Topic: Recommendations for which console and accessories

Hello,

I have been to Best Buy, Walmart, Target and Toys R Us. I have been trying to get a few questions about the WII U answered, but it doesn't seem like that many sales people are familiar with this console as opposed to the playstation or xbox ones.

So... here goes

I'd like to buy a Wii U for my kids for Christmas. They are elementary school aged and I like how many more kid friendly games there are on the Wii U and also I like the old school characters and games.

So, what accessories do I really need? Can I get a console with one gamepad and then buy another one gamepad so that each kid can have their own for independent play? I'm not sure if that's totally how it works. Also, if I can't have two gamepads connected at the same time, then what accessories should I buy? Is there one remote that can also control nunchuck and steering wheel features? I'm just confused as to what I need to buy. I'd rather not have 3 different accessories if one can do it all.

Thanks!
~Marie

Unfortunately, only one Gamepad can be used at a time.

A Wii U Pro Controller (not to be confused with the Classic Controller Pro) will do everything else for Wii U games, but neither it nor the Gamepad will work if you're playing Wii games. You will need Wii accessories to play Wii games, and that includes any digital games you have in Wii mode.

The Wii Remote Plus is the standard Wii accessory. It's also the "hub" for all other accessories. Most games will either work with or outright require a Nunchuk to go with it. This plugs into the bottom of the Wii Remote to work as one controller. You can also plug in a Classic Controller Pro (aforementioned, not to be confused with Wii U Pro Controller) to the bottom of the Wii remote for a more traditional control style in Wii mode. All three of these controller set ups, the Wii Remote by itself, the Wii Remote + Nunchuk, and the Classic Controller Pro, are compatible with the Wii U as well. For both Wii and Wii U games though, different games allow different controllers. The back of the box will tell you which set up is available.

If that's all confusing, you'll be fine with just the Gamepad that comes with the Wii U and an extra Wii U Pro Controller (or 2, depending on how many kids you have). You don't need a remote or all those Wii accessories to play Wii U games.

As for the steering wheel, it's actually just a plastic grip for the Wii Remote. It's not electronic and doesn't interact with the machine. Its purpose is just to make it feel like you're holding a real steering wheel.

There are lots of titles, but please make sure to aim for the quality titles. (There are lots of bad titles that aims purely at small kids.)

Quality kid-friendly titles would include:

• Mario Kart 8
• Super Mario 3D World
• Rayman Legends
• Pikmin 3 (if the kids are not too young)
• Zelda Wind Waker HD (if the kids are not too young)
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Wii Sports Club for Wii U
• Lego City: Undercover
• Lots of other Lego games...
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (most likely a quality title, arriving at Dec 05 in the US)
• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (also most likely a quality title, arriving at Feb 13th 2015 in the US)
• Pushmo World (a cheaper title available on the eShop)
• Art of Balance (also a cheaper title on the eShop)

For older children, Super Smash Bros U would also be a must.

Please note that the Wii U is compatible with all Wii games (you need a Wiimote Plus for it), which have zillion titles (although, there are lots of bad ones). If I would recommend one single Wii title for kids to really have, it would be Kirby's Epic Yarn.

You can only play with one Gamepad on the Wii U. Buy as many secondary controllers as you would like to play in a game at the same time (max for most games are 4, but some games supports more). One of them should probably be a Wiimote Plus, to be able to play Wii games. It's the Wiimote that you put inside the steering wheel for Mario Kart.

The nunchuck is connected to the Wiimote, but it's not really required for Wii U games. The nunchuck is required for a number of Wii games, though.

Most Wii U games support the Wiimote as well, but the best secondary controller for Wii U games is the Wii U Pro Controller. (The Pro Controller doesn't work for Wii games tough.)

What accessories you will want will depend on what software you are using.

There is the backlog of Wii accessories that are often compatible with Wii U games and are required for backwards compatibility with the Wii system. If you had a Wii you probably already have plenty of these primarily being the Wii remote controller and often supplemented by it's nunchuck. There is also the classic controller which is no longer sold new and was primarily used to play old virtual console games. ( there are two seperate virtual console services the Wii version and the Wii U verstion which have different software catalogs). The Wii Fit balance board is also compatible primarily for the new and old Wii Fit. All of these accessories are sometimes compatible with Wii U games too, primarily for multiplayer. It depends on the game.

For Wii U software you have only the gamepad that comes with the system and the Wii U pro controller. If you are only going to be interested in Wii U software the pro controller will be your primary accessory. It can usually be used instead of the gamepad if your playing a game that you don't really care for the large bulky touchscreen controller and is used for multi player games as extra controllers.

The best answer to this thread is based on which games you plan on picking up and how many players you want to be able to support.

Multi-player Wii U games I have all support pretty much all controllers these days. Nintendoland and Wii Sports Club are the main Wii U games I can think of that you need the Wii mote (and sometimes nunchuck) for. Mario Games (New Super Mario Bros U, Super Mario 3D world, Mario kart) support all controllers.

Thanks so much for all your detailed responses! It has been very helpful reading through these I definitely will go with the wii u pro controller. I think that's the one size fits all (for the most part) that I was hoping for. Thanks for the game recommendations too! You have all been very helpful and I appreciate it

~marie