Topic: Does anybody here play the Wii U without connecting it to the TV (gamepad only)?

So I'm a bit OCD when it comes to keeping my living room clean and clutter free, and between my cable box and PS4, I don't really feel like reconnecting my Wii U to my TV (it's been in hibernation since mid December, after I beat Super Mario 3D World)...........I plan on buying DKC: Tropical Freeze, but I'm thinking about just plugging my Wii U in via the outlet behind my couch and playing through the gamepad only.

Has anybody else gone this route, did it work it out pretty well?

my wii u hasn't been plugged into my monitor since pikmin 3 it actually pretty great like this.

well, nothing wrong with playing just on the gamepad, but...pikmin is so beautifull, how dare u not to play on a big hd tv!

Your problem seems to be lack of dual screen set up in your living room.

I always use my Wii U as a handheld because it is my console for when I am downstairs. I play while my mom and sister watch tv

I did that once. One of my hallmates was playing a game, so I brought my Wii U to his room and started playing on the GamePad solely. It's pretty great, but I prefer playing with a TV since half of my Wii U games benefit from the Dual Screen play.

The benefits of having the Wii U hooked up make for a better experience, IMO. The only time I use the GamePad by itself, is if I don't have access to a TV or am sharing a TV, which only happens when I'm away from home.

I've been looking at buying a virtual surround headset, but it's pretty hard to justify buying a $100 piece of kit that will only be used during such a rare occasion. Also, I think a good pair of headphones is essential for off-TV play. Otherwise, you're missing the clarty and volume level that is ideal, IMO.

EDIT: My choice of headsets would be a pair of PS Pulse Elite or those new PS Gold headsets.

I had to do that for about a month last year when my old big boxed crt tv broke, and I had to wait for enough money to buy a new cheap one. It works just fine for most games. You can even play wii games by holding down B on the gamepad while it's powering on. ( I was pretty angry until I found that out!)

This is a little bit off topic, but my only gripe is in some situations I can't find a way to get sound to play off of the gamepad when I'm using a TV. For example, when I'm using netflix, there's no way to have the video playing on the tv, but the sound coming out of the Gamepad. I'm usually up all night (Due to a graveyard shift job), so I don't want to keep people awake. I try to use earbuds at night to be more quiet, but it's frustrating that it doesn't work right in some circumstances.

I luv my Gamepad. Its awesome

Just using the gamepad for me was kind of cool for a minute, but it got old fast. Beware, some games don't (yet) support off-TV play. And if they do, u won't know which button(s) to press to switch screens without seeing the TV. Personally i think its a waste if u only use the gamepad. U miss out on all of the Wii U's beautiful visuals at higher resolution. The gamepad looks amazing don't get me wrong but a good TV can make it look just plain crispy good, like fried chicken-good. Just my 2 cents.

I have an old CRT that for some reason warps the picture of my launch Wii composite cables. Doesn't affect my PS3, 64 or SNES. Only my Wii U. As a result, I've nearly been exclusively GamePad-only since Day One, 2012. I'm not really disappointed, though. The Pad's screen is clear and precise. I hope to fix my old plasma this week though.

ive been thinking about doing that just so that I can play the gamepad in rooms that are too far away from the living room. maybe i just need a longer hdmi cable or something.

or figure out a way to get a backpack with a battery you can hook the system up to so you can walk around and play on the gamepad everywhere

I probably will this weekend at my GF's. Her TV is wall mounted and it's a pain in the butt to plug in the HDMI cable.....

I've found myself enjoying the Gamepad as a couch companion- it's better to browse on than my Samsung Galaxy Tab, which hasn't been turned on in three months........

My Wii U is always plugged into my TV but I rarely turn on my TV to play it... does that count?

Pretty much the same thing, IMO

I use GamePad only too from time to time.....

80% of the time I'm GamePad only. Either because the TV is in use, because I'm watching sport or something or because I just don't feel like turning it on. Most of the small games I play GamePad only. The big games like Mario or Assassin's Creed I'm maybe 7030 in favour of TV play. Pikmin 3 I played on TV mostly on-TV but then have been off-TV for all of the challenges. The only game I played very close to 100% TV was Wind Waker HD.

GamePad is awesome!!!

There's a number of games that I have only played off-tv, mostly platformers. That's because I don't have a sofa in the living room anymore (that's where the TV set is), and it's tiresome to play a game for long while you sit on a wooden chair - probably the reason why my gaming sessions never go past the couple of hours. So if I can and I don't feel like the game loses its impact, I really enjoy playing on the GamePad in bed or on the...throne. For example I've never seen how Ducktales Remastered, New Super Mario Bros. U, Mighty Switch Force and Cloudberry Kingdom look on the big screen!

Big releases or games where details matter, I tend to play them on TV, but for smaller things I usually go GamePad only.

I actually don't use the gamepad a lot of times. Would really like a option on the Wii U that if you turn on the console with a controller the gamepad doesn't come on. Or atleast leaves the screen turned off, but I do use it from time to time.

Some games I prefer with the gamepad. For instance Pimin. The Wii Remote works so much better IMO then the analog stick, but the 'Go Here' option on the map is essential to getting the most done in a day. They should have allowed you to go into the map screen on the TV though and use that functionality. I'm assuming next gen VC support will have to add some of these things if the next generation Nintendo machine doesn't have a gamepad.

Have played virtual console with pad meanwhile Olympic games are running on TV.