it has remote play properly wouldn't have bothered other wise with the wii u if it didn't have it. So hope they don't drop it next time.

Then again I only bought it to play the mario games for a bit of fun when the misses is watching crap tv and it matches my ps4 and xbone in the tv unit :)
 
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TNA said:
I just feel there has not be anything special done with it.
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That's a perfectly valid opinion to have, but how would you define 'special' i.e. what should typically be expected from the GamePad in relation to the value it adds to the platform?.

The off-tv play alone is worth it for me. ZombiU, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker and Nintendo Land all make fantastic use of the GamePad, I felt it made elements of these games feel like a distinctly unique (but not groundbreaking) experience. I really like it for displaying maps in some games, and some other games made good use of it (e.g. Black Ops II multiplayer, Deus Ex). There are only so many possibilities though so we can't expect every game to use it as standard for gameplay, and should we expect that?.

I don't feel the GamePad was ever meant to be the ultimate defining feature of the Wii U, but just meant to assist in defining it as a unique product by offering some unique experiences - which I think it succeeds in doing. It all comes back to the quality of the games in the end though, no matter the platform features. I don't think it's safe to assume that Nintendo's next home console will feature a new GamePad.

TNA said:
I am not sure if it is feasible or not, but with a lack of third party developers Nintendo should be looking to increase their own team and make use of more existing IP's or maybe come up with new ones.
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I don't feel any single company develops, publishes and innovates more than Nintendo in the industry - and while supporting home and handheld platforms at the same time too. They are always working towards expanding their internal teams - in fact, I believe there was a new team created within the EAD division recently. Nintendo have been doing great work with their subsidiaries and partners in recent years too - e.g. Retro, Monolith, Creatures Inc, Namco, Atlus, Grezzo, and Platinum Games to name a few.

Third parties are always a tricky subject - it's difficult for third parties to compete with Nintendo on their own platform. Because Nintendo consoles are built for Nintendo games by Nintendo, the platform is not like or in-line with 'the other two', making ports more difficult. Nintendo themselves were largely responsible for the Wii's success - it didn't have the big 3rd party games that the PS360 had.
That said, more third party support is always a good thing and we would ofcourse see more of it on Wii U if the platform was more successful at market. I purchase Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games though, 3rd party titles have always been the bonus.

At risk of coming across as too bias (I really am just honest with my opinions and tastes!) I will point out that:
  • In some cases, the GamePad is used is gimmicky ways or in ways that put unnecessary boundaries on the UX
  • Nintendo failed in their marketing vision and marketing execution with the Wii U - placing too much faith on the Wii brand and the 'device with a screen' trends

tl;dr - The GamePad is cool, overall quality of the games is what matters in the end. Nintendo do their own thing and that's mostly a good thing, even if it results in a product not becoming a significant success at market (i.e. they take risks).
 
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Murray said:
I dunno about the whole optional gamepad thing. I would have never bought one if it was optional but I am glad that I have one.

The only thing that annoys me about it is how often you are forced to use it. You can't just use the pro controller to do everything.
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Yeah, I see why people enjoy using it but I just hate that they force me to use it sometimes. I would much prefer to just use my pro controller for everything, but you need to use the gamepad to purchase things or even launch some games, its really annoying at times. One of the things I hate the most about WiiU.
 
Just ordered a Wii U + Mario 3d world. I did not get a Wii as I did not like the controls, hopefully the Wii U games don’t need me to jump around. I am really looking forward to playing Mario and other Nintendo games again.
 
merlin said:
It's important Nintendo continue to innovate both software and hardware, for the good of the industry.
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Exactly, all the people who right off Nintendo saying "they should do software only" Don't understand most of the hardware used in today's consoles were originally created by Nintendo. Who knows where the console world would be now if Nintendo stuck to making playing cards only.
 
woot

About to join the club, decided to treat myself to a wii u for chrimbles after playing mk8 in game, nabbed the MK8 premium pack along with SMBU for £170 on a local FB buy / sell group, picking it up tomorrow after work.

time to say farewell to the gamecube but I'll hang on to my original wii as I still use it to play the odd GC title.
 
Wow the last I heard about the GC Adapter is that it wont be available till February!
That is unbelievably shocking.

It is incredibly short sighted not to build a large quantity for before Xmas.
 
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