I would be ok with ditching Gamecube controllers if all the other issues get addressed, like VC being played off the Wii U main screen, VC games being downloadable through the eShop, etc. I'm pretty sure this will hapen eventually, but at the moment I can wait to purchase a Wii U.

I hope they'll update it, but at the same time I could see how it wouldn't work as great for some Wii games on the Game Pad...it would be kinda, well, awkward playing Metroid Prime Trilogy on there, for example. xD

Well I imagine if they did update it (and that's a big if, knowing Nintendo) that playing on the Gamepad would be optional.

Well, yeah. But you could still play it on the tv, so I don't see why they should not allow Wii games to be display on the gamepad just because it would be kinda awkward to play a few games on it. Plus, you could set the gamepad somewhere and point at it with a wii remote, but I don't know who would just the gamepad over the tv in that scenario. It would be awesome to play the original gamecube versions on the gamepad, though, assuming the Wii U VC gets those games.

They'd have to patch the game. An update cannot do that. Gamepad support won't happen for Wii games. VC's still somewhat doable

Wow you must be reading my mind I think of this everyday at work along with other stuff Nintendo should do (too bad my work isn't Nintendo HQ....)

There's always the possibility of USB->GC controller port.

Or a third party controller made to resemble the gamecube controller.

Yes, but you didn't have a separate GameCube menu to go through like you do with Wii. Unlike Wii, Wii U has a proper operating system, so some kind of improvements should be possible.

It's pretty clear that they went with the present solution to ensure maximum backwards-compatibility. I doubt the Wii Channel will ever go away, however I could see a time when you have the option to move Wii channels into the Wii U homepage just like you can import Miis from your Wii channel. My biggest request for a short-term improvement would be the ability to either increase Wii Channel storage or use free system storage as a virtual SD card so as to allow for more Wii downloads without actually storing them on SD cards. I don't use any of the space on my basic unit because I have a hard drive, so that's over 3GB unused - no reason I can see for font using it for WiiWare and Virtual Console purchases from my Wii!

Also they need to fix the resolution when you play a Wii game, because is annoying to change resolution to 450p if you want a quality image in Wii mode.