Topic: Gamepad-Only Gaming

I found a neat way to use the gamepad. Sometimes I just play on the gamepad and watch a TV show at the same time. It's nifty for catching up on my favorite shows. Anyone else done this?

That's exactly the way it's intended to be used! Except you probably mean you play during commercials, right? It would be pretty hard to keep your focus on a game and a show at the same time. Also the TVii feature seems like it would be useful. I rarely ever watch TV but I'm sure I would use it if I did

Yup, I’ve done it……….

It’s even worse when you periodically check your phone or Ipad thats lying next to you, as you play on the gamepad with the TV on at the same time.

……society is doomed……..

If it wasn’t for the somewhat washed out look of the colors on the Wii U gamepad, in comparison to say a modern LED TV,.....I would just use the gamepad solely.

I'm still kinda hoping Nintendo someday releases a high-end optional gamepad with an OLED screen or something.

Yea, during commercials. I usually time myself to see if I can complete a Mario bros stage before the show comes back on. Very fun

Lol yea. I rarely ever use my phone unless for family reasons. How do people get so addicted to those things?

It does look a bit strange. But still better than playing a cheaply made mobile game on a tablet or something. Ooh I can throw birds at pigs? Wow, I'm bored already!

I don't know if there is an American equivalent but I really enjoy playing simple little games while the cricket is on. It's the best. For those of you who aren't aware Cricket is a game that goes on for five days and very occasionally something really interesting happens. People getting out, which happens about 40 times over those five days, or people close to getting out. So usually you're just playing the game and then look up whenever you hear cheering or a loud crack from the bat hitting the ball. For some understanding you're sitting there with this on the TV while playing Mario or something... then this starts and you pause at about what would be maybe 1min in....

I've heard of the sport. Theres actually a local cricket club nearby I think.

TBH I just wanted an excuse to share that clip. Purely for the English users on this site.

Yeah, as an American, cricket has always seemed universally unappealing, on the other hand, I played left prop in rugby during my high school years, which I enjoyed. I remember EA actually releasing a rugby game back in the early 2000’s for the Xbox.........I'm pretty sure it was superior to Ashes Cricket 2013.

I do this when my wife is watvhing something. I really wish they would release a connection extender since the gamepad cuts out right as
Go through my bedroom door.

Same here. I play on the Gamepad more often than not while my wife watches something else on TV. Just recently though, she discovered that she could watch old episodes of Scandal on Netflix using the Wii U, so that has kept the system occupied. Hopefully I can reclaim it soon.

I have the same problem with the connection too. It is so frustratingly close to reaching my bed, but just doesn't quite make it.

Eh, I don't care for sports games anyways. Plus the sports I actually follow (Cricket and AFL) usually get pretty average games because of the smaller market. I think one of my favourite sports games when I was a kid was an Ice Hockey game on the SNES. There's no ice here ever let alone a sport based on it.

Cricket itself though, you don't know what you're missing out on. Hard to describe what the appeal is without making it sound incredibly boring. What it is though is days of nothing with a score ticking over that one team has to build and the other then chase. Then at any moment the game can turn. In a way it's kinda like Animal Crossing, fantastic if you're into it but impossible to explain to someone who isn't.

Just watched Waking Ned Divine and played 3D World on the gamepad during it tonight. Love off-tv.

As for the cricket discussion [youtube:KQ3mdrQeTHE]

As for the topic at hand, I love off TV play. I typically use it to continue my game in different places such as sitting outside on the porch, also it's handy with Netflix when say I want to go make something to eat and will bring the gamepad with me to continue watching.

This is the only way I watch sports or play sports games, nowadays. Right before Rodgers bombed one to Cobb on 4th and 8, I just hit a new high score in Zen Pinball 2. That's how we do 'em.