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Nintendo Says Wii U GamePad Is Its Own Unique Thing

Kit Ellis, the public relations manager at Nintendo of America, has explained to Destructiod that the Wii U GamePad is a unique device, but wouldn’t be drawn into saying whether it’s a tablet or not. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime recently referred to the Wii U GamePad as a controller with a built-in screen that allows Nintendo to create multiplayer games that provide different experiences for players, rather than a tablet device. Here’s what Ellis had to say about the controller.

“The Wii U GamePad sort of occupies its own space in that it combines touch controls with more traditional videogame controls. You’ve got the analogue sticks, the d-pad, the multiple buttons, and the motion control, and the touch screen control as well. It’s really its own unique thing, taking all these different forms of input into one device.”

157 thoughts on “Nintendo Says Wii U GamePad Is Its Own Unique Thing”

    1. thank you Master Miyamoto. May the elements be on your favor for what is a thought, without the creativity vessel that is an intellectual?

        1. I’m showing off one of my guns in my Gravatar! Oh, and also “shoulder deep into Aleous’ Anus line, this may hurt a little but it’s something you’ll get used to. Relax, turn around and take my hand.” Hahaha

        1. Agreed. I had some fanboy try and argue that if Sony would go bankrupt, innovation would prosper. Are fanboys really that stupid?

          1. Well…If Sony goes bankrupt it wont do much. They dont innovate in the 1st place. Nintendo would carry on doing its new things and Microsoft will continue to insult what nintendo does then copy it later on.

      1. he said it’s a “home console version”
        nowhere did he say it’s the same thing

        and yeah he’s right
        the DS or the 3DS already have all these features
        needless to say the wii-u will have many more than that

    1. Microsoft kinda did already, and Sony can already do what the Wii U can, maybe even more, but that’s a mute point since the Vita isn’t selling since *cough* hardly any games that everyone would want *cough* That in mind, Sony should think about putting more games on Vita that aren’t ports of PS3 games

      1. ”and Sony can already do what the Wii U can, maybe even more,”
        Thats not true , lol . There isn’t anygames out yet which support that feauture and the ps3 and vita combined (I am 99.9% sure) cannot even achieve what the wiiu and its gamepad can achieve for twice the price with 2 consoles as oposed to just 1 console .

          1. Naah . The vita cannot even run 90% of ps3 games because its
            not powerfull enough . That feature is barely being used at
            all . And it’s not a feature which should be compared to
            Nintendo’s wiiu home console . Also monster hunter ultimate
            allows you take your wiiu savefile and put it onto 3ds .

          2. Which you can do with the 3DS and WiiU.
            I.E. Monster Hunter.
            WiiU+Gamepad+3DS cannot be duplicated by current technology.

            MAYBE, With a robust software update, PS3 and vita could come close,
            But:
            A.) Sony already said it didn’t make sense to do it ( only that they could)
            B.) WiiU has a stronger GPU and more ram than the PS3.

        1. “”and Sony can already do what the Wii U can, maybe even more,”
          Thats not true , lol . There isn’t anygames out yet which support that feauture”

          actually yes there’s at least one that i know of
          a racing game
          forgot the name

          the connection between vita and ps3 and the connection between wii-u and tablet controller are very similar, so i don’t doubt that the vita can do everything the wii-u tablet can.. but what use is that when hardly any games support it.. nor ever will

          1. No my point is the ps3 isn’t powerfull enough to dual render two asymmetric images upon 2 screens at once with one disc like the wiiu is designed to do .

            Lets use COD BLOPS 2 as an example . during coop or competitive multiplayer the wiiu can display full 1080p on the tv whilst another player is using the gamepad as a seperate screen .

            the ps3 and vita could not hope to achieve such results with 256mb RAM and one disc in the console .

            You CANNOT seriously compare 2 consoles which are ducktaped together to one that cost half as much and peforms twice aswell .

            1. “No my point is the ps3 isn’t powerfull enough to dual render two asymmetric images upon 2 screens at once with one disc like the wiiu is designed to do .”

              it doesn’t have to
              the vita is powerful enough to do that on its own
              of course this requires the vita to have a copy of the game inserted.. currently someone who wants to do that has to own both copies of the game, which is just ridiculous.. but it can be done

              i’m not saying the ps3 has the same hardware capabilities as the wii-u.. this was about the wii-u gamepad’s features and not about any hardware capabilities am i right? and considering features only the vita can very likely do all that the wii-u gamepad can… but at a much higher cost financially and with very low support software side

              and yes i am comparing the 2 and as you can see i have pointed out the price difference, and other limiting factors, multiple times
              that’s all i’m saying

              1. No my point is the ps3 isn’t powerfull enough to dual render two asymmetric images upon 2 screens at once with ONE DISC ”

                Exactly , suggesting 2 consoles ducktaped together with 2 copies of the same game working together on 2 different architechtures to a wiiu is retarded . You and Sony must surely know that.

                1. and the point i am making is not about the systems power but about the features.. which this article is about btw
                  and i think that was your original point aswell

                  [”and Sony can already do what the Wii U can, maybe even more,”
                  Thats not true , lol . There isn’t anygames out yet which support that feauture”]

                  or why else would you say “feature”?

                  what’s the single disc got to do with anything? that’s not a feature that’s just more convenient and cheaper

                  vita wii-u => same possible features, entirely different price point and level of support
                  end
                  of
                  story

                  1. Not at all . sony said ”the ps vita and ps3 ducktaped can EASILY do what the wiiu can” . Well can they do what the wiiu can do upon 2 screens with just one disc and a stream to 2 different screens ??? NO can they shit , they can only achieve close results to this if both consoles are working in tandom , which like I say is just a retarded attempt at copying which we will NEVER se.

                    1. we are already seeing it tho
                      there are games that support crossplay
                      it may be few but it does work and from hat i hear it works just as well as the wii-u gamepad

      2. The Wii U can run the xbox360 ( preventing even RROD DISK SCRATCHING ), PS3, 4 Vitas, while streaming AC3 to the Wii U pad at the same time bro. Try something else.

      3. Really??? The ps3 and vita can do what Wii U can do? Then why haven’t they shown off this amazing technology that is ahead of the curve? Oh right because claims that the vita&ps3 are better than wii U are horse shit. Lets give it a few months and the Wii U will be doing what sony claimed the vita could for the ps3, with its much less powerfull 3ds system.

  1. That’s understandable, considering that the gamepad is the hook. Some people even thought it was a wii add on, that being understandable as well being the gamepad was being showcased the most.

        1. I’ll hook your mom to the Wii U and just beat her with the gamepad till she’s unconscious. While I asymmetrically drill her ass in the process then donkey punch the bitch!

  2. Agreed Kirt Ellis , agreed … The gamepad is something totaly new and different . Sony comparing a fucking ps vita to it is just str8 up pathetic . I am sure Nintendo can use 3ds’s as wiiu controllers , lol .

    The gamepad is amazing . I cannot wait to get that black gamepad in my hands . Cannot wait . *cries about waiting*

    1. I love my 3DS … but it would be the worst decision to make it a controller …

      And how is it pathetic comparing the VITA to the gamepad? If they can get the remote play function operating, I’d certainly prefer it over the Wii U.

      1. I was just suggesting nintendo COULD use the 3ds as a controller on wiiu like sony keep braggin about .
        And surely you are clever enough to understand 2 consoles interacting with each other is never going to be able to compete against a designated console with 2 screens (wiiu) .

        Sorry bro but cross play is a forgetable disgrace attempt to copy wiiu .
        and nobody will support this feature as a result . its not an incentive to go out and buy a vita to use this feature , when next to no games support it .

        I love my ps3 , even more than I love my wii . But you have to be the bigger man and just laugh at sony here . They are saying a £250 ps3 and a £250 ps vita ducktaped together can do what a wiiu can do for £250 . Except the wiiu has games with this feature taken seriously with better graphics and resolutions .

        Fuck sony in the ass hole for even thinking of or suggesting this feature.
        cross buy is AMAZING !!!!! but cross controll play is a pathetic gimmik between 2 consoles that has absoloutly no chance what so ever of even making a tiny dent or scratch on the wiiu .

        1. “Sorry bro but cross play is a forgetable disgrace attempt to copy wiiu .”

          cross play is something entirely different
          cross play uses wlan (with all associated latency issues) and was available on the psp aswell
          what the vita does can’t very well be an attempt to copy the wii-u because it was announced at the same time as the wii-u..

            1. yes apologies i mixed up the names (why do they have to be so similar x_x)
              remote play is what’s using wlan and is available on both psp and ps vita
              crossplay is what’s using bluetooth and is exclusive to the vita (and is also a name for cross dressing cosplay…great choice there sony)

      2. Reincarnated Trolls…
        Thank you for supporting Nintendo.
        We have trouble getting over 100 hits/impressions without your help.
        Thanks to your kind, we have cracked triple digits again!

      3. Wait, you’re confusing me… So it’s bad for Nintendo to make the 3DS a controller, but ok for sony to do it?

        Sounds like a double standard. Did I miss something?

    2. “I am sure Nintendo can use 3ds’s as wiiu controllers , lol . ”
      actually no
      since the 3ds lacks bluetooth which the vita has

        1. infrared is incredibly outdated tech… it might be possible to sync up a wii-u with a 3ds using infrared with a lot of disadvantages (for example line of sight between the 2 transmitters may never be broken, very limited range etc etc)
          however seeing as the wii-u (to my knowledge) lacks any kind of infrared that would be fairly of hard to achieve :)
          and why should it.. infrared is something that has only ever been useful on portable devices (and remote controls) and is now dying out since bluetooth is frankly superior in almost every respect

          i still don’t really understand why nintendo didn’t release the 3DS with bluetooth but oh well

          1. The wireless between 2 3ds’s works quickly and perfectly . But I know what you mean … And also the developer of animal crossing (that short guy who is always smiling) said ” we are looking at ways to use the 3ds as a wiiu controller yes” . So for games like Nintendo land in the future . You may have the option to use 1 gamepad and 3-4 3ds’s as controllers :)

            1. “we are looking at ways to use the 3ds as a wiiu controller yes”

              and did he state how precisely they would do that? i don’t see any way other than wlan, which would introduce way too much lag

    1. Aw, PS360 Fanboy? You realize Nintendo created every idea that will ever go into a console. Every game system that will ever use any controller all started with Nintendo. Dual Analogs, D-pads, etc. Nintendo.

      1. Thank you for service, I’m glad you got here as fast as you could. He started hitting me with his trolls and used his trolling lasers and started SHOOTING ME LIKA DOG!

        1. Dont worry , he’s just playin . His comment had no substance even if he was serious . And he was travelling under the limit of 70 trolls per hour . So I will let him off for a ticket this time

              1. My job is to get them to stop and reason with them.Reasoning with them doesn’t work because they don’t answer,so I just have to get them to stop.

          1. with a fine 700 trollos and a summons to the department of troll justice. i don’t get why most people are aferrados (spanish for stubborn) on thinking that the wii u gamepad is a tablet, new wii add-on or new console, can’t they take a hint? its a effing controller with a touchscreen and other features and stop saying nintendo will fail, why? remember what happened when patcher, his followers, and nintendo haters said about the ds, wii and 3ds? did they fail? well you tell me. vita is a complete failure, its a good looking handheld but with hardly no games, overpriced hardware and memory cards (i can get a 32gb (any form whether its reg, mini, or micro) for $15 at amazon, less maybe, stores for $20, still cheaper than the 4gb vita mem). nintendo found the butter zone for the wii u price, not too expensive, not too cheap, think Goldilocks.

  3. It’s definitely unique. So unique that even so called gaming professionals can’t see the potential of it yet. But they will. We all will. Leave luck to heaven.

    1. Its the most intimidating gaming device of all time . I am pretty sure microsoft and sony are peeing their beds scared of this thing .

      They probably think ”what can we release to stop the wiiu completely dominating the entire market , expensive graphics alone are not enough” .lol.

      1. Nintedward this time you are wrong. You know and I know, they are most likely are copying the Wii U, They might even end up making the PS4 and the Vita do the same exact thing as the Wii U, Hell they might bundle the Vita and PS4 as a controller. I could be wrong, but knowing Sony and Microsoft, Smartglass and Crossplay were not enough copying for them.

        1. This time , I am wrong nearly all the time ,lol :P .
          But seriously , I dount sony would release the ps4 with a bundled vita lol . Its actualy not a bad idea bro !!! I would buy that ! . But sony don’t have the financial muscle to pull that off .

          1. Don’t forget brains. Why do we the consumers always come up with the best ideas. I mean things that could make company’s richer than bill gates. The ideas that are brilliant that they do come up with it that don’t present it where it would sell to it’s potential, or it lacks things like originality.

            1. Your idea’s are brilliant? Have you thought about every aspect of your idea? Including:

              -Price
              -Promotion
              -Placement
              -Product

              If I put you in charge of Sony (for example). They would be dead within a week.

              1. Ha. Your funny. Look at it like this. In idea is a simple or complex thought. Ideas can be expressed and then added on. Do you think that when someone has an Idea they have every part figured out and the same exact moment. BTW Yes I do. PS4 will be cost at least twice a PS3 + vita price that would be $700. Promotion, The PS4 does what the Wii U Does! Placement Gaming Industry. The product has already been stated. I’m just thinking like sony in this comment. Next time try and understand a comment before being a smart ass ass smart.

                  1. My comment didn’t even have that many flaws, that was my comment forgot to put in my name. I put in on accident instead of an. I could go into business, I have taken many career surveys and most of them say I could be a CEO. When I reply to a dumbass comment, I will give a dumbass reply. Sorry if my Internet grammar is not up to “par” with yours.

                    1. Lol. Career surveys don’t mean jack shit. It said I would become a police officer. But now I run my own software company. Also, please explain how mine was a dumbass comment? Christ, fanboys are so unbelievably stupid.

              2. How would you even put yourself in charge of Sony. I never said my idea was brilliant, I said we the consumers come up with brilliant ideas. Even though I did say “We” that does not mean I was saying my idea was brilliant. Yes I have came up with Ideas that could make an easy million, but me being an average person I’m not capable of producing such in a timely manner. You sir are a smart ass, who needs to understand the comment before replying. SMD to the fullest.

                1. To finish this argument I would like to say if you read my comment again the only time I used brilliant is when I said :” The ideas that are brilliant that they do come up with it that don’t present it where it would sell to it’s potential, or it lacks things like originality.” Never did I say my ideas were brilliant. Or anyone else’s for that matter, they could be referring to anyone.

      2. I’m interested to see what they come up with. Nintendo’s got a good head start. I hope we don’t end up in the same situation as the Wii launch, where the consoles were sold out everywhere, cause I need to get one for Christmas. But I have a feeling we will.

        1. Already got mine Pre-ordered. I didn’t even know about the Wii until 2009. My little cousin brought his wii and Super Mario Galaxy to my aunt’s house. And I was like that’s pretty neat, and I said I’m getting a Wii for Christmas if I don’t get anything else.

    2. You sir deserve a medal. When you comment, your comments are so logical I have to read them twice to make sure I absorb what is said. Then you are so devoted at the end of every comment we get “Leave luck to heaven”. You sir are a true Nintendo fan.

        1. Agreed 100%. I thought Iwata, Reggie and I made the Triforce but I now realize the missing center piece is you Donzaloog! :D

  4. Why can’t November come faster! Hell we Americans have forgotten this November is voting month, we all remember it as Wii U launch, rather than a critical point of history. Unless you consider the Wii U,… A CRITICAL POINT IN HISTORY, yes that is what it is. It’s not only unique it’s going to fuck Sony and Microsoft in the ass, Hopefully the Wii U is enough to make Sony go bankrupt lol.

    1. Now why would you want to reduce the competition? Innovation comes from competition. Hoping for Sony to go bankrupt is just terrible.

      1. Why do you like posting negative comments towards my comments. My reasoning for this is simple:
        1. Sony goes bankrupt; less copying.
        2. Nintendo can stop being compared to Sony.
        3. Less competition more innovation. Originality can be preceded as Innovation, less competition more people will buy Nintendo products. This is innovation because if there are fewer competitors then what Nintendo makes will be seen as original because who is there to copy?

        1. Why? Because your comments are idiotic and unbelievably fanboyish.
          1. I’m pretty sure Nintendo has copied too …
          2. Nintendo have to be compared to someone ..
          3. Less competition means more innovation? Are you fucking stupid?

          1. Define Innovation.in·no·va·tion/ˌinəˈvāSHən/
            Noun:
            The action or process of innovating.
            A new method, idea, product, etc: “technological innovations”.
            Synonyms:
            novelty – newness
            So if there is no competition then everything will be new, because if there is no one who can provoke you to copy you can be original or your true self cane be exposed and you go bankrupt. You are the one being idiotic. And I’m not being a Fanboy. You realize that the controllers we have today are all copied from Nintendo, dual analogs d-pads the whole nine yards. I simply don’t like Sony because 1. Their Network is down allot. I don’t like the voice chat system. Etc.

              1. You really think you can prove me wrong. I SAID DUAL ANALOGS JACK ASS. Gawd, why are you such an idiot. You read what I type but do you understand it. I really believe your comprehension is…. Pathetic.

              2. Didn’t realize there were multiple types of Innovation. Adding one button would be innovation. I defined Innovation for you, how many company’s have a 5 action buttons? Ok then shut the fuck up.

        2. Also the fact that you want Nintendo to monopolize the market is stupid. You’re sounding a lot like Apple fanboys at the moment. If Nintendo are the only ones in the market, it doesn’t matter what they make because if people want games, they know we would could only buy there’s, MEANING less innovation would be had because Nintendo won’t have to compete.

          1. That’s where you are wrong. There is still Microsoft. You read my comments and say what ever pops in your stupid mind. To be a monopoly Nintendo would have to own everyone in the gaming industry, if I were to say both Sony and Microsoft went bankrupt, then Nintendo buys them that’s a monopoly. Microsoft would be the last company to go bankrupt…

            1. Can’t comment on your comment for some reason. You say your this software company owner but you can’t even spell realize. In my opinion you are a ignorant arrogant useless imbecile. Your quite a piece of Shovelware Tomoyo.

              1. Are you fucking stupid? In Australia it is spelt realise. Oh and is baby upset? You call me ignorant and arrogant yet you wish a company would go bankrupt potentially putting THOUSANDS out of the job. Lmao. Grow the fuck up.

                1. Mhm. If you read the way I said it,you would kind of have realized that Sony is doing bad already they are close to going bankrupt. Think maybe that is why I said I hope this is enough. A good amount of people already lost jobs from Sony…. And how am I stupid, I live in America. You can’t call someone stupid for not knowing how something is spelt in another country. Yes I did say you spelt it wrong but I did not call you stupid for that reason, and I used Ignorant anyway.

  5. I like the Gamepad, it’s cool. I wish they took the same approach with designing the Wiimote and Nunchuck and included all the traditional control inputs. The Wiimote is missing an analog stick and a trigger and some buttons, and the Dpad should be on the Nunchuck. Add two cameras and a microphone to the Wii sensor and Nintendo’s motion controllers would be close to perfection, like how the Gamepad is, perfect.

    1. 1. What continent/hemisphere do you leave on/in? 2. Do you mean next summer, like 1 year from now? 3. I’m so sorry bro, you going to miss out. Maybe me and Nintedward could keep you posted on how awesome the games are why you wait. That is when it launches, and if Nintedward agrees to that lawl.

      1. I get my black delux wiiu on midnight on the 29th November uk launch
        day . So you will have to rub the salt in his wounds if you are
        getting it on the 18th . But I will gladly rub some salt on the 30th.

        1. you f’d up annubis! How can you not play with the wii U gamepad but then when you do play with the gamepad you play with the pro controller? Unless your Goro or someone with four hands….lol

    1. I’m with you. It seems like the 18 of noviembre wants to take an assload of time to get here but look at it this way, the more time they have to fine-tune the WiiU and its games. You can’t rush awesomeness my friend.

  6. Pingback: Nintenderos.com – Wii U, 3DS, Wii, DS, Videojuegos y Consolas Nintendo | El GamePad de Wii U es un dispositivo único

  7. imagine how much less annoying it would be to play Okami on the touchscreen as opposed to the PS2/Wii versions (shoutouts to Okamiden).

    not that they should remake that game for a third time without giving credit to Clover but you know

    I’m looking forward to Pikmin 3 and etc

  8. The only reason people want to call this a tablet is b/c it has a touch screen.

    People are so cynical and narrow-minded. Think differently!

  9. I’d rather have 4 Wii U Gamepads than one Smartglass. lol I kid Xbox fans. Anyways this controller looks great and I can’t wait to see how developers take advantage of it.

    1. me too its 4 times more fun more touch screen tablet controlers are way more fun like i play games on ipad iphone lg thrill 3d phone 3ds 3ds xl can you likke monitor huricans tornados on weather channel while playing games soo you can get live alerts too take cover durring sever weather seasion

  10. Pingback: Wii U Pro Controller Lasts 80 Hours On One Charge, Doesn’t Work With Any Wii Games | My Nintendo News

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