Topic: Should the gamepad be "abandoned"???

I went and played through a large part of Wind Waker with the GamePad a couple of weeks ago in one sitting. Long enough that the GamePad battery started to die and I was forced to either quit, plug it into the wall or swap to the Pro Controller. So I swapped to the Pro Controller. After I did that I played through one of the dungeons and got stuck near the end without the boss key. Turns out I had missed one of the rooms and so I had to back track.

Didn't happen again, didn't happen before that. I realised that I had missed it because when playing with the GamePad I had the map right there in my hands. It is a valuable and useful feature even in games that don't "use it". Now can we please stop creating these threads every other day? I think I've lost count of the number of times someone has thought this was a brilliant idea nobody had ever thought of yet only to be shut down by the same arguments.

You could look on an ipad/iphone/android browser, while playing the video on the Wii-U, or stream the Mario video off another media streaming device. Or watch it on a laptop thats connected to the TV, etc...

I already have a zillion devices like that already. The ability to read something on the controller while the console plays a video on your television is hardly some mindblowing achievement. Handy? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely not.

@FutureAlphaMale Then the Wii U clearly isn't for you.

At this point, scrapping the Gamepad would be giving the finger to the current install base. At least you can still use it as a regular controller with Off-TV display. Which is awesome.

If anything, Nintendo should be looking for ways to make the Wii U and Gamepad production cheaper.

That's what I am beginning to think.

I guess some people see the point ( usually owners ) and others don't.

I don't suppose you'd see playing multiplayer games, like Lego Marvel, with one player on the TV and one player on the gamepad ( farewell split-screen ) as a boon to gaming either?

I think people are missing the point.

I'm not saying SCRAP the gamepad, I'm saying make it an optional purchase at some point in the near future. Every game forthcoming could still have its use intregrated into it, but just as most games are doing now, they also allow secondary controller options.

Why not sell a cheaper Wii-U model that enables the user to choose whether or not they want to pay for (and play with) the gamepad? It could potentially boost sales to people who don't "get" the gamepad, or who just are plain not interested in using it.

I think the PS4/Vita and Xbox/Surface integration will end up being completely useless and under-utilized as well, so that has no bearing on my opinion in regards to this.

Because releasing more options may actually hurt the Wii U than help it. What would even be the purpose of the gamepad if it was completely optional? No developer would use it anymore.

That was unnecessary and makes you look like a 'watch the profanity please'

Who's to say that marketing a gamepadless Wii U would be a smart move? Sales are hurting already for the Wii U why would Nintendo want to hurt them even more by offering a Gamepadless Wii U? Would stored even carry it? At this point Nintendo needs to look at what they have and see how they can improve it. They need to get people to want the Gamepad and in the end that will get them to want the Wii U. If they want a gamepadless Wii U they can just get a PS4 or Xbox One.

@FutureAlphaMale I think your missing the point, if the Gamepads potentially is only starting to be used now when the thing comes with every Wii U how do you think developers are going to use it if it is optional?

I think the gamepad hate is silly. I don't get why a Nintendo fan would be offended by Nintendo giving them an unusual controller. That's pretty much what Nintendo have done with every console. The benefits to some games is obvious and the potential for multiplayer is also obvious. It's a shame that nobody has really used it to the max potential and that not even Nintendo will unless they sell 20M units in the next 2 years.

If all Nintendo had done was release a powerful console without any kind of gimmick, they'd be in the same situation as they are now except they'd have nothing to differentiate themselves from their rivals.

I think the gamepad hate is silly. I don't get why a Nintendo fan would be offended by Nintendo giving them an unusual controller. That's pretty much what Nintendo have done with every console. The benefits to some games is obvious and the potential for multiplayer is also obvious. It's a shame that nobody has really used it to the max potential and that not even Nintendo will unless they sell 20M units in the next 2 years.

If all Nintendo had done was release a powerful console without any kind of gimmick, they'd be in the same situation as they are now except they'd have nothing to differentiate themselves from their rivals.

This is possibly one of the dumbest ideas I have read. Seriously. The gamepad is one of the few things that gives the WiiU the chance to differentiate itself from the competition.

As well there ZERO evidence that getting rid of the gamepad allows Nintendo to go down to $199, and there is no evidence that the lower price will drive people to buy it. In fact you risk the chance of making your product look worse compared to the competition, people will wonder why it is so cheap compared to other consoles and in general it will be seen a negative because consumers look for all the negative reasons why a product is substantially cheaper than its conmpetition. Tons of marketing research has been done to bear this out and prove it.

On top of that, we are a year deep in to the consoles life, and the gamepad, when it has been used well has been awesome. If you take it away now you will hurt future development and split the fan base. The roughly 4 million people who have been the early adopters.

The problem isn't the gamepad, the problem is the piss poor marketing efforts by Nintendo, and the inability to actually work with developers outside of their own. They needed to hire competent people like Dan Adelmann to go after development houses to secure games, they needed to help fund these games, they needed to use their warchest to secure the exclusives, and they needed to hire western devs to make western games. See the issue is leadership. Iwata is a nice guy and was a good dev but he doesn't have the succeed at all costs thirst that a great executive needs. NCL handcuffed NOA, gutted them all of their good leaders and now NOA is a shell of what it was.

Instead of abandoning the gamepad, do this, hire people to aggressively secure more games, money hat several games and work with the devs to make them great games, buy some temp exclusivity on any cross platform titles, and lastly change the marketing model again from this grassroots low cost bullpoopoodoodiecacapoo that worked with the Wii because it was a cultura phenomenom, and get back to out hustling your competition. The Wii ruined Nintendo, and they failed to see it happening in 2010/11, they got spoiled and thought what worked then would work now, and it is showing.

Laslty, stop trying to come up with stuff to make you feel better about your purchase or to help you validate it against other systems because others buy it. Buy the games you enjoy, buy the systems you want and be happy, because you won't when you worry or think that company Y needs to do X to be more successful so that I can validate my purchase in my head and with my friends. Just go play the games, show off the ones you love to others and everything will be fine.
_{Watch the profanity please — TBD}

One major flaw in your argument.

Right off the bat you say drop the $100 Gampad and replace it w/ a Pro controller at the $199 price. Well the Pro controller isn't free, it''s $50, so the Wii U only drops in price to $249, not $199. So your argument then becomes, what''s better, a Wii U w/o the Gamepad at $249, or w/ the Gamepad at $299? Since there aren't any great Wii U games right now anyway, I don't see sales for a $249 Wii U w/o a 2nd screen Gamepad growing all that much over a $299 Wii U w/ the Gamepad. And the Gamepad does get used for 2 player in some FPS games and Lego Marvel and Wii Party U has a few off tv games. The Gampad may have been a mistake - some big-wig Nintnedo head honchos admitted as much when they said they started work on it before the iPad was invented and Apple stole their thunder - but dropping it now would be a bigger mistake w/ no real benefit. The R&D has already been invested on the lag-free connection, no going back now.

Why? Because I have an iPad I can surf the web on while watching TV/Gaming? Because I have access to a huge TV I can play on whenever I want, rendering the "off screen" play on the gamepad unnecessary for me? Because I would rather lay on a couch/bed and play with the pro-controller instead of holding a comparatively large, glowing, touch screen in my hands,which requires me to look down at it often or move it around awkwardly while using it as a "scanner"??

I still love the system and want it to do well, but the gamepad really does feel like its being forced on gamers and putting off potential buyers. It should be optional, not mandatory.

You missed the boat right off the bat...

As per Nintendo, the gamepad actually costs close to if not $100 to produce. Nintendo isn't making a profit by including it.
The pro-controller is being sold at $49.99, but likely costs $10-15 (or less) to actually manufacture. If Nintendo can throw in a "free" $50 dollar game as a pack in, they can most certainly include a $10 controller without it hurting them....

What reason would there be to buy the Wii U without the gamepad, though? It would just be a PS360 without all the benefits of those consoles, like an account system, Harddrive, and group chats, while still costing the same as at least a 360. Every major gamer has those consoles already. What would entice potential buyers to the Wii U? The Nintendo games? You might as well buy a 3DS if that's all you want.

You just answered your question right there. If that's the case why not just trade in your Wii U for a PS4? You will get all that and not have to worry about being forced to own a gamepad.

@CanisWolfred Exactly what I'm thinking.