It really worries me how much people are focusing on how they want to be able to play only on the Gamepad. If that is the feedback that gets to Nintendo and developers, they're going to take it to heart, and it would really be a negative thing for the system. Wii U is not a handheld. Why do you want it to be one?

ZombiU in particular shows how awesome the things possible can be with the second screen experience. If that second screen just becomes a copy of the main screen, it takes away the whole thing that makes this system unique and instead turns it into a handheld.

Feel free to discuss...

That's actually a pretty good point.

A selling point of the system is the Gamepad, with games like Nintendoland and ZombiU really showing off the potential for new gameplay experiences. The dual screen use obviously is the part that makes those experiences possible, while Gamepad-only pretty much takes away from that with you not using the TV and all. Could they develop with both the dual screens and generic controlled Gamepad only play in mind? Seems like a wasted effort though with the latter probably being the more preferred way of playing.

I'd much rather developers force the intended use of it every so often and to try something new personally, rather than every game having Gamepad only play. VC is much better suited for that anyways because of all past consoles only using one screen.

I don't think it should be an all-or-none situation. It's great to have games like Zombi U and Nintendo Land which use the GamePad to enhance or compliment the on-screen action, but it's also nice to have games like New Super Mario Bros. U which can be played entirely on the GamePad. What I would truly love to see, however, is for developers to put forth a little more effort and creativity and create games which support BOTH styles of play. Let's be honest, many (not all) of the things being done on the GamePad screen such as inventory management, displaying maps, status info, etc CAN be done on the main screen. So, the game should show all of that extra stuff on the GamePad when you are playing on the TV, but it should allow you to switch to the GamePad and then all of those menus, maps, etc. should then be accessed in a more traditional method such as being displayed on the HUD or using menus.

Yeah, I agree that it shouldn't be all or nothing. It's just concerning me how the question EVERYBODY seems to be asking is if they can play on the Gamepad only for every game. And if that's the feedback the companies are getting, they're gonna feel like nobody wants them to have different images on the Gamepad screen. You mention menus and item management, but it goes beyond that. The controller is basically what your character is holding in ZombiU. I love holding the controller up and looking around to scan in the game environment. Who knows how much innovation they could make with this thing?

I'm not sure the majority of Wii U owners are saying this.

Do you remember that Wii U trailer from a while back which showed so many different ways to play things? That was what I was expecting to see and we'll hopefully see more of it as the Wii U grows older; right now it's still new.

Going in hand with my first statement and like Sven pointed out, it does go far beyond just menus and stuff, although I agree that those kind of experiences should be suited for both styles of play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e3qaPg_keg

I play on the television screen. The gamepad's resolution is WEAK.

If I'm playing a game which requires the touch screen or some sort of cross screen play then I don't really want it obviously. But if it's a more traditional game or a game where the only feature is a map or simpler menu? Why wouldn't you want the feature?

Not meaning to sound rude or anything but... I don't think it really turns it into "just a handheld". At "worst" it becomes a portable console with a massive screen as far as portables go, full dual analogue and slightly better than HD era visuals. It's not your TV but it's damn cool you'd have to agree. It's like we're saying "bugger, someone's using the TV lets travel five or so years into the future and play this on the 3DS 2 XXXL instead" and your reaction is "why would you want to do that?"
:S

Maybe the next portable will be that cool. Haha...3DS 2 XXXL.

It's a home console. The gamepad is a controller. Nintendo have their own handhelds. No one would buy such games.

I have a Wii U but not a handheld games console. Many years ago I had a Game Gear. The gamepad reminds me a lot of the Game Gear and I'd love to play my old games on it again.

For what it's worth, ZombiU appears to be the highest selling 3rd party game on the Wii U. There's definitely a clear message consumers are saying with that.

Now, the off-TV support is mainly there for games that aren't going to be exclusive to the Wii U. 3rd Parties aren't going to want to make changes to their game for only one version of their game, but off-TV support is so easy that it's okay to put it in. It's for games that don't utilize features, and I doubt a company would cut features from their game just to make it something more like those on other systems unless they planned on doing so anyway.

It's not that hard to add some touch and motion controls nowadays anyway. All they have to do is assign Gamepad controls using the dev kit. It's just like how you can button map or change the HUD in your games sometimes. COD BO 2 added Wii remote controls, AND gamepad with slightly added controls. Developing these kind of features can take some work, but once they're finished, it's easy to just apply it.

I choose to watch the TV when playing games like New Super Mario Bros. U most of the time for this reason. But if someone else is watching the TV and I have the itch to stomp on Goombas, I like having the option of playing on the Gamepad.

That aside, I agree with M_Jenius and skywake. If I'm playing a more traditional game that uses the Gamepad for things I could be doing without it anyway, I would like the option of switching between TV and Gamepad and just Gamepad. But if I'm getting a really cool, innovative game like Takamaru's Ninja Castle in Nintendo Land that would be impossible to play with just the Gamepad, I really don't care if I have the option.

I agree with others on having both but I do naturally ask if a game has gemapad only support. I currently live in a house with my mom and sister and so there are many times where I want to play some of my console games but they don't want to watch, they want the TV, especially if it's an M rated game because my sister is only 12. (As you can guess Zombi U ends up being something I rarely can play but do love.) Sure, I love games that have creative use of the gamepad, but Nintendo is also marketing the feature of being able to play on just the gamepad when the television is in use and that's a feature that I can heavily use in my current living situation. I doubt developers will stick to this feature nor do I want them to, but I certainly also want a large selection of stellar games to play off the gamepad when the TV is in use. What I don't want is what The Cave did, using the gamepad to simply display the three characters in use. It hardly was creative or useful, and if the second screen isn't used to enhance the gameplay it may as well show the same thing on the screen.

Yeah I do not like it when I get a game and the Gamepad screen is only used to display whats currently on the screen. That's annoying because I'm already watching it on the big screen. At least do what most lazy developers did with the DS and turn it into a HUD/Map because that would at least take away stuff on the big screen to make the games slightly more beautiful. If players want to, they can switch to the Gamepad with the HUD on backdrop or even have the option to turn it on with the big screen. I like as much variety as I can get, as much options and I'm sure that would help out with sales as well as customer support and advertising.

I don't get the hype around being able to play solely on the gamepad either.
If I get Wii U, I know for a fact that I will never use that feature.

I agree with the OP. While I totally understand why someone needs to have the GamePad for use when the TV is not available, I don't understand the oft-heard, "I want to be able to play [INSERT RETRO TITLE] on the GamePad." Why not on your big-screen TV? I mean, to each his own, but my perception is that a great many people are only interested in playing on the GamePad.

I usually like to use my tv screen for my Wii U, as it is 1080P. But it is nice to be able to play with only the gamepad, especially when I'm doing a quick game or two before bedtime..