Topic: Returning Nintendo player, what's the best way to start playing?

Is there a way to see what games support what controllers online?

this is for the Virtual Console, generally the bit where it's kinda complicated what is and isn't supported

BUY A WII U WITH SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD!!! That's a good start.

@MaddMatt: Basically all you need is a GamePad (for Wii U games and VC games) and a Wii Remote + Nunchuck (for Wii games (and NES Zapper games)). Like skywake said, there are some exceptions, like the Wii Fit Board for Wii Fit U for example, but I'm not sure if you're interested in those games anyway. GamePad and Wii Remote + Nunchuck should cover everything.

The Wii U Pro Controller serves as a second (third or fourth) controller for multiplayer games and it can be used as the main controller in certain Wii U games, games that don't require the GamePad screen basically. Wii U Pro Controller is also supported by most VC games. However, note that some Wii U multiplayer games also support the WiiMote (+ Nunchuck), so there's that as well.

The GameCube controller is only supported by Super Smash Bros for Wii U, but honestly it's a luxury item. Just like the Wii Classic Controller, unless you really want to play some Wii games with a more regular controller, but most require the Wii Remote. You can always look up the games you want to play and see what controllers are supported. It can get quite complicated sometimes.

@Octane

Thank you so much, that is really clear. I can't thank everyone enough

You know, I bet it would be really epic if you bought some of the best Nintendo games of all time on the Wii U virtual console, played them in order of when they were released, and then tried some new stuff.
You could go like...
Mega Man 2 / Super Mario Bros 3 / Legend of Zelda
Super Mario World / Zelda Link to the Past / Super Metroid / Earthbound
Super Mario 64 / Zelda Ocarina of Time / Paper Mario
Metroid Fusion / Golden Sun / Mario & Luigi Super Star Saga
Mario Kart DS / New Super Mario Bros
Of course, I doubt you have the time to play through allllllll of those in order... But still I highly recommend catching up via the virtual console. There are plenty of other great games on the VC to look for, but these were some of the best for their time.

@-Godot

Yeah for example I'd like to get all the Mario Bros. games and play them in order, awesome idea! Can you organise games in order like that?

@MaddMatt: Sure! If you want all of them... that's a lot of games though. I'll just avoid some of meh-ish ones and focus on the Virtual Console. There's...
NES: $4.99
1981: Donkey Kong *
1983: Donkey Kong Jr.
1983: Mario Bros *
1985: Super Mario Bros ****
1985: Wrecking Crew
1986: Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels **
1988: Super Mario Bros 2 ***
1988: Super Mario Bros 3 *****
1991: Mario & Yoshi
1993: Wario's Woods *
SNES: $7.99
1990: Super Mario World *****
1992: Super Mario Kart ****
1994: Donkey Kong Country ****
1995: Mario's Super Picross **
1995: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest ****
1996: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble ***
N64: $9.99
1996: Super Mario 64 *****
1999: Donkey Kong 64 **
1999: Mario Golf **
2000: Paper Mario *****
GBA: $6.99
2001: Wario Land 4 ***
2002: Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island ****
2003: Mario & Luigi Super Star Saga ****
2004: Mario vs. Donkey Kong **
2004: Mario Golf: Advance Tour **
2005: Mario Party Advance
I placed between zero and 5 asterisks to show which ones are most commonly well recieved, and should be bought first if you want to. I tried to involve my personal opinion as little as possible. Some of these games do not adhere to the typical "run and jump Mario platformer" formula you may be familiar with. However some of these spin-off titles have been very well recieved and recieved a good amount of asterisks regardless.
Whoa, sorry if I went a little overboard there...
I recommend you buy the four and five star games, but the other games are great too if you have enough money to buy them. I also highly recommend you look into other stellar VC games such as Super Metroid, Earthbound, and the Zelda series.
Good look checking out the history and evolution of Nintendo through the Virtual Console!

@-Godot

Dude, you are a legend! This is exactly what I needed! Those prices are each right? LOL wishful thinking if it was for the pack haha.

So if I get the older games, can you arrange them in any order? Like how you just listed them?

Also are the Wii U games on the eShop more expensive then the physical copies? I wanted to go all digital but if the eShop price is too expensive I might not be able to

P.S. Putting down a deposit tomorrow for my Wii U and will get it within 1-2 weeks, super hyped! Will give me time to sort out my gaming lists and stuff too

Yup

Well once you've downloaded them, you can organize them in any order you want on the home screen by holding the game's Icon (or downloading them in chronological order). You can even make folders designated for specific years or systems.

Well, you can download most retail games on the eShop for the same price as retail, but be careful, the Black Wii U only holds 32 GB storage, and the White model holds 8 GB. I would recommend buying most full-price games as physical copies, since they are discounted more often, and you can typically buy them off a place such as eBay for much cheaper than the price you would have.

Awesome! Good luck with your purchases.
Also, along with retail and Virtual Console games, the Wii U has a good number of great Indie games available for download, usually for prices between 10 and 15 dollars. Some examples of awesome Wii U indie games are Shovel Knight, Guacamelee, and Bit Trip Runner 2. I recommend you check these out as well.
Oh yeah, here's a link to the website Metacritic...
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/wi...
It takes the aggregate critic review score of all Wii U games (not including virtual console) and ranks them from highest to lowest. This is a great way to look up the general reception of games for the Wii U and other systems.
Have fun with your new Wii U!

This is a really weird question. You state that you are aware what the current home console is, what the next home console is, and what the handheld is. Then you say what are your options...

Well, since every single video game company releases one home console at a time and one handheld at a time... What are you asking?

Your question talked about systems, not games. Sorry to be mean, just confused by your question.

So, anyways, I sold my Wii U a while ago and am waiting for Zelda to decide if I'm getting another one or an NX. If it comes out for just NX or both, then I just get an NX. If it only comes out for Wii U, then I get a Wii u for Zelda and an NX day 1 as I always get Nintendo consoles day 1!