Topic: The answer to Nintendo's Gamepad Dilemma

Before I start, I want to stress that this is not a discussion about whether or not to remove the gamepad from a new SKU. All the reading material your heart desires can be found here: https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/wii-u/what_does_nintendo_h...

Some of you may argue that there is no dilemma, but the issue remains; hardware sales are stagnant and the biggest item of discussion is always the gamepad. After putting some thought to it, the answer now seems simple. It's not about removing the gamepad, it's simply an issue of modification. Right now, the gamepad adds significant cost to the console, somewhere in the 33% to 50% range of the total cost is from the gamepad alone. This is significant, and even though we can all agree that the gamepad brings value and differentiation to the console, Nintendo needs to be able to provide that same value at a lower price to help court the casual consumer.

What Nintendo needs to do is offer a new SKU with an updated/smaller gamepad. Not a lot of my friends own a Wii U themselves, but the first time any of them played mine, their initial reaction after holding the gamepad was always the same, something to the lines of "It's big..." Here's what needs to be done to gamepad 2.0 and why it would work for both Nintendo and consumers.

1. It's smaller. It fits in the hands better, easier for children to use, and closer to what more experienced gamers are used to from their other console controllers.
2. The screen is now smaller as well. The original 6.2" screen should be dropped down to around 4". Closer in line with what the 3DS XL has today. The screen resolution can also be dropped and still maintain the same PPI.

So those are the obvious ones, but that's not where the bulk of the cost savings comes from. That comes from removing features that are simply not needed in a budget SKU.

3. No more NFC. It just isn't used enough to warrant its inclusion. I've never used mine. I understand there may be games in the future that use it, but no one needs this functionality unless you are really into Skylanders today, in which case you already have a budget option with the Skylanders bundle.
4. No IR transmitter. Once again added cost, little value. You can always just grab the remote like you always have.
5. No Microphone
6. No Speakers (However, they should keep a headset jack in the top so that those who want to game remotely or chat during multiplayer still have the option.
7. No Camera. Once again, added cost with little value, especially for playing games.
8. Remove the charging dock port. The gamepad can simply be charged via the standard mini usb port that's on the top of the gamepad today.
9. Smaller battery. Obviously if you remove lots of the extraneous components of the gamepad and make the screen smaller, you'll be able to reduce the battery size and still maintain or even improve battery life a little bit.

Ideally, Nintendo would also package this new SKU with a smaller Wii U console, closer in line to the original Wii. They could then add the word "Slim" or "Mini" or whatever they want to the package. Bundling the new gamepad, the smaller console, a popular digital game, and setting the price at $199.99 USD would get them into a whole new market. The bundle itself would be based on the "basic" SKU with less storage and no charger dock (obviously).

Furthermore, they could sell this newer Gamepad on the retail market for $79.99. It would provide a cheaper alternative to buying a new gamepad from Nintendo if yours is lost/broken/stolen, etc. It would also be a premium option for those that would otherwise buy pro controllers for use with local multiplayer.

I think this would really work for Nintendo. What are your thoughts?

I don't think dropping the Wii U by $100 or whatever amount is going to help sales. As Reggie himself said, "It's all about the games"

so you mean a cheaper version of the Gamepad? that's actually a good idea but they don't need to remove so many features just reduce the screen make a Videogame controller looking design and a removable lid to cover the screen when not using it(for the gamepad haters) BAM best controller in the market

Making the Gamepad smaller would be more cost effective (eventually, technically speaking there's still a cost of R&D, altering the factories to make the new pads, distribution, shelf space, etc.), but I dunno if I'd want the gamepad to be smaller. The thing's light enough and comfortable enough as it is, and the font and stuff might wind up being too small for off-TV play. And yeah, you don't need to completely gut the thing. I can't imagine stuff like the microphone would be that expensive. The Wiimote has half that stuff you want to take out, and they were able to sell it for $40. You can't get a controller for much cheaper than that these days.

Just going to say (since this is GOING to be a repeat thread if Lz doesn't shut it down) the Xbox One is selling fine with that extra $100 of Kinect attached to it. And a fair amount of people don't even connect the Kinect to the system since it's not needed for gameplay.

It's not the GamePad, it's the games. It's a matter of proper implementation to show how the GamePad can change gaming as we know it. ZombiU, Lego City, and Batman Arkham City are great examples in my opinion of great GamePad implementation. And I've even become reliant on the giant map on the GamePad in Assassin's Creed III and IV since it shows more than the on-screen minimap. As for Call of Duty, dual screen local multiplayer is the future in my books.

Here's to another 35+ pages

Gonna be completely honest, when I saw Gatsby in theatres and saw this scene, I didn't quite know if my body was ready.

http://www.retrocollect.com/Articles/hot-button-topics-ninten...

I will drop this article here again.

I don't oppose the idea of a "GamePad Lite" if that could be more cost effective for Nintendo, but I don't want it to have a 4 inch screen either. Make 5 inches the bare minimum, it stills needs have that feel that you're not just playing an HD handheld. Otherwise, we might end up killing what's so good about Off-TV play. I don't think that a redesigned GamePad will solve Nintendo's problems, though. Maybe it they ended up making a redesign of the console later.
It's about the games! We need more games that show us how the GamePad can really improve the experience. Baten Kaitos 3, a Starfox game like the DS one adding a layer of strategy to the game with the touch-screen, Fire Emblem, or Battalion Wars!

may this thread bring doom back to us!!!

@RancidVomit86

Thanks for the link. A very interesting read.

I also agree that games are what can help the Wii U. It was not the 3D that sold the 3DS, it was the games. So maybe it won't be the Gamepad that will sell the Wii U, but a great collection of games.

I'll actually like the idea of a smaller, cheaper Gamepad, but still... advertising and games are bigger priorities.

Absolutely there would be development costs to do this. But for the most part, you are reusing as many existing core components as possible. And to make it easier, you could just build from the exact same design as the standard gamepad so that it looks identical, just in smaller form. I myself would really like the moderately smaller size, and I have relatively large hands. I think we get used to the size and weight, but if you go back and hold any other game controller you immediately recognize how bulky the gamepad really is. As far as the screen being too small for off TV play, millions of people play games on the 3" and 3.5" screens of the DS and 3DS. If anything 4" or 4.25" or so would be a nice step up from that experience.

In terms of gutting it, that's where all the cost savings comes in. And even though I had a pretty lengthy list of things to remove from the gamepad, none of those are really required components. In fact, almost all of them are things are rarely implemented in games. I don't think there are any budget minded consumers that wouldn't want this gamepad just because it doesn't have NFC, an IR transmitter and a Camera.

A lot of people argue that the games are the only thing that will turn around sales. For the most part, I agree. However, at this point its pretty apparent that most developers have jumped ship. If Nintendo had the capacity to crank out dozens of games each year, or had 3rd parties actively developing retail games, I would say by all means, ride it out. But the problem is that there are some pretty apparent droughts in the upcoming lineup, and Nintendo needs to look at all of its options to help increase adoption, and this concept of a Wii U slim bundle with a smaller gamepad helps solve a lot of issues.

Lastly, a lot of people continue to say that sales have nothing to do with price. I can't stress enough how important price is, HOWEVER, its not just price, but rather a combination of price and value. When a consumer determines that a product has sufficient value to warrant the price, they purchase it. In the case of the Wii U, consumers simply don't see the value as being there. Games are a huge piece of this. More games = Better value to consumers. But since game development is only partly in Nintendo's control, they need to find a way to cut hardware costs so that they can cut price. This smaller, less feature-friendly gamepad helps reduce cost without losing the real value of the gamepad (second screen experience and remote play).

Here's how I see it @Howard24U. In my admittedly very limited personal research which consists of visiting various video game sites no one is complaining about the price of the system. The main complaint i see over and over again is the lack of exciting games. Another problem I see is Nintendo has a kiddie image that will be hard to overcome to attract more core gamers. Until Nintendo "wow's" the general gaming public with game(s), a price cut from reducing features is not going to cut it.

Maybe a $249.99 Pro Controller Bundle with Mario Kart 8/Super Mario 3D World/ Smash Bros. 4/The Legend of Zelda U (Your choice, but only when those games release) would work.

Except we're talking about games built for 52" screen, not a 3" one. A game like Assassin's Creed would be nigh impossible to play because the font is bearly legible on my 30" TV.

That sounds like more of a game issue. Because if the text is barely readable on a 30" TV, then they clearly didn't develop the Wii U version of the game to play remotely on the existing 6" gamepad screen. I don't think a 1.75"-2" drop would have any real effect on playability for most games. People are very accustomed to this size, as smartphones, like the iPhone in particular, have been using 3.5" and now 4" screens for years.

There are also certain games that just aren't good to play remotely. I've found the games that work best are those with simpler graphics like NSMBU. I wouldn't be playing Mass Effect multiplayer remotely.

Well that is an idea that isn't hackneyed, stupid or flat out ignoring reality, so I'll take it.