Reggie Fils-Aime is holding an experimental transparent controller
Image: Bob Riha Jr. / Nintendo of America

For all the questions that Nintendo's appearance at E3 2011 answered, many more new ones have arisen.

Nintendo EAD designer Katsuya Eguchi is working on a five-player Wii U prototype game that utilises just the one Wii U controller and four regular Wii Remotes and Nunchuks. Is this because the Wii U controller will have a price tag heavy enough to put users off from buying addition ones, or because there simply is no need for more than one? Speaking to Kotaku, Eguchi makes it sound like having more than one may not even be necessary:

We're considering our options with maybe two screens... [Multiple New Controller games is] an interesting idea.

This suggests that it is possible to synchronise at least two of the fancy new controllers to the console. Whether that's something the Wii U can do out of the box or through some kind of firmware update is all speculation at this point, however, Eguchi acknowledged that if the controllers are to be sold at a high price point, that could be an obstacle for potential four-controller games.

Which is understandable yet a slight contradiction to what a Nintendo rep told CVG at E3. A company spokesperson said that the console and controller will be sold as a bundle and that controllers won't be purchasable on their own. Apparently, multiplayer games being developed for the Wii U are currently supporting just the single new controller with Wii controllers making up the rest of the numbers. Whether Wii U controllers will be available to purchase on their own in the future after the launch period remains to be seen.

[source kotaku.com, via computerandvideogames.com]