Topic: Is the GamePad really the attraction of the Wii U?

Thanks for checking my grammer @GameLord08!

It's true the 360 launched at about the same price, but that price was made for the tech inside the console itself only, while the gamepad probably takes 1/5 of Ninty's budget. I don't know if Microsoft made money on every console back then, but Reggie told us they were planning on making money on every wii U that sold, so there probably isn't €300 worth on tech inside the box.

The pricing isa good choice IMO though, I wouldn't have payed over €400 for my ZombiU bundle.
Can't wait for the 30th!!

No, I care less about the gamepad every day, I don't want to be stuck using it for things like first person shooters when the Wii remote & Nunchuck is much better suited for that. I already hate that you are forced to use it for Epic Mickey 2...

In the end, the games are going to be the main reason I buy a Wii U...if I buy one. The GamePad honestly looks like just one big gimmick to me.

Well I doubt the controller will be anywhere near as big a selling point as it was for wii, the new ways to play concept isn't very new now, can't imagine many people are going to look at touch screen controls as something to get all that excited about now, I imagine its biggest selling point will be what its always been its 1st party titles though I hope 3rd parties do a bit better than they did on wii, as that actually had some great 3rd party titles just they didn't always get the sales I felt they deserved like LKS for example.

To be perfectly honest, no. I'm getting a Wii U for it's games and the HD. However, I still really like the GamePad. I see a lot of gameplay innovation potential with it. Only time will tell if it changes the way we play games, though.

I just thought of something... if the new gamepad makes it possible (and it should) for me to play DS/3DS games on the Wii U then I will love it! but only if Nintendo lets me plug in my cartridge somewhere, I'm not going to buy the games over again.

I think it is a pretty important feature. The advertisement has the GamePad out front, unlike the Wii's box which had the Wii upfront. I really want the Wii U to see how developers will use it to it's fullest potential. It looks pretty fun. If it only used the Wii U Pro Controller, it wouldn't be a deal breaker though. It's still guaranteed to deliver great Nintendo games. I think the GamePad may have attracted some third party developers. That and the HD possibilities.

No, I don't think the gamepad is all that interesting, as it really is just a normal controller with a gyroscope and a touch screen in the middle. Mario games don't benefit, Zelda is better off with Wiimotion Plus, Racing games are the same on a wii-remote, and Smash Bros will play the same as on a classic controller.

The games that WILL benefit are mostly iPad ports, though first-person shooters will benefit from the reticule shake the gyro offers, and now we can finally have an RTS game on a console!

I don't think its a case of the GamePad being not interesting or not adding anything to major first party titles. I think they could do some very interesting things in Zelda and even just including the ability to see if a Red Shell is on its way would be an improvement in Mario Kart. Then there are the other games where we'll inevitably have door puzzles but we'll also get games that seem built from the ground up for that controller... like Okami for example

I think the problem is that we've seen all this before. The DS took this idea eight years ago and at this point its nothing new. That doesn't mean it's not a vast improvement or that there won't be games that really make it worth the effort it just means that it's all old now.

i lke the game pad but i getting wiiu for pikmin 3 zombiu nintendoland other games and maybe mario bros U depends if i want it or not

I would say no, since most 3rd party devs don't seem to be utilizing it.

However, I feel the gamepad offers something the other consoles won't in that it allows you to play games without using the TV, at least for games that don't really utilize it in any meaningful ways. Considering that most people live with other people, and may not have a TV per person, it's definitly a selling point. When I've told all of my friends about it, that was the part of the gamepad they liked the most. Someone playing COD while their parent/sibling does something else on TV is pretty darn cool to a lot of them, and to me as well.

Also, with the rise of Smart TVs, it seems that Nintendo is (inadvertedly) potentially saving consoles as we know them by taking it away from the TV. Smart TVs are threatening the way of consoles as we know them, and are definitely a threat to the way Sony and especially Microsoft are handling their consoles now and in the future. If the main attraction to a gaming console isn't games, many will choose a Smart TV over a game system, since all the things they're looking for are already in the TV.

Just a thought I'd like to point out. It may not prove too detrimental to the industry, but if it does, the WiiU may prove to be the most successful console this generation.

So, in a way, yes. Just not for the reasons Nintendo wants to focus on for now. But seeing as how cool a lot of people see it, it will definitely get some coverage.

The Wii U GamePad isn't just attractive for the touch screen, this is Nintendo moving back to a more "normal" classic controller design that third party developers are comfortable with. Which translates into more games for you guys.

I guess that most of the creative ideas Nintendo might apply currently and in the future with the pad are just these that you can see now on DS or 3DS. This is not new at all, it has been there for years now, dont expect to find more than what you have with the 3DS/DS except for man screen streaming taking the main game into the pad, or local multiplayer.

No. Zelda works fine with Wiimote + nunchuck.

Two things I'd like to just input here:

a. I believe comparing the functions of the GamePad to what the DS/3DS currently offer is absurd. The key point here is that the GamePad, unlike those handhelds, is a segregated component to the console - the entire functionalities of the unit are limitlessly free-form in the palm of your hand and can be used in conjunction or even overlapping what is being displayed on the main screen. You simply can't use a dual-screen handheld in the exact same way you use the GamePad, unless you rip off the bottom screen of said device. Unlikely.

The only thing that's frustrating me right now is the possible lack of ingenuity future developers for the console may display.

b. It's rather harsh to be judging the prospects of control with the GamePad when we've hardly even seen half the games we're mentioning utilise it. Prospects for the Wii's motion controls started out this way too, but look at the criticism we're using against the GamePad right now. It's unfair to judge the standards and possibilities of GamePad utilisation when we've hardly even had the console out or experienced it for ourselves. Leave the judgement to the future for now.

kthxbai.

This, the GamePad is a way for Nintendo to allow 3rd party games and stay unique and innovative.

@GameLord08
I don't think being able to move freely and independently of the "top" screen will add much. Infact looking at all of the controls from all of the games announced so far I haven't seen anything that couldn't have been done on a 3DS. Exception maybe being the Ninja Star one but only because I could see it getting pretty uncomfortable on the 3DS.

Not that I'm saying its not interesting or worth it. It's a reasonably powerful machine and it's a full HD console. The DS style of control with extra/proper analogue sticks and triggers is also a damn good way to play games. I just don't buy that we'll see drastically new styles of control. It'll be a unique in-the-box feature for HD consoles and it's something that I'll be happy to see get widespread support.... but it's not a brand new idea that we've never seen anywhere else before.

FORTUNATELY, we know Black Ops II Wii U uses MULTIPLE control options. I just hope to see that CONTINUE moving forward, but Treyarch really does seem to be above others in the control area option, and for supporting Nintendo consoles for that matter, at least with their shooters.

@skywake: Oh, I'm aware that the GamePad is nothing new. What I'm trying to say is that I think the GamePad is a rather intuitive move on Nintendo's part that still provides different prospects than that of the DS/3DS - just not at the moment, seeing as this is the beginning. Combining a range of existing technology and taking it to an upper level to integrate into console gaming will offer new ways to play if utilised correctly, while considerably keeping the costs for such a peripheral down (we hope).

As I said this is only the beginning; developers are still getting the hang of a new angle for this kind of thing. The fate of the GamePad rests solely on the imaginative limits of developers, and I hope Nintendo's the first to give the industry a few pointers as a whole.

For me the gamepad is the only reason I'm getting a Wii U , not for all the innovative features and touchscreen etc. but for the fact I'll be able to play kick-ass games anywhere in the house without having to hog the TV. It means I can game and be social exactly as Nintendo marketed it. The only big pisser for me at the moment is that most games seem to not be supporting this feature in favor adding embellishments such as weapons inventory , maps and radar etc. When I'm in front of the TV then all the cool stuff done on the pad is a bonus ... if I'm not in front of the TV then all the cool stuff done on the gamepad is useless if it means I can't play the game.
I really think Nintendo should have made playing without a TV on the gamepad mandatory and then let devs decide how they want to use a second screen where available.
I've got my Wii U on pre-order ... I did have Assasins Creed 3 pre-ordered but they haven't confirmed that it can be played away from the TV so I cancelled that and pre-ordered Bl Ops 2 instead ... basically if I can't play it on the gamepad alone I won't be buying it so for me the gamepad is the deal clincher. I already have an xbox and a PS3 that are chained to the TV

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