Topic: Wii U gamepad power button sometimes doesn't work properly

I've been having some issues with using the Wii U gamepad to turn on the console. When I press the power button, the quick start menu loads on the gamepad and the LED on the console goes from red to blue. So far, so good. But sometimes, the console doesn't completely turn on. The light changes colour, but you can hear that the machine isn't actually doing anything. And when I choose an item from the quick start menu, nothing shows up on the TV screen. On the gamepad, I get the following message:

"Could not connect to the Wii U console. Please move the Wii U GamePad closer to the console. Then turn the controller's power off and on again."

When this happens, I can resolve it by turning off the gamepad, turning off the console (by holding down its power button for a few seconds), and then turning the console on again (again, using its own power button). I can then access the main Wii U menu, though I get this mesage on both the TV and the gamepad:

"Hold the POWER Button for at least four seconds to force the console to shut down. Ordinarily, please hold the POWER Button for only one second to turn the console off. This screen is displayed whenever the console was forced to shut down the last time it was used."

Anyone else have this problem, and know of a long-term fix?

P.S. The TV control on the gamepad always works perfectly, without exception. It's just turning on the console that's sometimes an issue.

My Wii U went to Nintendo three times for this. In return, I have someone else's badly scratched up Wii U and still have the problem after giving up in disgust the last time (And this time around, it had a new wrinkle since it's now not limited to issues with powering up the system; The gamepad this time also doesn't shut the system down properly, either.).

Here's a picture of the screen I've become so familiar with since my system was six months old. It starts off gradually each time, too. You'll get this out of the blue after a few months of use with zero trouble and hope it's a one-off fluke caused by a moment of interference with some other device. But within weeks, it gradually ramps up in how often it occurs until you can pretty much count on the gamepad's power button failing to correctly boot the system 100% of the time.

Nintendo's famous tech support failed me pretty badly, and the process was pitiful, too. For instance the last time I didn't even get tracking information for my system until the day it had arrived in the morning at my house. And despite living in New York State and sending it to a service center in Syracuse NY, all the paperwork inside was in Spanish. And did I mention that it was a couple of weeks past the longest estimated time on Nintendo.com?

They never replaced my gamepad, so I suppose that the issue is at the console end since that's all that was ever replaced. If you don't want to get up and turn the system on/off physically every time, keep a Wiimote handy. Always works 100% for me in powering up my system.

I suggest just adjusting to this annoyance and not sending it to Nintendo. If you're otherwise satisfied with how your system works and its current condition, I wouldn't risk possibly making it worse (and most likely still having the same issue after a while).

I especially wouldn't do it if you're out of warranty, which I imagine you likely are. I have no faith in Nintendo's ability to fix this issue long-term. Especially when you're shelling out ~$100 for it to get fixed.

This is also why despite my love for the Wii U gamepad and spending so much time in off-screen play, I really wish the system OS was patched to be fully usable with a Pro Controller and why I wish that my entire library was fully Pro Controller compatible (It's close, but several games mandate it or at least need it occasionally like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario 3D World).

I think the system is in general robust, but I have little faith in the long-term viability of the gamepad. So it would've been nice to know that the gamepad was completely optional if my suspicions end up confirmed.

The one bit of praise I can give it where longevity is concerned is the easily replaceable battery that's not built into the gamepad (Unlike the Pro Controller). But then again with the system failing commercially and barely breaking 10 million units sold, will some vendor view the demand as high enough to justify producing 3rd party replacement batteries 5-10 years down the road as these age?

Thanks. So basically, my system was probably defective all along and the only option for fixing it is to send it back. Could be a lot worse though, at least it didn't brick like so many others did. I can live with using the Wiimote. Thanks!

@Euler I know this is an old topic, my gamepad worked for a long time turning on and off the console, however for the last year it hasn't been able to turn on the Wii U and it's Wi Fi isn't as strong as it once was.

Now, bear in mind, it has been dropped onto a hard tile floor many times by my kids, I've replaced the LCD screen, analogue pcbs etc leaving only replacing WiFi and Bluetooth modules left to do.

I'd say it's your Gamepad and it's probably more expensive to replace than the Wii U itself hence why Nintendo would only change the console.

Reading all the horror stories online I would never send a system to repair to Nintendo, I don't think they have a repair service at all, it seems they simply swap around faulty consoles and return.

Happen to Us today, I have 2 kids (5 and 4) and i asked why is not working (nobody knows) then little one says "we put chocolate in the screen because Mario was hungry" I call my game shop to separate a new one with Mario Maker, and now thanks to this maybe I can save some money or have 2 Wii U, haven't decided yet. Anyway I will take the TScreen to a game repair shop.
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