Does anybody know if we will be able to play Wii games via the gamepad whilst someone is watching TV?

Most likely...it better do this, lol.

I wouldn't wanna play a motion control game on a smaller screen.

Most Wii games don't have much motion control anyway or at least have the option to avoid it. I don't think I'd ever want to play Skyward Sword or Wii Sports Resort with the GamePad but anything with Classic Controller support could work very well if you can use the buttons on the GamePad itself. Actually anything that doesn't require you to swing the Wii Remote or use the pointer would work well enough.

Could see putting the GamePad in a stand and using a WiiMote as the best way to play something like Rhythm Heaven, Art style Orbient or most of the Bit Trip Games. I could see holding the controller to play VC games, Dual Stick shooters or Mario Kart Wii online being equally as awesome.

I look forward to sticking the sensor bar on my Wii U Gamepad.

It's almost as likely as Reggie showing up to the Wii U launch wearing Ness's outfit and announcing a new Mother game that everyone suddenly thinks is happening while floating noiselessly to the moon.

@OlympicCho
It's built in....... but I'm not sure how practical it will be.........

There's a sensor bar built into the Wii U Game Pad?

That seems... strange to me.

Is the sensor strip specifically for motion input, though? Or is it for communicating with the Wii U base console?

I always assumed the latter. It strikes me as insane to expect the Wii U game pad to accept WiiMote input.

Do you remember the Golf demo? Where they put the Gamepad on the floor and used the Wiimote as the club?

Good point.

Colour me surprised/ impressed.

I don't see why the gamepad would need a sensor strip to connect with the base console. I'm pretty sure it's for setting the gamepad upright and being able to point the wii remote at it. Like one of their patents showed dragging from the tv and dropping onto the gamepad. Or one player pointing at the tv and the other at the gamepad.

But, Wii Sorts golf had the same thing. Unless I'm wrong (which I may be) all the Gamepad did was show the ball on the course. I think in the video they showed it was in the sand.

EDIT: Yep, I was right. A new view.

Yeah but this time, when they talked about it in the interview it said you could precisely hit it at an angle depending on where you hit the ball.

Oh that is cool. I haven't heard anything about it, was it in the US Nintendo direct or another thing?

I will see if I can find it. Maybe it wasn't even an interview... I think it was a video on the Nintendo Channel from when they first showed the Wii U. They were talking about the controller and stuff they would be able to do with it. Well it is still technically an interview.

Can I just point out that "Sensor Bar" is probably the most misleading name for the sensor bar. Would make more sense to call it a Tag or beacon... or something.

ysthis was already confirmed:)

Cool info there, thanks everyone. I know that not all Wii games have "waggle" controls but the idea of playing some of the games that only really require normal joystick input is what I wad wondering about and the vc games too. It's just that I heard a rumour that the Wii U would have a Wii mode that would be used to play Wii games and that wouldn't allow gamepad use, how true this is though I don't know so thought I would ask the question.