Soapbox: Nintendo Was Wrong To Turn Its Back On The Wii Remote

Definitely wish it was more centered on the Wiimote. Also could have done better if they somehow improved it and make it a lot more cooler with some new features.

Im happy to be done with the wiimote. It had its place(and so did motion control), but Im more content pressing buttons. I barely ever use the gamepad these days.

The Wiimote was terrible. Not having a recharge station, the nunchuck attachment, and decreased number of buttons are all bad. The GamePad did everything right.

The wii-mote was the single biggest reason that I didn't buy many Wii games and I played Xbox 360 more last generation than Nintendo. The controls felt imprecise and was not very enjoyable. The fact that Nintendo moved away from the Wii-mote is what kept my business, and I think Nintendo understands there is a large amount of people who agree because of how they treated the remake of Twilight Princess. I hope the wii-mote stays gone or at most becomes one of many options to control a game with in the future.

Some games, like Trauma Center, had good motion controls. In Ss I had problem with Deku Babas and had to recalibrate almost every day.
I'll be sad to see the gamepad go, though. Its use in XCX and showing maps in others (and off tv game!) is awesome!

I'm not a fan of motion controls. I probably wouldn't have bought a Wii U if it was just Wii HD....Gamepad is definitely preferred to the wiimote for me.

The only thing holding me back of using my wii remote is that it does not come with a rechargeable battery (im tired of purchasing aa batteries and the rechargeable stopped working )

Combat was the best thing about Skyward Sword...I'm still hoping they will some day make a new motion control Zelda game

I'm still upset the TP HD remaster didn't include an option to waggle (yes I love the waggle, since the updated controls have a delay anyway, why not give us waggle as an option)

People who say combat sucked in Skyward Sword didn't have the right set-up, never played the game or used the Motion Plus or were too lazy to read the manual or set the sensor bar the right way.
I had ZERO problems using motion controls in SS, it worked perfectly.
I just didn't like some parts of the rest of the game But combat was AMAZING.

I'm glad they moved on from the wiimote, it was the main reason for me not bonding with the original Wii. I found they were never accurate enough and were horribly shaped. Give me the gamepad anyday.

I liked being able to play with my hands further apart on the Wii. It was a new level of comfort. The placements of the buttons 1 and 2 were pretty terrible though.

Nintendo made one of the best controllers ever and let it die a horrible death. Considering how eager they have been to make terrible games and how little content Wii U has, it's amazing they didn't just 'motion plus' loads of classic games.

They could have made the definitive version of a bowling, baseball, tennis or golf game but instead chose to do half jobs on loads of potentially good games.

The biggest problem with the Wii Remote was that it didn't have gyro; they fixed this with the Wii MotionPlus but by doing so practically made the pointing mechanic superfluous for gameplay, other than for picking things in menus. So then the only thing the Wii Remote had going for it was that wiggly pointer which resembled a hand. So what's the next step... to make that wiggly virtual hand your actual hand, and keep the gyro. The gamepad IS a progression though it is not obvious at first glance and the gyro motion controls for the gamepad are fantastic

It got to the point that I hated using the Wiimote, some games used it well but because the system didn't have a real controller to fall back on motion controls were forced into every scenario. As an extra device it could have been more appealing long term, I just didn't like using it all the time. I believe there is a future in motion controls and with VR in particular as long as it's to create new experiences rather than replacing a button press with a waggle

See when I think about it, the gamepad barely ever adds something new to the table. It's almost problematic to use two screens at own. Take Mario Maker for example when you make a level you have to look down at the gamepad instead of your TV. The wii remote was genius because you didn't have to do that, you could point it at the TV. Improving on the wii remote could be a good idea for Nintendo.

@abbyhitter The gamepad was obnoxiously large and the d-pad was way oversized.

@AyeHaley Agreed! For all of its faults Skyward Sword did have a great combat system. For me its easily the best thing about the game.

I fully agree, but I've always loved the wiimotes. They're games that are better with a wiimote, some better with a gamepad & others better with a traditional controller. I hope Nintendo gives us full controller options, rather than dictate which one we should use, going forward.

I can no longer play any golf games, unless it has a wiimote! And with Zelda, it's obvious it needs that option permanently. Too bad the Big N appears to be going another direction, but they must respond to the market's demands and preferences.

Shake to preform an action was one of the worst ideas in console gaming. Just wanted to get that out there.

I wouldn't have liked the Wii U as much if the Wii Remote was still the main input device. Most games used motion controls for functions that would've worked better with buttons, which often made it a pure gimmick. The pointer functionality was the only part of it that was genuinely useful.

The Gamepad is far more flexible, since it includes a regular controller button layout in addition to the touch screen. The extra buttons allowed more complex games to be developed for it. The Gamepad's numerous buttons and less familiar shape did make the console less accessible to the casual audience, which likely played a role in the Wii U's poor sales.

No Wiimote. No gamepad. Just a standard Xbox 360 style controller would be great. But Nintendo won't give us a traditional controller

The Wiimote sometimes has good uses, but most of the time I found the motion controls to be excessive and get in the way of the game.

The problem is that all casuals migrated to tablets/Smartphones/Facebook games. And i don't see how to get this public back, since almost everyone has one of this devices. BUT now Nintendo can win on both sides, they can cater the core gamers with their consoles and do the same with casuals with their Table/Smartphone games. The best part is that this games will help Nintendo to be mainstream again (especialy with the kids), i can see somebody liking a Mario game on their smartphone and buying a NX to get a deeper experience. (sorry for my english).

I don't think the NX will break away from motion controls, but rather the multitude of diffrerent controllers in the Wii family. I think the NX will support 2 controllers: the standalone handheld with a screen, and a beefed up version of the Wii U Pro, with motion controls and NFC and probably those new shoulder buttons, so games like Splatoon can actually work and amiibo functionality like in Mario Party 10 amiibo Party mode can see its full potential.

I don't miss it personally as the controller itself never felt "right" when I played games using it. I don't know what it was but something was just off about the device and it didn't give me the feeling of being in complete control of what happens on screen like the systems before it did. I am okay with it being buried to be honest, though keeping it as an additional option is fine with me but I think that if the NX isn't backwards compatible, which I have a feeling that it won't be, then that may not be an option either.

@antdickens I was just about to type the same three words!

OK, here's my expanded response to this topic:

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/03/24/why-did-nintendo-largely-abandon-the-wii-remote/

Seeing as what I had to say was really too long for a single comment (you'll understand when you see just how many frikin' video links I added).

People bought the idea but it was executed poorly. The 1 to 1 motion that always works is the only way to do it right.

I would love a new motion controller based console, but offering a more generic control method for developers would also be good.

This is so far off base.... Down with the waggle!

I miss the Wii Remote. Netflix on the Wii was the best since you could just point at what you wanted. I don't mind motion controls in general, but it relied too much on the developer putting in the effort to make sure it worked well. Okami had surprisingly imprecise controls, although that release does have an aura of sloppiness e.g. using an IGN watermarked image of the cover art.

The Wiimote was used well in Zelda TP, Wii Sports and a handful of other games. The problem with the Wiimote was when they forced it in the dumbest possible ways. The UX was bad for the Wii Menu, Zelda SS and even Punch Out's main screen. Why do I have to point the remote at the screen to select options? There is a Dpad damnit!

To be honest the Gamepad & Wii U Pro Controllers are vastly better in my opinion, the biggest bane to the Wii U is the fact that Nintendo decided to turn it into a 2D platforming machine, which hardly showcases its power and doesn't give gamers who aren't diehard platforming fans much of a reason to purchase the console.

I just want more games that use the gamepad in fun ways.

None of the options reflect how I feel about the Wii remote so I didn't vote. I think the Wii remote should still be used, but only with specific games. I would have loved to see a new Wii Sports on the Wii U (Club doesn't count) or something along those lines.

I found the Wii Remote + Nunchuk controls to be very comfortable for Super Mario Galaxy and the two Zelda games. Being able to hold your arms apart just felt very natural.

The cord is what kills me though. The complexity would be high, but I'd love to see a "detachable halves" cordless controller in the future. Or even a "use two" type option.

We should have had the gamepad without the screen.

The Wii's controller was OK for a few games. But having to turn it horizontally to use it as a normal controller did not work very well.

Nintendo seem more interested in the controller, offering more innovative ways to play games, but games should come first. The gamepad proves this. It is now being used as a third console to play old games from old handheld devices.

I think Nintendo should make a new Wii remote for the NX. The current Wii remote is extremely inaccurate and glitches a lot, with current technology Nintendo can make an almost perfect Wii remote that rarely (if ever) needs to be calibrated, and maybe a wireless nunchuck as well. Imagine a Wii remote with a control stick for better camera control, or maybe (kinda going out of the box here, but) a VR Metroid Prime game that puts you in the Metroid universe, and you can control the camera by moving your head around and aim precisely with the new, more accurate Wii remote.

Wii mote had it´s moments but I´m glad Nintendo moved towards more traditional controller, even if that meant a giant screen in it. I prefer the the way motion controls are used now for example in Splatoon.

The article is good but your examples are lacking. There are many good examples that use Wii motion beautifully. From Force Unleashed, to MadWorld to those Boom Blox games to No More Heroes to Red Steel 2, to the Zack & Wiki, to that underrated Indiana Jones game and the accompanied Fate of Atlantis, the shooters, there are really dozens.

@Yorumi Uh...I'd hardly call a mouse a superior motion control method...I can't stand mouse controls for games, it's even worse than keyboard controls, so yeah the Wii Mote is at least usable for me. I know that it might be different for every person, but flat-out calling a mouse superior to the Wii Mote is just an opinion not a fact.

As a gamer, I cant say the Wii Remote was my favorite controller, but there's no denying the accessibility to a casual audience a remote control has. If only they implemented the Universal TV Remote features the Gamepad has into the Wii Remote, it would be even more useful.

Ner. They'd pretty much done everthing with it they were going to with it. Maybe if virtual reality takes off properly, they'll get another shot at it.
But I think the fact that quite a few of the best Wii games barely used motion controls says it all. Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Xenoblade Chronicles. No motion control needed for any of them.

I like the old controls for some games that make sense with it, but clearly giving up and not using the Wii remote really felt like a step back for me.

Seriously, how much cooler would it be in a game like wind waker hd that you could move the sword like in skyward sword, and actually conduct the wind waker using the remote.

It's like being handed the coolest tech to make you feel more into the game, just to be taken away and given something old again -_-

I liked the wii mote but it was clear it was time to move on.

With better technology, comes improved control... Oh well. Nintendo tends to poop on potential nowadays, anyway.

Nintendo was also wrong making the tablet the main feature of their console and locking out basic features for other controllers and forcing us to use it when its not necessary or helpful.

@Jimmy_G_Buckets the hell is the Pro Controller then?

Yes, i couldnt agree more with this article. Remote controls gave me, and many with me, back the pleasure in gaming. Hope it will come back in some fashion.

As someone who has a wrist condition that makes playing with motion controls a painful experience, the Wii remote was a barrier that kept me from enjoying many games I would have otherwise enjoyed with a proper control scheme. I'm personally glad it has fallen by the wayside.

I loved the Wiimote and nun chuck set up. It was comfortable to me and very versatile. I used it for many games even when motion wasn't a feature. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, etc.
I think they should have launched the Wii U with a better name, like The Wii 2 or something as simple as Wii Next or something that more clearly indicated that it was new (yet backwards compatible with Wii software).
Then I would have included a Wiimote Plus and nun chuck along with the Gamepad. Or scrapped the pad altogether and included a pro controller to show core gamers that it wasn't only a motion control system.
I would have supported Wii controllers for backwards compatibility, but require a Wiimote Plus controller or add on for all Wii 2 games so that going forward you know all Wii 2 owners have the same controller capabilities. That way developers making a game with motion controls know the install base has the 1:1 functionality.
I honestly think if they dropped the Control Pad, doubled down on Motion Plus 1:1 controls while exercising some 3rd Party quality control then making sure they upped their online game and graphics they would have done better business.
Just my thoughts of course.

Honestly, I just want Nintendo to keep the functionality of both, the Wiimotes and Gamepad, with the NX and do a Wiimote-centered game that fits well once in a few moons.. Kinda like Skyward Sword, and yes, I do realize the Motion controls were one of the most critized aspects of SS but personally and I will defend this point till my dying breathe, it lead to some of the most and interesting Zelda puzzles in years. Just don't force its usage into a game. With the NX, Nintendo should have a normal controller and give us the options to use Wiimotes and/or Gamepads from time to time.

The gamepad also could have provided a nice Metroid experience but I understand the argument of immediacy with simply raising the dominant hand to the TV.

I bought a Wii U on launch day. I walked in upon the store opening and checked out the demo kiosk. I was immediately unimpressed with the set up and the overbearing design of the gamepad. Of course I bought it and was excited to do so because the concept was excellent to me. But I knew then on launch day that if I was unimpressed and concerned by the likeness the console station had to the Wii, then more casual crowds would walk on by, and so they did, even many Nintendo fans for the first year and some.

Wii branding was so strong in the late 10s that Nintendo were forced into implementing the Wii remote when ever possible. This lack of uniqueness way have affected the Wii U. To me the whole system (which I love) feels some what rushed. The gampad just needed a little longer to distance itself from the remote and the iPad generation that took the world by storm. For me it is the right time to move on but with the fondest memories

The biggest problem I see with the Wii Remote is that you have two flavors, the original Wii Remote and the MotionPlus variety. The later is an excellent controller capable of excellent 1:1 motion control. The problem being that to use motion controls in game and at the same time backwards supporting the legacy original Wii remote there is functionality that is missing. I understand that with games like Twilight Princess HD you have a limited development cycle and have to choose between control options. For that game everyone has the GamePad, but some won't have Wii remotes. For that reason you can't default to the Wii remote controls and it would have needed to be a secondary control scheme. But then you have to mirror the screen like was done on the Wii version to have Link right handed and then text and direction on screen would require rework as well.

Had Nintendo chosen to release the Wii U with the GamePad as an optional device it would have had a low adoption rate. The GamePad is great, and it's hard to imagine the Wii U without it, but it's also interesting to think what could have been. Had the Wii U released with a simple Wii remote and nunchuck the Wii U hardware could have been slightly more powerful, or just cheaper. I love games like Wii Party U and Nintendo Land that make great use of the GamePad, and I can't help but think that though underdeveloped for, the GamePad makes the Wii U what it is.

Motion controls are bad and your opinion is bad.

Seriously, gimmicks are stupid. We just need a normal controller and good games. Gimmicks get in the way of well designed games. Skyward Sword was a mess, just like every other game on the Wii. I want to feel buttons, not move a controller through the air. Gaming is about being comfortable and relaxed, not stressed and moving all over the place. I exercise when I want, you know, exercise.

@Damo
I agree with you how awesome the Wii remote is especially on Skyward Sword, Wii Sports Club and Metroid Prime trilogy.

As for the gamepad, I love the gyro controls. In fact I can't stand any game that doesn't use gyro for aiming. One big reason why I chose the Wii U over the PS4. It's either gyro, or I'll just play with mouse/keyboard on my gaming laptop.

I did not enjoy the Wiimote nearly as much as reagular controls. It was a strange setup and had less buttons to work with, the waggle was imprecise and the wii motion plus could only really be used to its full potential in very limited and specific circumstances. The only time I ever thought the wiimote enhanced my gameplay experience was in the Super Mario Galaxy games, where the pointer picked up starbits. Even the spin attack could have been relegated to a button press on a normal controller.

@Damo You could follow this up with a 'Top Ten Motion-Control Moments' or round table discussion about the Wii remote.

Top three that come to my mind are the effortless headshots with the pointer in Resident Evil 4, strangling and headbutting in The Godfather and of course using the sword in Skyward Sword (though with that one you really need to get into the habit of tapping down on the d-pad every so often to keep your sword straight, much like tapping Y to re-center the camera in Splatoon).

I love the Wii Motion Plus AND the GamePad.
Skyward Sword was such an amazing experience, but my son and I have had almost as much fun doing the Zelda game in Nintendo Land and it also uses Wii Motion Plus for the sword combat (yes it's missing the ninchuk analog stick so you can't control walking, but for my 4 year old son it's probably better that way)
I LOVE the gamepad too between Asymmetric gameplay (think Murphy in Rayman Legends or co-op in Hyrule Warriors or all the multiplayer games in Nintendo Land, to multiplayer battle in Sonic Racing) and I love off-TV play and I love the gyro aiming in Splatoon and Wind Waker along with the usefulness in Xenoblade X and Wind Waker for maps and configurations and tools. I LOVE that they used both (although I wish 1 of the 3 Zelda games on Wii U had Skyward Sword controls obviously Twilight Princess or Zelda U makes more sense, but neither is going to happen so I'll just have to go back and play Skyward Sword again)

I wish they made twin Wiimotes. I loved how the two hands on the Wiimote/nunchuk were not cramped together. I got used to lounging on my couch in random positions and still being able to play Mario Galaxy and what not. The wire connecting the two was annoying. I always wanted them to improve it by making two wireless controllers that were basically two halves of a pro controller. The left hand one would have an anolog stick, a d-pad, a trigger and a shoulder button along with the IR and gyro. The right hand one would have the other analog stick, the other trigger/shoulder button, and an ABXY layout. This could have solved all the problems. Third-party ports wouldn't have to shoe-horn in waggle controls because there would be enough buttons, and motion-designed games would still work too. A pro-controller could still be an option for purists, but it wouldn't be necessary as the twin Wiimotes would basically be the same.

Well I for one am still making games that use the Wii Remote. It's fun! Just that you need to design a game to use it from the ground up, otherwise, much like the GamePad, it feels a bit tacked on.

Both the Wiimote and the Gamepad are examples of devices that were not properly utilized by the majority of developers. Instead of making games designed around the concept of pointer controls of the wiimote (or even the limited buttons), they shoehorned traditional gameplay onto it. The examples of fun experiences when they didn't do this are there: Xenoblade Chronicles, Metroid Prime, Pikmin, Mario Galaxy, Trauma Team, Wii Sports, Capcom vs Tatsunoko, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Super Paper Mario, Etc.

Likewise, the gamepad never saw games that would really benefit from a second screen. Pikmin 3, Game & Wario, Nintendoland, and Super Mario Maker are the only ones that seem to. Where are the games like The Sims, Sim City, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Vs. Pac-Man, Animal Crossing, The World Ends with You, or even games like Uno, Scrabble, or any card game where the Gamepad can show you what you have without others being able to see it.

I still really like the feel of the Wiimotes. When a game was designed to take advantage of them, there was a real difference. I'll also admit to enjoying sparingly used waggle controls. For games like Galaxy, the Zeldas, Metroid Prime, and maybe Pikmin, the pointing or waggling had a nice impact.

I think it's a little unfair to sing the praises of the wiimote because of the few games that implemented its controls excellently, because most games didn't. It worked wonderfully for things like rail shooters, Metroid Prime, and Skyward Sword, but for every one of those games there were five more which just sloppily implemented the concept (shake the wiimote for a smash attack? Really, SSBB?). When nintendo nixes the gamepad, I'll wait for an article examining how well it worked for Pikmin 3 and Splatoon and claiming Ninty should have retained it. I love the new options for playing games an alternative controller can provide, but if it's the default than I'll inevitably feel burnt out from all the games which utilize the controller to poor effect.

Good man for expressing your own opinion in balanced way. Got to say though, the only implementation of the Wiimote beyond Wii Sports was WarioWare: Smooth Moves - the accuracy wasn't needed because the mini games were inventive.

Even Galaxy could've been adapted to play better on a standard controller in my opinion.

Why would they have wanted to keep the wii remote would have been awful playing Cod or Im sure the plan at the start would of been to bring major 3rd party games to the Wii U like Gta V etc which wouldnt be controllable using a wii mote.

Got bored of the Wiimote pretty quickly. I never use a Wiimote control option on the Wii U, apart from when there's no choice.

Check my forum posts, I've been saying this too. The Wii Remote is indeed iconic, and beautiful, and I really hope Nintendo returns to it with gusto in the near future.

But I also love the Wii U Gamepad. Both controllers are brilliantly unique to their consoles and unforgettable with their gameplay experiences. 90% of my Wii U experience has been through my gamepad screen, and I will only ever even consider parting with either when they are upgraded with even better versions.

Funnily enough I took possession of my limited edition gold Skyward Sword Wii Remote today.

@dumedum - I'm with you wholeheartedly.

@Yorumi - can you think of any reason why no console has ever featured extensive use of a mouse? I can. It's because a mouse, while accurate, is not fun to use, requires a flat surface and an elevated hand.

Totally agree. It's not just the motion control the Wii Remote brought, but a thoroughly new feel of having a controller in your hands. The Wii U Gamepad surely had some interesting aspects too, but it was a sort of 180° turn.

Don't have the time to go into more detail. In any case. Great article.

Oh, wait... I'd like to add: It wasn't just third party developers who were incapable or lazy of utilizing the capabilities of the Wii Remote, but also - perhaps increasingly - Nintendo itself. Surely, there were Zelda SS and the Wii Sports Games, and a few others, and surely, SSBB or DKCR were great with their mostly traditional controls and I would not want to have them any other way, but aside from some very late Wii Motion Plus games even Nintendo failed to gave the Wii Remote motion controls a more sophisticated meaning. The original Wii Sports showed what the Wiimote is capable of - even without WMPlus - but ironically Wii Sports set the standard for years, at least until the arrival of WMP. A Super Mario Galaxy for instance was great and it used the Wii Remote in a useful way, no doubt about it, but its controls were certainly not revolutionary like those of Wii Sports. Punch Out for example, a great game - when using buttons. The motions controls were no more than a replacement of those.
Unfortunately, with the Wii U Gamepad Nintendo failed in a similar way. Arguably it may still be Nintendo Land that makes best use of its capabilities.

PS. I liked the waggle to barge an opponent in Mario Strikers Charged.

I think they've left the game before its final boss... Really, Wii was a huge success, and still is. Much like SNES and N64, if you have it, sometimes you'll want to play it (specially when friends come over). Considering how popular it got, Nintendo should have improved upon it with a Wii 2, making a more precise Wiimote, maybe with more buttons and a slider (3DS-like) to allow traditional gaming as well. If you look at Playstation, can anyone not think of Dualshock controllers? Wii put Nintendo on the top, and its image became really strong, they could have used it more, but decided not to - unless you consider the name Wii U, but aside from Wii on the title, it has nothing to do with the older console.

For me, motion control was the darkest hour in gaming. In the early days, it was terribly unresponsive, and even great games like Metroid Prime 3 were about wrestling with the controls. Then MotionPlus came along and I'll admit that was cool, but still not something I wanted whilst playing an in-depth game like Zelda.

The GamePad was much better, if only for off-screen play. A lot of us have LED-backlit TVs, which are terrible for gaming in all honesty, as they are harsh on the eye and tend to have lag. The GamePad's IPS screen is far more comfortable to use, and for that alone, I enjoyed the Wii U much more than the Wii.

Agreed. After playing SS I just can't go back to traditional button pressing in 3D Zelda games. The combat in while not as stylish as TP created a sense of strategy I haven't experience in other Zelda games. Other games like MPT, No More Heroes, Mario Strikers, RE4,Um and DC all used the motion control extremely well.

I wish they would implement the Wii motion Plus control into the new Zelda game. Give us types of control for those want to use motion controls and those who want to use a regular controller

This is exactly what I've been saying.

Motion done right is untouchable. Unrivaled. Unparalleled. It's not for every game, but some games are just superior with motion.

Pikmin 3, Metroid Prime 3 and Wii Sports Club Golf will forever be the glaring example of what motion controls can bring to the table. Like I said, it shouldn't be in every game, but certain games? Absolutely.

Mario Tennis without motion? Resident Evil Revelations without motion? Wonderful 101 without motion? I will be forever puzzled as to why these games didn't take advantage. At least offer it as a secondary control scheme.

@abbyhitter
There is now a rapid recharge station for Wiimote- 9 minutes charge time gives 1 hour play. 11 hour battery life.

It did have a lack of buttons, but I think that's why Nintendo should have made a revision of Wiimote and Nunchuk for the Wii U- with dual analog, with clickable analogs, with double shoulder buttons on each side, move te face buttons to where the thumb can reach

I think they could have carried on with the wii for the casual's and made a core gamer console for the real gamers without motion controls I hated the wii mote for most wii games it just irritated me!! Illogical button setup!! I do like the gyroscopic aiming on wiiu n 3ds though

I kinda can't imagine console LoZ games without motion controls anymore, but I know we'll be back to just pressing buttons. I wish they'd expand on the concept and work closer toward perfecting it though.

It’s so messed up the amount of attention the Wii Motion Plus got. Before the release, so many developers were try to make games with 1:1 motion with small success rate. Then when it was finally released, very few would go for it. Even with the Wii U I can only think of 5 games that uses Motion Plus controls and all of them are from Nintendo. I would at least figure someone (mainly 3rd parties) would have created a full game inspired by a stage in Nintendoland after all the Wii Sports copycats. So much wasted potentials.

Well it’s still my top favorite control. I can play certain games with only one hand which is useful when grinding in a JRPG game, I didn’t have to spend extra money for accessories like steering wheel, light gun, sword, etc., and I felt more into the game compared to only moving your thumbs. It still feels weird for me to play LoZ:TP HD without motion controls

On a side note, happy to see you guys still do soapbox. I thought was extinct like those Kickstarter highlight articles.

I love this article. The wii mote is great & i will miss playing games that utilized it really well. I hate that developers didnt give it a chance & that Nintendo didn't really back it.

Tbh im fed up of people being negative toward Nintendo. Fed up of hearing the word gimmick. People fail to recognise that Nintendo basically invented the pads that the use on other consoles. Shoulder buttons, 4 front facing buttons, analog controls, wireless pads, rumble feature, motion controls. Yes they may not have been first in creating those things but they certainly did them well enough for everyone to follow suit.

@Wendigo The pro controller is fantastic. It's unfortunate that it's a $50 accessory instead of the standard controller. Also, not all WiiU games are compatible with it.

@cloudrunner64 Agreed. What's the point of upgrading if the thing your buying is the same exact thing you already have only sightly upgraded? People keep saying Nintendo should just be like everyone. Why? So we can have 3 of the same exact things.

I love gaming, but also want to experience new things and Nintendo is the only one doing that, but that's viewed as a negative point.

I personally don't get it.

Skyward Sword would have been better without motion controls. The constant need for recalibration was frustrating. One of the few Zelda-games I just couldn't finish. Wii remote was very good in some games, mostly shooters but in others it was just an annoying gimmick.

@Yorumi Yes but in those early days video games were still new and those genres hadn't yet been created. Now console gaming has been around for 30 years and most new ideas have already been explored thoroughly.

People bought new genres in large numbers back then because there wasn't an established set of genres yet. But now, people have played pretty much everything, and they know what they like, and pretty much ignore the rest.

I don't think we can reasonably expect to see such a rapid expansion of the new when gaming in general plateaued off well over a decade ago. The genres that work are well-established now. People have formed preferences over the span of many years. And there's only so many groundbreaking new ideas one can come up with. It's far easier to do that when there's never been a first person shooter before, and there's never been a 3D platformer, etc. It starts with a big boom and then the expansion slows down.

I think they create about as much new stuff as the rest of the industry does on average. If you look at the third-party lineup of games, and count how many of them are actually doing something noticeably new and different, I don't think that ratio is going to be any higher than what Nintendo's is. At least with new control schemes you experience games in a different way, which in a sense can create just as much new excitement as a new genre game can. But even with games, I think Nintendo does better than most- Splatoon, Code Name STEAM, Kirby Rainbow Curse, Captain Toad... So many games that deviate from the status quo.

The comfort and ease of having the Wii Remote in one hand, and the Nunchuck in the other is something I've never experienced on another console. I took it for granted, until playing games with a more traditional controller - definitely not as good as playing one arm stretched behind you head and the other resting on the arm of the couch. Plus, it was obviously quite successful.

I'm glad that Damien was bold enough to write this, to be honest. I really, really think the Wii U should have had controllers that were simply an upgrade, with Wii Motion + built in, and maybe a couple extra buttons on the remote and nunchuck. Going with a huge touch screen really didn't do the company any favors.

Oh well.

Trying to play Smash Bros or Pokken with a Wiimotes really highlights it's flaws though.

But I do like them for FPS and platformers and such. I'm fine using a standard controller for those too.

The Gamepad is woefully under-used though. All the most exciting ideas seemed to come from fans speculating what Nintendo would do with it...then Nintendo did none of them.

Waggle always sucked, people were just brainwashed into thinking it was cool

@Captain_Gonru
I'm referring to the official Nintendo Rapid Wiimote Charge Station they sell on the online store. It's really good quality. Had mine for years. The off-brand ones are garbage though. I bought really expensive, super long lasting rechargeable AA batteries though, for my X1 controller

I was a big fan of the Wii Remote's concept since it was first revealed. The mistake of the Wii, despite its commercial success was the lack of power in the console and the Wii Remote's motion limitations. The Wii U (sans GamePad) paired with the Wii Motion Plus would have made Nintendo unstoppable.

But I believe Nintendo will go back to the Wii Remote spiritually in the future.

The survey is so fanboyish why is there no option to say both waggle and gamepad suck... all I want is to play Nintendo games with a traditional controller

I won't deny that a few games used the Wii's motion controls effectively, but overall I feel it was a huge detriment to the lasting appeal of the system. Too many games are too difficult to control with wiimotes, and even for games that used them well, they're not always the best option (I still prefer to play the first two Metroid Prime games on the GameCube, for instance, because I find that control method more comfortable than the Wii's pointer controls). I also think that the damage they did by alienating their core customer base wasn't worth temporarily drawing the attention of people who traditionally aren't gamers. Those people didn't stick with Nintendo, after all, leading to the slowly sinking ship that is the Wii U.

I use my Wii Motes so seldom these days. When I do, I always take the batteries out once I'm finished because prolonged inactivity does nothing but drain those double As.

@Yorumi
I hear you, and think I understand where you're coming from. No doubt you are right about the NSMB games being samey (although I did enjoy all of them and contend to this NSMBU is a masterpiece) and a lot of their main line series not doing much different. But, in truth we see this industry wide, not just with Nintendo specifically. I think it's an issue of having bread and butter franchises that rake in the big bucks, and unfortunately for us that means consistency rather than change (although, consistency can be a good thing- many times change is for the worse after all).

I guess it just doesn't bother me to the extent it does you because I still find those games incredibly entertaining. Despite MK8 doing exactly what all 7 previous entries did, I still loved it. Perhaps because this generation still had that major graphical leap over the last Nintendo console, so it was a thrill playing these games in HD for the first time.

Will I feel the same next generation? Idk, time will tell. But so far I haven't tired of them. One game per generation is usually so far spaced out that even if nothing changes, it's been so long I'm ready for more regardless. And it's not like it's any better elsewhere. I see the same stuff year in year out on my other consoles- remakes, ports, ultimate editions. I just accept it for what it is.

Pikmin 3 though, and Fire Emblem, and Monster Hunter... There's nothing else out there that can touch these games- any that have tried have failed miserably. And they're all so different from the typical FPS/platformer/open world fare you see everywhere you look. Games like these are what makes me love gaming on Nintendo. I like many others too of course but these are my personal faves.

@Yorumi

Sorry, but I've used a mouse and keyboard for PC shooters before and I prefer the Wii remote plus and nunchuck controls. It's more immersive to actually feel like your holding the object you're firing than simply moving a device on a flat surface, imo

I'd also seriously doubt that moving a mouse for sword swipes would be as immersive as swinging a Wii remote plus

@Yorumi
Hmm, sounds like you're in a gaming rut. I've been there before. It's like nothing excites you, nothing interests you... Everything seems underwhelming.

What I found was that I needed to diversify and just start trying games Id always heard was good but never played before. Genres I always hated, I gave a second chance (how I came to love Fire Emblem, which then made me take a 2nd look at turn based JRPG's, then I played Final Fantasy X on Vita and loved it).

It's really tough now to get enough diversity and great games in numbers by one console alone, especially with Nintendo. I'd recommend a 3DS (if you don't own one yet) and, though I know you said it didn't interest you, a PS4. Yes there's a lot of samey stuff but, it's good samey stuff, and different than what you find on Nintendo.

I found that by owning all platforms and cherry picking the best across the board, I was much happier and satisfied. And I think it could work for you also. Then you start gaining a new perspective, one where you're much less skeptical and the little mundane negatives don't really grate on you as much.

Worth looking into anyways. Or at least, giving some new games a try. If you haven't tried Fire Emblem Fates yet, I highly (very highly) recommend starting there. And Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. And maybe Pikmin 3 (if you haven't played it yet- play with a Wiimote though, trust me. One of those rare games where it is seriously twice as effective as analog)

@Yorumi
Hmm, guess I never really saw it as not worth it. Even if it's just 10 excellent games a generation and 10 good games, I've never questioned the cost of entry. It's always just been a necessity if I want to play, and being once every 5-8 years (depending on platform) it just seemed negligible.

Even with PS Vita, which has a decent number of games but very few great ones (and those that are are most ports that run like crap), I never questioned its value. Usually, if even 1 great exclusive game is on a console I don't own, I consider it worth it. Idk, I guess I just don't want to save $200-300 badly enough to forfeit games over it, even just one.

Skyward Sword and Motion Plus finally delivered on the promise of E3 2005. And then, rather than expand on it, Nintendo dropped it.

Don't know I can blame them, though. Public perception is everything, and I think that by 2012 motion controls were too unpopular to support another console.

Motion controls are great when implemented correctly, same as pointer and touch screen controls.

Obviously motion controls aren't suited for every game.

With that said Sony is making a big push with PS Move as the only way to get the full experience of PS VR.
They are literally encouraging developers to make PS VR games with Move in mind, same goes for their internal studios.

The rest of the VR companies are using motion controls as the way to fully experience VR.

VR is making sure that motion controls get a second wind.

Even Dualshock 4, Steam controller, and smartphones all use some form of motion controls.

No thanks. The motion controls felt forced in my opinion, as simple abilities like Mario's spin jump, could be mapped to a button.

I can see the appeal, but sticking with this model wouldn't change Wii U sales. Casuals have moved on from the Wii. They are on tablets and phones.

Nintendo should just take the Pro Controller, and make that the main controller. The motion controls could be an optional peripheral.

@Project_Dolphin

It was a fad. People bought the Wii for Wii Sports and then didn't really advance into new games and didn't care to purchase Wii Remote plus. The Wii sales phenomenon died well before Wio U was released.

I wasn't a huge fan of all the ways motion control was being used. But I would have been intrigued if Nintendo would have been able to keep improving it.

@mariovslink62 I agree with you, apart from I would like a different button layout for the pro controller.

I get a lot of flak for saying this, but the motion controls for Skyward Sword did not work well for me. It felt like I was constantly fighting the controller for Link to do what I wanted resulting in some cheap deaths especially in the last fight when I had to catch the lighting to toss it back.

Motion worked better in games like Okami and Twilight Princess.

Wiimote + Nunchuk was the best control setup ever. It beats the pants off of every dual-pronged controller in terms of comfort and ergonomics, and the various pointing and motion sensing technologies it employs work to make games deeper, more intuitive and more fun to play while allowing certain types of games that otherwise couldn't even exist on consoles.

I am not a fan of the gamepad as it is bulky and uncomfortable to use and it relies on the same dated and gimmicky dual analog control scheme its predecessors and competitors use, where the second stick is effectively impossible to use in conjunction with button controls and is too inaccurate in terms of aiming to allow precision-based shooting games to exist. I am significantly more likely to buy a Wii U game if it supports Wiimote controls than I am if it forces you to use the gamepad. Since very few Wii U games do this, I rarely play or buy games for my Wii U. I think I've used my original Wii more than my Wii U since I bought it.

@Luna_110 I really like the gamepad too. It was/is so handy even as just as a map and to handle to inventory related tasks.

@accc I will say it was terrific to use in the Metroid Prime series. It was te closet a console has come to keyboard and mouse like input.

I guess there's a point to be made about a continuing focus on motion controls, as that could maybe keep clicking with the mainstream audience. At a personal level, however, I don't ever want to hold a wiimote again in my life.

I'm not even against motion controls per se - for example, I love the ways Nintendo has used the Wii U gamepad's gyro sensor for games like Wind Waker or Lego City Undercover. What I absolute loathe is having a complete focus on moving your arms around or waggling your hands, even in games where that is uncalled for. Twilight Princess and DKCR are two Wii games that absolutely should give you the option to play in a more traditional manner, for example, and not force awkward waggle controls on the players.

Sadly, I'd say most of the Wii titles I've played erred on the side of forcing motion controls, as that was the hot new thing back then. I hope they never do that again.

Yawn at the people wanting the PS/XBox setup. Sure, let controller design stagnate.

I'm quite happy for motion control to die. Can't happen soon enough.

I'm surprised anyone is defending motion controls. Everyone seemed so happy to mostly move on and people are still excited at the thought of moving on from the Wii remote, but just like everything else it's popular to trash all over it until 2 seconds before the plug is pulled then everyone is like "noooo we love it!! awwww omg i cant believe its over!! why!? dont take it away!!"

@Project_Dolphin I never said that it would increase sales. All I said was sticking with the motion model wouldn't work.

However, there are different reasons to why the GCN failed. The Wii U primarily failed by trying to reel in the casuals.

This article just flipped by on my news app and it has 20 dislikes and only 1 like. That's weird.

The Wii Remote even with the Motion Plus upgrade still isn't as accurate as it really needs to be.

And really, what I want is powerful hardware to play good games with a controller complex enough to give the player accurate controls.

One of the silly things with Skyward Sword for example, was how it probably expected you to be standing up and spin in an opposite 360 degrees to the direction an enemy was blocking to beat it, which was ridiculous. It could be circumvented if you understood the game was lying to you, the direction you were holding the Wiimote had no bearing on the direction you swing your sword, the Wiimote detects flicks for that, so to get around having to stand up and spin around you would just flick the Wiimote the other direction you would holding it to circumvent an enemies guard.

But Skyward Sword's combat system was actually boring despite the game being built around it, enemies were not interesting, did not have interesting attacks, did not ave interesting ways you had to deal with them, because your attack options were actually pretty limited. It relied entirely on the gimmick of "real" sword fighting with the Wiimote which was a lie to begin with, as I've already explained.

Motion controls have been abandoned by Sony and Microsoft because casuals, the main group motion controls appealed to, no longer care about consoles anymore. I don't see how trying harder to appeal to casuals which is what the Wii U was already designed to do would make it more successful.

This article is exactly what I've been thinking. I'd heart this 100 times, if I could!

I was hoping we would see MotionPlus used more often on Wii U considering it was so rarely used on the Wii. The final nail was them releasing Mario Tennis with absolutely NO motion controls.

Skyward Sword was so much fun with the motion controls. My only complaint was the harp. I've read a ton of guides on how to use it, but I just can't! lol I just end up trying until it somehow works.

At least we have Nintendo Land, Wii Sports Club and Mario & Sonic.

This guy doesn't even have the Club Nintendo Gold Nunchuk, how can I take him seriously?

Nah, Skyward Sword didn't truly utilize 1:1 motion. You could only swing in 8 directions plus stabbing. Only Wii Sports Resort came even close to 1:1 on the Wii. Nintendo Land was the first experience that truly showed off 1:1. The improvements brought by the Wii U Gamepad and refined Motionplus tracking, especially in the Zelda Quest attraction of Nintendo Land, made the controls of Skyward Sword look like a sick joke. THAT is the kind of motion controls the Wii U should have standardized.

Nintendo should have been capitalizing on that from Nintendo Land, and it should have had online multiplayer. Nintendo made an awesome improvement in motion controls, then barely utilized it. Other than Nintendo Land, Rayman Legends, and ZombiU, not much else made the most of the GamePad. And that's completely Nintendo's fault.

Totally agree with you. Only that they should have given Wii U a totally new name, making it clear that it was a new console, as I'm sure so many never understood this.
Oh well, here's for the NX, though I fear it's not going to be a huge success.

I never got into wiimotes as much as other controllers as they were/still are very expensive and therefore I didn't play much local multiplayer so my experiences were limited. I still loved Mario galaxy with but I've always preferred buttons like how on 3ds if gyroscope is an option (e.g orcarina of time arrow aiming) I always use buttons same for the gamepad (e.g splatoon) Motion just hasn't worked for me so far however VR might be about to change that!

It was a great concept pulled off poorly.
The pointer controlls were amazing. Play RE4 on Wii and try to get back to any other platform and youre definitly going to miss it (no pun intended).
It was great for shooters or menus. Not quite a PC mouse, but as close as you can get from your couch.

The waggle however was a total waste. It got better with WM+ but lets face it, the accelerometer was a cheap excuse for motion controlls. And it was way to often misused and exploited.

Red Steel 2 and Skyward Sword showed that motion controlls definitly had potential, lots of it. RS2s combination of pointer shooting and WM+ sword fighting was brilliant.

Sadly, it was too little, too late.
The WiiMote itself shouldnt be tossed aside if you ask me though. It should be enhanced. Improve the sensors even more, both motion and pointer, add a few more buttons and you have a tool that sets the console apart from others.

Modern schooters with a "high DPI" (IF its measured that way , i honestly dont know) pointer control scheme defintly has the edge over its competition. IF its not hampared by missing buttons that is.

The Wii Remote was innovative for its time. When used correctly, it enhanced gameplay. I think the knock came because it did not need to be used in every game, and a lot of times made the game harder than it should have been for all of the wrong reasons.

That said. I like the options that it gives a studio, and if the NX could look for a way to use motion when it warranted while still retaining a button configuration for more traditional games, I could support it.

The ones at, "fault" are gamers. It is hard to blame Nintendo for moving away from the Wiimote because it was what the majority of gamers appeared to desire.

Wiimote was brilliant. Goldeneye 007 (Wii) = best console control of FPS game. SkywardSword = best control of a Zelda game... ever. Pikmin 3 (Wii U) = best interface of RTS on a console... ever.

That's 3 genres that could have had unique clones of the some of the best games created. FPS, 3rd Person adventure (Which could be created into 3rd person shooter), and RTS (Something consoles lack).

Part of the issue is that the Wii had so much shovelware, or junkware that it took away from the Wii's brilliant titles, and ultimately the Wii's legacy.

It angers me that most gamers are resistant to the advantages of the Wiimote (plus), and would rather be, "Dudebro", but I'm forced to accept it, or be mad, so I do my best with acceptance.

We know the Wii, Wiimote(plus), and Wii U are superior, and will likely be evidenced in the years to come when there is no backwards compatibility, and their demand skyrockets in the 2nd hand market. Might be wise to grab a new, cheap Wii, and Wii U to keep for yourself, and for resell to double, or triple your money in 5 years which would be justified because ignorant gamers are what drove it away.

Skyward Sword in particular might be very hard to come by. I recently bought a new(sealed), SS gold Wiimote bundle for a little over $100. I was going to open it (I finished SS years ago), but might not now seeing a lot of the discussion around it.

I fully agree with this article! The Wii remote was such a revolutionary controller; definitely one of my absolute favorites! I couldn't imagine playing games like Metroid Prime Trilogy, Red Steel 2, or GoldenEye Wii with a standard controller, because they're controls were executed so well and just clicked!

If you ask me the Gamepad was really a step back; I've hardly used it in any games besides Nintendo Land, and it just doesn't feel as enticing compared to pointing and aiming with the Wii remote in real time. But to be fair Star Fox Zero will probably be pretty fun with the Gamepad's setup.

All I have to say is I have enjoyed Twilight Princess way more on Wii U than Wii. Not because of the graphics but because of classic control.

The Wii Remote was the only one of the motion controls that really worked and Nintendo really dialed it in with Wii Motion Plus. Big mistake by Nintendo. I better stock up on my Wii Motion Plus controllers now before the price skyrockets in the secondary market.

@Senate_Guard Agreed!

@DrewDS Good point.

@MakeMyBiscuit
Add to that Nintendo clearly intended to use Wiimoteplus in the Zelda series after Skyward Sword. Most reviews agreed, however dudebros lacked intuition, and seeing the mass of men are dudebros, the latter became popular opinion, and in turn forced Nintendo to change their direction of Zelda control. The same thing happened after Windwaker in that TP was initially going to be WW2, but dudebros didn't like the art style forcing Nintendo to make TP.

Now the opinion of WW is extremely high. Perhaps if people hadn't been such f-ing dudebros you might have received WW2 instead of a heartless TP. Being a dudebro has serious consequences. Hopefully in the future there will be youtube videos helping dudebros reform.

I prefer Wii Remotes to the gamepad. When done right, the motion controls really added to the experience. I even liked flipping it horizontally for platformers.

I wholeheartedly agree with this article. I think Nintendo only really mastered the concept right at the end with Skyward Sword. Once we had a good prototype of how motion control could/should actually work, there were many ideas left unexplored. A Wii HD (I like "Super Wii") with a new, sleeker, rechargeable controller that maybe incorporated a small, simple touch area for swipes/shapes, etc. Basically, something more like the most recent Apple TV remote, but bigger, with more/better buttons.

And people don't seem to recognize that the Wii came out in 2006 and was a massive hit; the following year Apple incorporated the basically the same accelerometer technology into the first iPhone, and now an accelerometer is basically a standard feature in all mobile devices, for gaming or otherwise. It's included in a lot of "traditional" gaming controllers as well. It's another example where Nintendo normalized a mode of control that was later widely adopted as a standard.

@Yorumi It's entirely possible there "may" be a lack of creativity at Nintendo (there seems to be a lot of Yes Men at HQ as of late, especially at Intelligent Systems). Then again there could be completely different problems at HQ at the moment.

It's just a sneaking suspicion I have, but I feel that Nintendo as a whole might not be very good at handling pressure. This combined with their inexperience in HD development and the extreme demands of their shareholders (we've all seen what those people are like) is probably stretching them very thin.

Let's think about this shall we? They came up with a lot of creative games during the early years of the wii. But when sales starting falling for the console what did they start doing? We saw development of games like NSMB. At the time there was considerable pressure from the shareholders for them to "rush" to do something about sales.

Then we had the 3ds...same problem. When it was doing poorly we ended up getting ports and more NSMB like games. The difference was they did end up making some better games later on for it, most likely due to them managing to get it to sell somewhat decently. The pressure was alleviated somewhat as it started to sell properly.

And then we have the Wii U. We got a bunch of decent games for it like Pikmin 3 and Splatoon but those were already well in development by the time the console was released and those released somewhere in the middle of its life span. Most games we've seen for the console recently (and upcoming games actually) appear to be stuff that would have been "relatively" easy to make quickly.

I obviously don't have any "proof" at the moment, but it seems like a fairly reasonable hypothesis based on the timing and information we've had available to us.

Well I guess a good way to tell, would be to see what the NX's Nintendo developed release window games and up to halfway of its life span are like.

@Einherjar Nintendo did improve the accuracy up to 1:1 with the motion controls for Wii U. The problem is, they didn't even bother trying to market or promote the Wii U. It's like they just stopped caring all of a sudden, and were just coasting along.

Hopefully, this gen was the wake up call they needed to realize they can't keep doing that.

It's good to see so much support on this board for the Wii remote. I had a feeling it would be filled with the usual "just make a PlayStation that has Zelda" crowd. I love that Nintendo is always trying to push the envelope, even if it doesn't always catch on.

I'm 98% certain that we have seen the last of the Wii remote and motion-focused gaming, but I bet we'll see continued use of supplementary tilt motion control as used in Splatoon and various other 3DS and Wii U titles.

Nintendo is too quick to abandon everything, from gimmicks to entire consoles. Motion controls were improving, and the games that used motion control right were a lot of fun. Miyamoto just got bored and wanted to move on to something else, and apparently nobody with any influence had the brains or balls to challenge him. At least, that's how I see it, from an uneducated outsider perspective. nods

I didn't mind the Wii remote, I just wish it had 4 regular face buttons and a right analog stick on it as well; it was an overly simple and flawed design.

There were some games I really enjoyed using the Wii remote, in particular: Elebits, Metroid Prime 3, any of the light-gun style shooting games (Sin and Punishment being the best), Boom Blox and Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers. I liked the Wii mote best when it was used as a point-at-the-screen device, I hated the motion controls for using it to slash Link's sword, etc.

For the record I'm a hardcore gamer in my late 30s and I have felt so abandoned by Nintendo on the motion control front lately. I played and loved Twilight Princess (the first Zelda I had finished at that point), and was very excited for the HD remaster. The fact that they couldn't just leave the motion in for those that enjoyed it that way (MOST users) has my hopes dashed for the new Zelda. I refuse to buy it.

Skyward Sword was the first Zelda my wife played almost completely through just because of the control simplicity. I've talked to many others that feel the same and were very disappointed that with the WiiU Nintendo just "became like the other game companies".

I always found the fact that I could rest my hands on either side while playing Wii games on the couch was actually way MORE comfortable than a regular controller.

Nobody ever mentions Elebits for Wii. Does anyone even know it existed? I love that game. I still play it. With all the talk about Virtual Reality these days... although Elebits lacked the headset, it essentially featured a fully interactive environment that let you move objects, turn doorknobs, and catch creatures using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

I had never heard of Elebits when I found it on Clearance, but after playing it I kept wondering why there weren't more games like that... that worked that well. Skyward Sword is an example of well-implemented motion controls, but it's still a video game in the gamer sense. It doesn't necessarily bleed over into the general audience that was attracted to things like Wii Sports. The ironic thing is that Elebits came from Konami, and they arguably did a better job using motion controls than Nintendo did.

Maybe it just comes down to "having an experience" versus "playing a game." Miyamoto and Nintendo go into super hype mode with every new console or handheld, pumping all the bells and whistles and gimmicks, but by the end of each system's lifespan, the gimmicks have been nearly abandoned. I don't see Nintendo truly committing to their products. Rather, I see them all-too eager to hunt for the next craze, and failing to let their previous creations achieve their full potential.

the wiimote provided a gaming experience found on no other platform. nintendo turned their back on it and provided a gamepad, a gaming experience found on any tablet. capabilities aside, that's the perception and perception is truth.

i doubt that they'll abandon motion control for the nx. if reports of it being devoid of physical controls are true, then they'll have to use every trick in the book to make it work, motion included. motion i have to say is the most intuitive way to control a shooter on a console.

I agree with you completely, Damien. When implemented correctly, the Wii remote was like magic at our fingertips. I loved playing Bully on Wii and couldn't imagine how it could possibly be anywhere near as much fun with a conventional controller on the other platforms. I'm still on the fence with Ultra Smash as I'd much rather play Wii Sports Club Tennis instead, and I tend to find sports without motion controls to be quite dull and boring.

My little brother broke into a number of sweats playing The Simpsons Game, which he inexplicably loved (I tolerated it up until the end of the single player campaign, but the controls/in-game camera were damn near unbearable).

I hate arbitrary "waggle" controls as much as anybody though, such as those in New Super Mario Bros. Wii when a simple push of a button would have been more comfortable (especially since the Classic Controller was not a supported control mechanism in that game). That I'd happily do without. Nowadays, it seems that the Wii remote is used almost only for conventional controls in Wii U games with few exceptions (such as the Just Dance series and Mario Party 10).

Considering the multitude of control options available on Wii, and by extension, Wii U, I'm disappointed that Nintendo have kept the prices of these peripherals so high, as having enough controllers to accommodate every situation costs well over the console itself; and Nintendo would have been smart to pack a Wii Remote with a nunchuk and classic controller in a single SKU during the peak of the Wii so that their lesser informed userbase would not be unduly frustrated by not having the necessary controllers for their games.

For me,2 of the best uses of motion controls came from EA with Tiger Woods and Grandslam Tennis.Both great games made 10 times better and more immersive with motion controls.

Honestly Nintendo did not turn its back on the Wii remote, just that its time in the spotlight is over. Anyways even on Wii U, at least Nintendo still allows you to use the Wii remote for many of their other games so technically Nintendo still value the Wii remote. If anything Nintendo should had never abandon the Super NES controller, ever since they depart from that layout for two generations, many other competitors came along and took it with them.

I really can't imagine them abandoning motion and gyro controls all together for NX.Splatoon 2 could be huge for them but without gyro controls there will be riots in the streets of Kyoto.I'd imagine there will be a lot of unhappy Mario Kart 9 players too if they're forced to use analogue to steer.It might be that we need to use our phones or tablets for a 2nd screen but you can bet motion and gyro controls will be in there in some form.

I think maybe they should have polished the idea. Because even though MotionPlus controls were amazing for several things in Skyward Sword, they were annoying for others, like flying.

I think it was a leitmotif for Nintendo during the Wii era to overuse or misuse them and it always ended up diminishing the experience. At least it felt that way for me. On the other hand, one game that got it perfectly right was Red Steel 2. Beautiful, fun, original, and stylish game.

On a similar note, I played a couple of hours of ZombiU before posting here, just to remember a third party game that tried to make good use of the GamePad, and now that the novelty of the gamepad wore off, it felt like a lame gimmick and not a particularly fun way to experience games. Maybe like some of the guys here said and the Gamepad should be limited to things like items, and maps, like Zelda and Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Nintendo didn't turn their back on the wiimote. There is a reason why the wiiu has a multi controller setup scheme. Some games work with a traditional controller and that is what the game pad is for. Nintendo has given devs the options to code to whatever control scheme works best. It is up to dev teams to take advantage of the resources on offer.

The thing about the Wii is that many Nintendo-published Wii games made good arguments for motion controls, such as Metroid Prime Trilogy. I', fine with the GamePad being the primary controller for Wii U, but they never went back to motion controls even when they would have made sense.

Agreed! They just should have done a improved Wiimote for Wii u, not that super-heavy tablet.

@Al_Godoy I think Xenoblade X made a brilliant argument for the GamePad by filling it with necessary info that's much easier to access with a touch screen.

DK TF has black screen on a gamepad. No map or options or else. Just black screen. Nintendo have no idea how to use own innovate controller.

@Thegentleman Ni-Mh works for me

@TheDavyStar I agree, but in the big scope of gamepad utility within the Wii U library, it still feels superfluos. More of an accessory than a necessity.

And I love playing both Zelda remakes with it. I also loved it on Batman Arkham City Armored Edition.

What I honestly think is that nintendo should go the way of a normal "pro" controller, and stick to making amazing games.

Nintendo should just bring back the real gamepad like the competition has.

I really liked the Skyward Sword motion controls, they should use it more in future zelda games!

I think it's fair to say that motion controls were generally not that well recoeved due to their implementation being largely lackluster, with the few exceptions listed here in the article.

That being said I agree that those exceptions are great games and the idea of having more like them honestly probably should have been the focus of a new HD Wii Tu pr whatever you'd call it. That being said I find it hard to imagine Nintendo sticking to just one console brand like Sony and Microsoft do.

I do think they could've explored motion controls more however with the Wii u. Wii was a huge success and captured people that don't normally game, but the Wii u sort of ignored appealing to them I think. I really did love Skyward Sowrd's motion controls barring controlling that beetle item.

I do like the game pad though. There are games like splatoon, XCX, Batman, and more that made me really appreciate having a mobile screen in hand. I just think the concept is better suited to an NX-type hybrid system. Nintendo should've actually waited with this game pad idea. They jumped onto the train too early ironically. its so very Nintendo to try and forge new ground, but they missed the timing for the tablet market and shoud've recognized that.

Hindsight is 20/20 but I hope they don't just throw out their past successes.

Definately a mistake. The wiimote concept had room to evolve, and I was looking forward to future developments. I really miss the flexibility. Playing TPHD, hammering a button feels awkward and constrained. Especially after Skyward Sword. Unfortunately the industry and a large portion of the gaming community is pretty toxic to new ideas, I've always been frustrated seeing anything trying to do something different get shouted down by both. I feel like Nintendo was forced back into old fashioned controllers and it's a damn shame. I'm definitely not as engaged in games these days and I think that's down to the controls.

I've never really understood the 'basic' waggle hate. Any game where you the Wii remote was only 'waggled' is where you would only be mashing a single button anyway. The one difference being that the 'waggle' allowed the opportunity to be more engaging. You can 'waggle' through the original wii tennis, but it's a lot more fun when you swing your arm as if you were holding a racket. Personally, with TP on wii, I quickly found myself swinging in time with links animation rather than waggling. It wasn't the excellent 1-1 of Skyward Sword, but it still felt great and I really miss that with the HD version. Mashing the button just isn't the same.

Oh, and the wiimote aiming (pointer or m+) was sublime. I badly miss that. Stick aiming sucks and tilting the gamepad feels quite awkward in comparison.

@DrewDS

You can't have it both ways. You can't say the Wii was a success because of Nintendo's innovation and motion controls a failure because of consumers.

If consumers didn't see understand motion controls or didn't see the value beyond the wildly successful Wii Sports then it's Nintendo's job to educate them and show them why the show upgrade to mtion plus.

If you assume customers are irrational and Nintendo can't influence them then all success and failure is random and we can't really say Nintendo has made any good products in their history.

I'm left handed and found the disconnect when playing SS incredibly jarring, it's one of the few zelda's I haven't completed. I do mean to have another go at some point.

@Mykeprime

People aren't resustance to change, they are resistant to change that is perceived to be potentially bad. For instance, would anybody be upset if their boss came to them tomorrow and said they were doubling their salary? Would you turn it down because you already made a budget and didn't plan on extra money? No way. You'd be exstatic.

People in general loved Wii Sports. What most people didn't love was Nintendo shoehorning controls (NSMB) and not giving the option when alternatives existed (Zelda). When Wii motion plus launched the Wii was already discounted in the $100-150 range and most people already had 4 remotes. The cost to upgrade your remotes was essentially equal to upgrading to a new console and there were few games for motion control so it's not surprising that few people upgraded. Additionally, the Wii console was pretty close to being replaced and I'm sure people would want to see if there was yet another upgrade before buying.

People are rational in their buying patterns. I'm sorry if you really loved motion controls but there were real negatives associated with it and the market didn't want it because of those.

Goldeneye 007 (wii) still plays beautifully with WiiMote, offering what almost no other good shooters can.

Pro Evolution Soccer is also a great example, a really niche game on Wii, but it's hard to argue against it being the most in-depth, complete and satisfying control method for any football game ever. BUT it takes a few games to learn, so people generally stick to what they know rather than learn to love something new.

@luke88

I just don't really know why they didn't allow the Gamecube control scheme as an alternative. They built Twilight princess with both using motion and traditional scheme and used a mirror mode. They had options as you could use Gamecube controllers on the Wii and classic controllers.

At some point if Nintendo is the "everybody" consile they need to be open to having options. Too often with the Wii it felt as if they were trying to justify motion controls when they were already a big success.

I definitely think the Wiimote was pushed to the side too much in Wii U games, especially for the genres for which it's best suited. "Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash" is hardly the only example. For another example, while gyro control is an interesting and potentially fun control option for "Splatoon," there's no reason they couldn't have also included Wiimote + Nunchuck controls i.e. the best control scheme ever made for an FPS save possibly Mouse + Keyboard.

@cleveland124

And what about all the real positives?

A sapling cannot become a tree unless it is given room to grow.
Things might not be perfect all the time but accepting that, registering what works and what doesn't then allowing room and time to improve only helps achieve that potential.

I generalised a bit, but you can't tell me that some parts of the industry/ community don't actively try to squash stuff that threatens introduce something new or bring in new audiences. I don't just mean motion controls either. The fallout from the scalable difficulty in starfox is testament to that.

It's like like a kid sitting in an old sand pit not allowing any new sand to be put in or any other kids to come play. Maybe I'm just getting old and jaded but seeing this mentality develop over the past few years has made me very disillusioned with the gaming world recently.

I'm all for options, btw. I just don't like seeing ideas cut off in when they have so much potential.

The Wii remote was garbage, period. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nintendo should - as it once did - focus innovation on games (environments, structure, narrative, style, character, etc.), and less on hardware. Instead, it has shifted toward the opposite, leaving us with rehash after rehash of IPs, and tiresome hardware gimmicks.

@cleveland124 yeah I agree, but I guess maybe Nintendo felt that the motion controls were integral to the game. I would've liked that option though.

@Mario-Man-Child Umm, I have read that a few times from other lefties. I will give it another try and hopefully I'll just get used to it. I did try holding the Wiimote in my right hand but it just didn't feel right, nor did holding the nunchuck in my left hand - after however many years of using the set up the other way.

Wiimotes are part of the reason my Wii didn't get played as much as by 360.
The Gamepad and Pro Controllers are why my Wii U gets played more than all my other consoles and PC.

The Wii brand was dead half a decade ago

@Mykeprime

I didn't say there wasn't positives. I said there were negatives that hadn't been addressed and there is a rational reason to dislike them. One of my favorite genres is sim racing. It's characterized by brutal difficulty, repetitiin, and a costly setup. Needless to say the market is niche and my options aren't great. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying those games and I don't blame others for not supporting them so I can get more games.

People grandstand on these forums because they are passionate about Nintendo. The reality is most consumers don't care about Starfox difficulty settings and it will have zero impact on sales. Most consumers bought the Wii because of motion controls and most abandoned the Wii before the Wii U cane out because they got bored of motion controls.

It's hard to argue that your opinion that motion controls are great are better than somebody's opinion that they aren't that great is better. Nintendo abandoned motion controls because they thought off screen and touch controls were better. They could have doubled down on motion controls but they didn't. Sometimes they are wrong, certainly their Wii U sales projections were wrong.

I just want great games and I want a control scheme that enhances them. I think that's where most consumers are. I would buy another system with primarily motion control but you have to show me how it's better because I already have Wii Sports.

@cleveland124
And I didn't say there weren't negatives. I don't blame people that genuinely don't get on with something either (like me and stick aiming for instance). Like I said, I was too general in my first post but there is definitely an element that hates change without a good reason. For instance, I always scoffed at some devs excuses saying the device wasn't good enough and people saying controls don't work full stop because it only takes one game to prove them wrong and I have a shelf full. A number of which have already been listed above.

I don't think motion is suited to everything (fighters for instance, that's a no go), But there are some areas where it can, inarguably, add to the experience (sports, swords, aiming etc). As we have both said, options are the best way. But the fact that ideas with potential get killed off under pressure to conform is worrying for the future of the industry to me.

The starfox thing is completely optional. There is no negative to it's existence. None. Yet there's been uproar from those camps. Just because it might allow more people to enjoy the game than could before.

Nah, I prefer "traditional" controls... Though the Wiimote was quite cool for a while I didn't really enjoy playing with it that much and don't miss it...

I just want a normal controller, no motion control gimmicks and no gamepad to have to look down at and distract me from the game. I'd prefer Nintendo to put their money into the console hardware itself so their consoles are not always a pumped up version of the last gen consoles, which also makes it harder to get 3rd party support. Even the 3ds suffers from older graphics because the CPU needs to power the 3d, another gimmick Nintendo added. Call me old fashioned like the many owners of the xbox one and ps4 who are happy with a regular controller if you want. no gimmicks and better hardware please Nintendo.

@Pamela I agree. I'm not sure why Nintendo think they have to re-invent the wheel every time they release a new console.

I mean look at how well PS4/X1 are selling and they are just "traditional" consoles...

@carlos82 The Classic controller pro?

What about if the Wii U Gamepad had all the motion control features it has now, minus the touch screen, instead having a trackpad where the d-pad would be? We would have lost out a little bit on games like ZombiU and Rayman Legends, but it would have been more like a Pro controller, much smaller than the current Gamepad, and probably a more palatable compromise. Most games would not have suffered for it anyways. (The Steam controller has become popular off of a simpler version of this idea, imagine if Nintendo had normalized it...)

If Nintendo had marketed the hell out of that return to traditional controls with some added light motion controls and enhanced Motionplus tracking using their Wii earnings, and put slightly more oomph into the console using the cost savings from not having a second screen... Would it have turned out better, and had more third party support? (Don't lie, I know there are people out there who have flailed a traditional controller in one direction while yelling "JUMP!" at Mario before... )

After reading all of the opinions expressed here, I agree that the Wii U should've used the Wiimote more; provided said new games would actually use the MotionPlus.

I mean, just look at the comments here. I bet if, like you said, had MotionPlus been there sooner, many more people would agree that the controller had potential.

So, to me, yeah, the Wiimote was HEAVILY underrated and it's fun as hell navigating menus with it. I hope the NX lets me use it once more, alongside being able to play Wii U games again. And, please, return the gamepad; I loved every game that utilized it properly and Off-TV Play was such a good idea that it got a Wikipedia article.

And, lastly, PLEASE put Neo Geo and more back onto the Virtual Console. And, possibly, SEGA saturn. Also, please make a universal USB so we can use any Nintendo controller. I'd pay for them, especially if each one had all ports onto them for their respective systems, such as two for NES, four for N64 and so on.

@BinaryFragger How would one have aimed the star bits quickly and accurately using a classic controller?

@Project_Dolphin

I thought it was all about the games? A console is an interface for the games. Let's not put the cart before the horse.

@PlywoodStick

I actually think the bit collection part of Mario Galaxy was kind of forced. I didn't really feel it added anything to the game.

The Wii Remote was the device that got me interested in playing video games in a really big way. For once, it felt like we could get off the couch "play" again.

My personal stance: the Wii remote was great for its time, but by the time Wii U arrived, I had grown tired of it. As for the gamepad, I never really liked it. I find it large and clunky and it makes my hands ache to play it for extended periods of time. I feel that the off-tv play and having a map in my hands for most games are the only useful features of it.

@Project_Dolphin

It's true people aren't rational all the time. But we base models on the market as a whole and consumers react rationally in general. Good marketing can move people and Nintendo has pretty poor marketing. If you assume irrationality you might as well throw your hands up because you're saying you don't know what influences people. And we clearly have some idea of what influences people. Will 100% act rationally, no. But I don't see that as a counter to my point.

@Project_Dolphin Can you imagine how well a Nintendo system would do if it could play the new third party titles AND Nintendo titles? You'll see a top release come out for the current and last gen consoles, but not for Wii U, more new games are being released for old gen systems than Wii U. Nintendo has had a horrible history with third party support on it's main consoles since the N64, the Wii should not have been a success, it was the same system Nintendo released years earlier, a gamecube with a motion controller but families and exercise buffs helped it become a success and it's a shame because it made Nintendo think what they did was a great idea.

AS for the Zelda games, I really think the motion control of Skyward sword should be standard in all future Zelda games. It doesn't mean that it is the primary control scheme, but it should at least be included. SS's system of hacking and slashing felt natural unlike the sloppy job done in Twilight princess. pressing a button to slash is fine if you're lazy, but the real thrill comes when the controller makes you feel like you are actually in the battle. I REALLY hope they include the wiimote w/ nunchuck set up in Zelda U.

It was awful for gaming honestly. Every good game bar skyward sword could have functioned well without it. And even skyward sword is debatable.

@Project_Dolphin

If you gave some examples of the market acting irrationally maybe I would understand your concern. Just make sure you're not confusing the power of good marketing ability to influence decision making with acting irrationally. Because as someone who also enjoys Madden, I'm not really sure what you are saying.

It depends on the game for what control method is best. They both have their advantages. I'd love to see the Wii remote(and nunchuk) come back but with added buttons and more precision. First person controls with the Wii remote are unparalleled. I hate Splatoon's controls waving a brick, it's awful. Skywards Sword's controls were very good apart from the constant recalibrating. It was about the only good think about the game. Super Mario Maker's use of the gamepad is fantastic also. And browsing on the gamepad is great. Why can't we have both?

@Link506 The enhanced MotionPlus controls of the Zelda Quest attraction in Nintendo Land is way better than the 8 directions of slashing plus stabbing of Skyward Sword. SS didn't fulfill the promise of 1:1, it was a thinly veiled illusion that pretended to utilize the MotionPlus fully. That's the funny thing, a fake Zelda game within a mini game collection had better controls than the mainline Zelda's showcase of MotionPlus.

But yeah, hopefully the Wii U version of mainline Zelda will actually feature that coveted 1:1 that has thus far only existed in Nintendo Land.

@Sligeach "Why can't we have both?"

Cause Nintendo done goofed! We had both in Nintendo Land and Wii U previews, but then all of those ideas vanished without a trace afterwards... It was up to Nintendo to keep them going, and they didn't do it.

@Project_Dolphin

The Gamecube is more complicated than that. The PS2 packed a cheap DVD player and had a year head start and came on the heals of a hugely successful console (PS1) and it subsequently dominated both Microsoft and Nintendo.

Nintendo's battle with Microsoft was a longer battle. Nintendo started strong and led Microsoft for half the generation. Then Microsofts strong marketing and exclusive 3rd party agreements (at a time Nintendo was losing 3rd party support) led to a Microsoft win.

So while the Gamecube had decent 3rd party support initially, you could say the Gamecube is proof that 3rd parties are needed. PS2 enjoyed exclusive titles such as the Square Final Fantasy games. Microsoft purchased their way into important games like GTA and Nintendo 3rd party support got worse throughout the Gamecube life. I mean Gamecube 3rd party is impressive compared to Wii U but was certainly worse than the PS2 and Xbox at the time.

@Project_Dolphin

Other than motion control, Nintendo hasn't created new genres. There games would have greatly benefited from better graphics and stronger physics.

@cleveland124 GameCube 3rd party support was actually really good. It was just as good if not better than Xbox's 3rd party support. There was just no way to compete with the ridiculously prevalent amount of support for PS2. I doubt any home console will ever see such a lopsided amount of support over the competition ever again.

GameCube came in last place (barring Dreamcast) because it was really lagging behind in features, since multimedia became such a big deal, and Nintendo never officially used the broadband modem again for online connectivity after Phantasy Star Online. (Although Double Dash had the Warp Pipe 3rd party program to simulate the modem's "multi console multi tap" for online connectivity.) The GameCube had more variety than the Xbox, as well, so I think it was just a matter of Nintendo not knowing how to handle the Sony monster they created.

As a primarily PC gamer, I avoided home consoles for a time after leaving my parents' home. It was hard to justify the purchases when my PC had adequate substitutes for seemingly everything the home console could do. My gaming parties through college shifted from old mariokarts to L4D splitscreen or Rayman Origins on PC, Jedi Outcast cooperatively with bots on a dual-monitor/mouse/keyboard virtual pc, or multibox DDO/Wow sessions. I was a couch-pc gamer all about local multiplayer. Until someone dropped a wiimote in my hand late into the wii's lifecycle.

I don't know how I missed it, but the wii quickly became my console of choice. I still haven't upgraded, as I'm continuing through the backlog...but Mario Galaxy is amazing, and world of goo feels so much better with the wiimote.

@Project_Dolphin

Gauging the market is critical in a launch. The market for PS1 and N64 was in decline and PS2 was a noticable step up from those systems. PS3 and Xbox 360 were still in the growth stage and Wii U was not a step up from those systems.

So you admit 3rd parties was a reason for Gamecube failure? You're entitled to your opinion that Gamecube 3rd parties were better than Xbox but the most popular 3rd party games (like GTA 3, Vice City, SA) were best on Xbox and not on Gamecube at all.

@Project_Dolphin

No it's a fact that all games benefit from having more resources available. Whether that's through allowing the coding team to me more efficient or allow them to push the boundaries of what they are trying to do. Retro games are popular because of the gameplay not because of the limitations of the time. There has been a surge in retro games on very powerful hardware and they have been able to pull off the gameplay and artstyle excellently. You can argue there is a cost/benefit and it may not be worth the upgrade, but an upgrade is always better.

Plus it's not like Nintendo has intentionally used pixelated art for their recent projects and SNES games on only the new 3DS show how important a little bit of power can be.

@Project_Dolphin The Gamecube failed because of Nintendos poor marketing and not enough well rounded third party support. Many people and developers considered it a kid system, which Nintendos marketing didn't do much to disprove, so some mature games weren't ported to it, they went to the PS2 and Xbox. Many people wanted to play shooters which were on the rise during that time period, gta etc, not smash bros. It wasn't that the system had third party support and failed anyway, the third party support and marketing wasn't done right and I wouldn't call the third party support it had to be a high amount either. If you google why the Gamecube failed you will find many articles that basically say what I posted here. I like Nintendo, i want to see them do well but there have been so many times since the n64 that they have made such horrible decisions with their consoles and ruining some of their best titles by "trying something totally new" (paper mario, kirby and the rainbow curse etc) that i felt people who know nothing of business could run this company better.

Off-TV play is the Wii U's "must buy" feature and was criminally under-marketed and is totally underrated. It is the sole reason I own a Wii U.

The gamepad is amazeballs. I quit Twilight Princess after 2 dungeons because of motion controls, but now am loving 100%ing TPHD on the gamepad! Didn't even make it to the first dungeon in Skyward Sword. Bring on SSHD without motion controls!!

@Pamela Timesplitters 1 & 2? Resident Evil 1-4? Eternal Darkness? Many, if not most of the major multiplatform titles of the time?

Yeah, Nintendo did a piss poor job of marketing the breadth of titles for GCN, but other than the SNES, the GCN was probably subjected to the least "kiddy" lineup compared to their competitors in Nintendo's history. Only fanboys and idiots fell for the kiddy accusation. And the GameCube matched the Xbox's 3rd party support measure for measure. Nintendo faltered in other ways.

@Project_Dolphin True, Nintendo needs to decide if they want to make a system that is just focused on Nintendo titles and is a family friendly console or if they want to make a system that plays Nintendo titles and all the current titles (shooters and all) that is for all ages. If they choose the former they will not sell as many consoles as Sony and Xbox and that's their choice, they won't be number 1. But lack of third party titles is what is making Nintendo fail, it's the reason the Wii U failed for the most part, if you go to a store the Wii U section is a little area of 90% Nintendo titles 10% third party surrounded by tons of Amiibos, the gimmick they started to make their money back from the failed Wii U.

I wholeheartedly agree with this article, especially the bit about the wiimote being remembered as a classic controller in the future... great work.

@Project_Dolphin

I never said graphics are everything, I said they are important. Would you trade me a 60" 4K tv for a 5" black and white TV? Graphics help with immersion and allow a greater level of clarity the same ways movies and TV benefit from improved resolution. I never said you could polish a turd.

Would you honestly argue that Mario Galaxy wouldn't be a better game in HD with more graphical detail such as the Wii U titles? Would you argue it's better that the Wii U can't use the Unreal engine and any multi plat game has to be built from new tools instead of ported with existing tools? If the answer is yes, then Nintendo shouldn't be coming out with new systems as the main draw is graphics/physics and has been every generation except for with the Wii.

The Wiimote seriously gave the N64 competition for the worst "controller" Nintendo has ever forced players to use. And I honestly didn't think it could get any worse than the lizard-claw trident.

A simple back up standard controller would've been thoughtful. Or at least make sure games supported the pro controller.

I just can not play Resident Evil 4 with another controller. I love the Wii remote and it must have another change.

Motion controls do work great with a select few games. Unfortunately, as good a read as it is, Damo's article is blinkered....he's looking at things from the point of view of a father looking at how much his kid is enjoying a couple of really good games he's never experienced anything like before (he even says in the article that his son wasn't even alive when the original Wii launched) and not looking at things from the perspective of most gamers who played a lot of games on both the Wii and one of the other more 'traditional' consoles during that era...in most games, the use of motion controls was either forced or crap. That's not because motion controls are a bad thing, but it's because most developers aren't capable of thinking outside the box enough to implement them properly, especially if they're porting a game from another system with traditional controls. Had the Wii U kept the Wii Remote as it's primary controller, we'd have seen exactly the same situation happen again....a handful of games using the controls really well, and the majority of games forcing them in, in a completely sucky and gimmicky manner. There's a reason that a lot of Wiis ended up gathering dust in people's cupboards after the novelty of Wii Sports wore off.

If Damo was to make his son sit down and play a dozen or so regular Wii games (and I'm not talking about top tier titles like Skyward Sword, Mario Galaxy or Wii Sports Resort), I'm sure he'd be hankering back after a more normal control scheme in quite a short time. Just the same as most of the rest of us were who were around back then.

@PlywoodStick Thats exactly my point.
Last generation (and continued this gen) weve seen the death of creativity pretty much across the board.

Nintendo tried to innovate with motion controlls and what came out ? Mindless waggling, countless "ballancing" minigames or tacked on gesture controls.
Pretty much the same with the WiiU. I (and plenty of other people) could think of many different and creative ways to use the gamepad beyond the usual map / Inventory screen.

Pikmin 3 was one interesting example, as it used the gamepad even indirectly. When using the Wiimote, you could still set up the Gamepad to act as a second screen. It wasnt a "pick one" situation, but it used everything it got.

On the other hand, StarFox showed that the dual screen option isnt always the best approach, and that its not as easy as, say, on a (3)DS handheld to keep both screens in view.

Regardless, pretty much all of Nintendos peripherals of the last two generations have been horribly mistreated or they have been flat out ignored.

The Wiimote became a gimmick, the ballance board was completely forgotten, the WiiU gamepad became the conveniant "map screen". It seemed that no one really dared to get creative.

Another great example for this is WiiU Minecraft.
In other console versions (and in extension also on PC), you have your hotbar, which is seperated from your inventory. So to switch out items, you need to open up the inventory menu and rearrange your hotbar. Selecting Items from your hotbar takes several button presses.

Picture this: The WiiU Version displays your entire invetory on the gamepad. A simple tap makes that item active (you hold it in hand), holding and draging moves items around.
This simple difference would have set the game apart from other consoles, as activities such as building structures would have been so much more confortable and quick, yet, they went with a cookie cutter port.

Often, its not the peripheral that sucks, its the lack of creativity and guts to do something out of the ordinary from the devs thats draging the whole thing down.

The whole point of the Wiimote was to give non-gamers a way into gaming, and it worked. If anything, the Gamepad comes across as the opposite (especially if consumers are convinced it's simply another Wii peripheral): a pro piece of kit designed for the then-cutting-edge tablet crowd.

Agreed on so many points. Nintendo moving away from motion controls with the Wii U was a massive blunder, and it has made their game offerings worse. There's no reason to buy even ports like Twilight Princess HD when it's essentially a downgrade from the superior Wii version.

There are some things very under-appreciated about the wii remote.

There was still plenty of scope for advancing the design of the wii remote. It seems once the wii console generation was over, the development of the wii remote died.

The wii remote started a hacking revolution that persists to this day. Many people from hobbyists to university researchers were looking at cheap but versatile gadgets to modify for their projects, and the wiimote made things happen.

Also, the wiimote started the drone craze after enthusiasts developed cheap microcontroller autopilots based on the gyro and accelerometer sensors from the wii remote and motion plus.

Lastly, Nintendo missed out on making a STEM toy by not commercialising the educational value of the wiimote, much like LEGO created Mindstorms.

@Project_Dolphin

I'm still arguing because you act like they aren't important and they are. It's not an they are everything or nothing as you seem to imply. They are important but not everything. I always get excited when new technology brings new opportunity and I'm surprised you never wondered what some of the old games would look with new technology. REmake was a perfect example, the atmosphere, the game is so much better than the first RE and it's not even close.

You put these hyperboles up there and ignore all my questions. Just answer this one, do you have an HDtv and if so why? High Def TVs highten the atmosphere and experience in much the same way as they would in a game.

@Project_Dolphin

Also, I use RGB with my old systems or mod them. So yeah, making old games looks good is important to me and you won't convince me otherwise. I also would love old games (VC) using wifi for the 2nd player port as that would really add alot of value now that I can't get with my friends as often. I love PC mods that improve graphics and generally with sports games I use mods that allow you to play different seasons. I would buy a Super Mario All Stars remake in HD with the handdrawn artstyle of Wario Land Shake it in a second.

@DrewDS

Come on. I was one of the fans that LOVED TP after playing WW. Wind Waker is a good game but it's my 2nd least favorite Zelda. TP is the highest selling Zelda for a reason and beats WW in just about every category that matters

@Mahe

Agreed. Wii controls should always be offered as play control options for games they work well in. Leaving Wii Remote controls out of Mario Tennis, Twilight Princess HD, and Splatoon was a mistake.

@Project_Dolphin

My point is you think better graphics are worth something. You didn't have to pay hundreds for an HDTV but you chose to because you thought the graphical clarity enhanced your enjoyment. There are always technical limitations, so I'm not disappointed in the way PS4 games look. But would I rather have Madden 16 look like the PS4 version or the PS3 version? I'd definitely take the PS4 version.

@Project_Dolphin

Well your reason was ridiculous. Craigslist is filled with free/cheap crtvs. I find it highly unlikely that you were forced to buy one because there are many options available. A local goodwill is likely flooded with crtvs. Even if you got a free hdtv, you could sell it and make alot of money and pick up a free crt if you deally thought there was no difference. There is literally 0 reason to own an hdtv if you think it provides no benefit.

And I haven't said anything about PS4/Wii U graphics being insignificant but feel free to create arguments to argue against.

It was cute at start but then they forced people to use it like in Dragon Quest game. I'm sorry but that game is a gamepad style and no remote! I really hated that and ruined the whole dragon quest experience. I was angry that i spend so much money for a system that doesn't really work well with this kind of game. I sold it right away! Klunky remote! Glad it's absend

@PlywoodStick True, they were slightly more refined, but SS was 1,000,000 times better than that mini game.

@Link506 And the NeXt Zelda will be 1,000,000 times better than Skyward Sword, if it uses an improved version of the Nintendo Land controls, and rectifies the problems that SS had.