Topic: Problem with my gamepad

Hi! Has anyone experienced this or have any advice?

For a while now, my Wii U gamepad hasn't held a charge. It had to be plugged in at all times for it to work. But now, it doesn't even work if it's plugged in. For a while, it would charge if it was standing straight up, and now it won't do that either. I can't get it to turn on at all now. I've tried multiple charging cords and it makes no difference.

Could this be a battery issue? Should I try replacing the battery? Or does it sound like the gamepad is completely dead? D: I got this Wii U on launch day...It's the white model. It's sliiightly old, but I feel like it should have survived longer than this. I saw a gamepad on amazon on sale for $135. I'm really hoping that replacing the battery would fix it since they're a lot cheaper...

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like it might be the battery. I'd replace that before doing anything else. Maybe call Nintendo tech support and see if they have seen this before.

BTW, get an official Nintendo battery (either the extended life or regular) as I've tried several third party batteries and they all suck.

Your best bet is to contact Nintendo for a repair. Doing repairs yourself will void any warrenties that you might have through Nintendo. Also third party batteries are not the way to go and by sending it in to Nintendo you can be asured it's done right with official Nintendo parts.

If it's a problem with the charging port it would still work on the charging cradle. It might be worth it to try one out and see if it charges that way. Borrow one if you can otherwise they are under $15 which is cheaper than a battery. Otherwise you likely have a dead battery. Maybe you can borrow one to test that hypothesis. If neither works you got an issue that requires professional help.

@LindsayPez The first thing I'd suggest is removing the battery, giving the inside of the Gamepad and the battery a clean then trying it again. That worked for me (several months ago and had no problems since). Sometimes the contacts get dusty or loose - and don't worry, removing the battery won't void any warranty you may have.

I would also do that first, maybe it's just the contacts.
Otherwise, Nintendo should help you.
But you could also buy a replacement battery (WUP-12) or you could take the opportunity to buy the High-Capacity battery (WUP-13), although both seem to be way more expensive in the US than here in Germany.
The charging cradle, as @blaisedinsd suggested, might also work.

But If I were you I would first try to determine whether the problem lies in the contacts of the Gamepad (put the battery out and back in, try the charging cradle) or the battery (replace it) itself. Because the exact nature of the problem determines what the right solution would be. The more effortless way would be to send it to Nintendo, but maybe you can solve it yourself more quickly instead of sending them the Gamepad and having to wait until they send it back.