Nintendo Working On Two Controller Support for Wii U

I'm hoping for support for 2 uPads and 4 WiiRemotes, meaning 6 player on one console! EPIC!

2 Pads is a good idea. 1 isn''t enough. 2 is just right. Any more are just great added bonuses. If they could get 4 working it would be epic!

I imagine if bandwidth is the problem, docking the resolution of the controller's display by a few lines should help.

@shoopdawoop70 indeed, just imagine the chaos that would create in smash bros XD

Nintendo, just bring back the gameboy advance with wireless and a touch screen and sell it for 90 bucks - insta-buy.

Did I get something wrong, or wasn't it known for quite a while now that the Wii U is actually capable of streaming 4 SD and 1 HD image seamlessly already, making pricing the only hurdle?

I'm hoping that we can use a 3DS as a controller as well, that'd be epic, TWO extra screens... just imagine the sensory overload

@Rococoman: So...sell the 3DS?

This is nothing new, even Reggie let slip the Wii U would support two controllers.

If worse comes to worse, the Wii U supports 4 Wii Remotes so that would also mean Classic Controllers for the Smash Bros. crowd.

Now the question is...will we be able to play a game using 2 pads, 4 Wiimotes, and 4 3DSs.

Yeah, an extra wii upad would be essential imho. 3DS controller support would be ace too.

... ready... USB to Game Cube adapters... BOOM!!!!...

YES, thank you for doing something amazing Nintendo!

Having to use Wiimote controls again is a BIG downer for me. I hated playing 90% of Wii games with the motion controls. If they are trying to woo the 'core' crowd again they are doing a bad job IMO. A lot of gamers just want a regular f*cking controller. Get with it Nintendo!

Case in point, WWE 08,09,10 all used Wii controls ONLY. It sucked. '11 added Gamecube support. Crazy huh?

Hopefully all the wii u games support the classic controller also, maybe even an updated one with rumble functions and analog triggers then i would be very happy love the classic controller

If it will only support 1 controller then they'll need to have a very VERY strong online. However even with a strong online, the more controllers the better.

So are they still considering using 3DSes as extra controllers of some sort, too?

@lz20XX The original GBA, no backlight, was just a really comfortable console to hold and play with. Did you ever play Crystal Chronicles or 4 swords?

Nintendo says these controllers will be ~$90 USD, and all they can do is stream; they have no processing power. The GBA was a full fledged handheld which ALSO worked as a great controller. I say, sell it for 80 or 90, and have it serve as Wii U's controller - stand-alone operation will encourage people to bring it with them or buy more.

When Nintendo revealed the Wii U, we all knew they would have a tablet controller, but I was really expecting it to also be the return of the GameBoy brand. I don't know where the 3DS fits in here - I own one, and I think its a mess of a piece of tech, as well as ruining my GameBoy/Wii U idea.

i hope that if and when they add a second controller, if the price of the wii U goes up a little further because of it, that the price increase isn't that big that puts people off from buying the console.

one can't really release a home console with just the one control pad included.

Hope they can do this. Imagining 4 to 6 people playing one game local (and online at time`s) sounds like it would be wild. lol

Second WiiU controller support and others playing with @&%¤#+ Wiimotes, eh? No more Wiimotes please. Make a real controller like Sony and Microsoft do. Or like you, Nintendo, used to do. Just remake the great NGC-controller and Smash Bros players are happy.

6 player Smash Bros. plz

I thought they already confirmed this.....with 4 controllers.

there's just so many more possiblities when there's two touch screens. one on one games will be great that way for starters

YES NINTENDO, YES!!!

We already knew it could stream to up to 4 tablet controllers so the change is only in Nintendo allowing 3rd party developers and their internal teams to work on games that DO ALLOW for two tablets or more. I'd pay $90 for an extra tablet controller for some crazy local co-op... or for Netflix streaming to TWO tablets so I can use that for when my godson and goddaughter are over, for example and I can game on a different console or watch something else while they each watch a movie on their controller.

I don't understand why they didn't do this from the beginning. Where I first heard of a controller with a screen in it, my first thought was multiplayer games where each player sees their own stuff, instead of split-screen like in Mario Kart for console games. There's a lot of potential for games where the other person can't see what's on your controller screen.

For 90 € they better pack in a triple A multiplayer game that makes good use of the tablets. Maybe even let you choose between a hardcore and a family pack. Otherwise i don't think the majority of people will invest that much cash for a second controller.

@misswliu81 (21.): For the first time ever i don't understand your logic.
Currently i'm not interested in a second controller and i'm quite sure i'm not alone on this one. Why have something included that increases the price while a good amount of customers doesn't want it _yet ?
And what if the people i play WiiU with have got one themselves ? We'd sure be happy that we paid more for something we don't have any use for...

I think it's time for a...
M BISON YESH!
_{Now about those 3DS controllers, baby...}

It's simple math, people. So Nintendo's supposedly got the machine hardwired for enough bandwidth to support a single 480p 60Hz video stream. Two display devices? 480i or 30Hz. Most people don't even notice the difference between 30/60 Hz framerates.

Three or four display tablets? Divide the video feed up into quarters, each tablet displays its own 240p window. If it worked on MarioKart 64; it will work on Wii-U tablets, but this time with the benefit of not seeing others screens. Or if the game primarily used the screen for text / map / auxillary control data in which detailed resolution is more important than faster refresh, then a 20Hz (3 tablets) or 15Hz (4 tablets) frame rate could be used. The display controller would have a very simple logic circuit that would ignore portions of the data stream intended for other tablets.

So yeah, it's definitely doable, though the resolution or lag would probably be noticable with 3 or 4 tablets. Nintendo could also consider using data compression for games utilizing multiple streams, without noticable loss of quality. A cheap decoder chip could efficiently decompress the stream without the need for a dedicated microprocessor.

Thank god. I hope this is true.
Honestly, I was SO stoked when I saw the Wii U at E3, i thought to myself, all Nintendo needs to do is give us a powerful system, with something that 3rd party devs would support & develop on.
As far as power is concerned I'm pretty sure every developer out there has no excuse not to create for Wii U.
As far as controllers go, you have the option of Wii Motion Plus, which is finally what the Wii was supposed to be, and it's attachments (nunchuck, classic controller, etc) AND you have this new Wii U controller.
And when i saw the Wii U controller i was ecstatic...a return to classic control schemes, support for motion, AND a beautiful touch screen that won't strain the eyes thanks to it's size.
But THEN, all HELL broke loose inside myself when i heard that it would only support one controller.
While i knew i'd still get the Wii U being such a fan of Nintendo's games, I was utterly disappointed. How, i mean HOW could any developer, Nintendo or 3rd party, create a game with any kind of multiplayer with any sort of fairness when each player is on a different control scheme? Not to mention said developer would have to go to the trouble of creating other control schemes...that would be a good reason for 3rd parties to not support Wii U.

Granted, this day in age, much multiplayer occurs online therefore you only need your own controller. In fact, i've only used both xbox 360 controllers i own a handful of times. By contrast, with wii i use all 4 remotes regularly.
With nintendo stepping up their online game i'm sure we'll see a lot more online multiplayer, but it being nintendo we are guaranteed to still see local multiplayer, the lack of which i absolutely loathe about the 360/ps3.
Therefore we need at least 2 wii U tablets. Get it done, Nintendo, I know you can!
It would be a train wreck to release Wii U without that support. It would be another 3DS with this whole second circle pad, but x8943598379458579837.

the U stands for Utterly dissapointing.

controllers shouldn't have power cords (save for USB ones that connect to the actual console), unless the controllers are the console themself. like the DS.

don't get me wrong. i love my wii. fluidity is one of my favorite games for it. but even the wii has a fault in the fact that the controller REQUIRES batteries. and with the Wii U, what is the solution? add a cord. a good idea. but NOT when it's a $%^&ing AC ADAPTER! besides, thing looks like it'll be a pain to hold. no seriously. a thing that heavy, mixed with the fact that you'll be holding it for long periods of time, in an awkward position just to be able to get to the uncomfortably placed buttons, doesn't sound like fun to me.

i swear, if they don't come out with games that are worth it, good or bad controller, i won't own a system that doesn't have games i like. that's why i don't own a 360. (halo alone ain't worth it.)

I hope it doesn't work. I don't want to buy another one of those.

And also what? The tablet needs to be plugged in with an AC adapter...?

I can see it now... The Legend of Zelda: Two Swords... wait a second...

I am a sad...
Good for Nintendo , but they really need to push this to support four controllers.
Nintendo also needs to push the idea of asymetrical gaming AND symetrical gaming on WiiU. Both types offer loads of creativity and innovation. Good job on pushing it to two at least.

kingofthekoops -> Until someone invents some sort of wireless electricity transfer system, I think you're just going to have to learn to live with either batteries or plugging your electronic devices in.

Not sure if someone said this already, but I'm hoping this system becomes separate from the Wii. Which means, 4 of these new controllers, optional Wii controller support (like the gamecube controllers on Wii) and a different name.

@battLeToaD Why have something included that increases the price while a good amount of customers doesn't want it yet ?
And what if the people i play WiiU with have got one themselves ? We'd sure be happy that we paid more for something we don't have any use for... >>

sorry, i should've explained it better. what i was trying to say is yes, i think it is good to have a second controller packed with it, instead of buying it and paying extra as an additional accessory.

but surely there is way for nintendo to come up with a price for the controller that is affordable and not too expensive? that does not cost over say £50 for eg.

@Rococoman: The GameBoy brand is pretty much long gone now. After the failure that was the Game Boy Micro and the shoot-up of DS sales, Nintendo decided to retire the Game Boy brand. What's wrong with the 3DS, or the DS line for that matter? Too many screens? I think the DS is a worthy successor to the DS, and the 3DS is the worthy successor to the DS.

Just don't include two controllers in the package and everything will be fine; if the box comes with 2 controllers, the price would be unbearable.

I don't know of any system now-a-days that comes with more than one controller. Wii comes with ONE controller. PS3 Slim comes with ONE controller, etc, etc... Why should Wii-U be any different? It should come with ONE tablet, then buy a second tablet, Wiimotes as spares.

@misswliu81: Thanks for explaining. Nintendo likes to bundle controllers with games and i still think that would be a great idea for the tablet _{if it really has to cost more than 50 €.}

I only hope the support of more than one tablet controller doesn't make the devs lazy. The multiplayer ideas Ninty introduced on E3 looked great to me and i'd love to see many more of these.
I mean in the end the game should still revolve around the TV screen. If it won't i can just use the 3DS for my local multiplayer needs.

6 player action!! please, a super smash bros could be awesome in this game

2 more for perfect 4 player fps local multiplayer

2 tablets are perfect. If the wii U uses the 3ds as an added on contoller then that would be epic. I most likely won't buy this system on launch day but at holiday season 2012, that way I can get a bundle and reviews of the games before I buy them.

This is a good thing! Though it would be useless as I am the only one who does play any sort of games in the house.

4 wii u controllers 4 wiimotes FULL NINTENDO PARTY