Wii U dev/pub Nicalis says the Wii U GamePad is a waste

[Yanikun]

On Twitter.

They're developing/publishing The 1001 Spikes and will publish The 90's Arcade Racer on the system and have worked on Wii, DS and 3DS several times.

 

[DuhWhitePanda]

Game pad would have been a neat accessory, I don't like it as an essential part of the console. Especially when you're playing with a headset and a pro controller but need to have the gamepad in order to use the headset. That is dumb as hell. I do like it for Netflix though. Its pretty dope handing it to my son to watch films while I wait a year for updates to install on PS3 and games on Xbox Juan.

 

[Vencoris]

For me the game pad is the best thing about the system since I only play my WiiU via off-tv play.

 

[rjthakid]

I think the Gamepad is cool. I loved using it in MH3U. Sadly it does make the Wii U a bit too expensive. I bought one on the strength of my Monster Hunter obsession but I'm an exception.

$300 is a significant chunk of change. The Wii U mainly targets casual gamers & families but the price point is a bit more than most casual/family gamers are willing to spend on a console.

 

[RTRSPCT]

I was skeptic at first, but I actually like the controller. Not having to turn on your TV, but playing games handheld-like (with optional headphones...on your bed!) is a great option. And, I am sure that great / unique use will be made by some of the future titles.

 

[Caleb]

I use the gamepad.

 

[CUD]

I don't have a Wii U but I have got the impression it (the gamepad) isn't really used much and I was never a fan of the idea. I always thought it worked well on the DS but the Wii U being two a larger screen (TV) and a smaller one that you hold really changes things, I know I don't want to have to keep looking up and down to play a game. When I'm playing on console I just rest the controller in my lap or something like that.

Is it really not used as much as he is claiming?

If Nintendo didn't include the Wii U gamepad and in turn reduced the price of the system then I would be much more likely to buy it. I'd be happy with a regular controller for a Nintendo system, worked fine for the Gamecube so I don't see why it's such a big deal to have motion controls and touch screens now. Innovation? Pfft. Don't force people to use your 'innovative' technology and gimmickry. Make it an optional peripheral that isn't integral to using the system, forcing people to pay for a gamepad is a waste. Would I want a Gamecube controller as the primary control on the Wii? You bet. Do they give use the choice? No way. Instead we get the innovation of aiming at the screen.

 

[Yanikun]

I don't have a Wii U but I have got the impression it (the gamepad) isn't really used much and I was never a fan of the idea. I always thought it worked well on the DS but the Wii U being two a larger screen (TV) and a smaller one that you hold really changes things, I know I don't want to have to keep looking up and down to play a game. When I'm playing on console I just rest the controller in my lap or something like that.

Is it really not used as much as he is claiming?

If Nintendo didn't include the Wii U gamepad and in turn reduced the price of the system then I would be much more likely to buy it. I'd be happy with a regular controller for a Nintendo system, worked fine for the Gamecube so I don't see why it's such a big deal to have motion controls and touch screens now. Innovation? Pfft. Don't force people to use your 'innovative' technology and gimmickry. Make it an optional peripheral that isn't integral to using the system, forcing people to pay for a gamepad is a waste. Would I want a Gamecube controller as the primary control on the Wii? You bet. Do they give use the choice? No way. Instead we get the innovation of aiming at the screen.

This may never happen, but if you ever get the chance, play through Nintendo Land. I'd honestly be shocked if it didn't change your mind about the GamePad. It's most definitely not a gimmick as it can easily fundamentally change the way you play games, perhaps most notably in local multiplayer.

About your concern that the two-screen set-up couldn't work as well as the DS/3DS because the screens are far apart, you're assuming that Nintendo uses the Wii U's dual-screen concept in the same manner as the DS', but in practice it's very different from the DS, and in Nintendo Land itself, you can see that they're fully aware of that and have gameplay ideas built on that idea that juggling between your TV screen and a screen in your hand is not an easy thing to do and can be entertainingly confusing. There are gameplay concepts possible with the GamePad that aren't possible with the DS/3DS or with any other system, so it doesn't work better or worse than the DS because they work differently. A friend of mine expressed the same concern as you actually, back before the Wii U was released, but we played Nintendo Land with some friends a few weeks ago and she got it. There's a similarity in concept between the two systems, but they're still different things.

To me, the GamePad is the console, plain and simple. I had drifted away from home console gaming because I've always loved playing on handhelds and there was nothing on home consoles that I thought was compelling enough to get me to spend money on that rather than on handhelds. The Wii U is the only home console I've enjoyed since the Dreamcast, because there are experiences on it that can't be replicated on handhelds, on consoles, on PC, or on mobile. It's a good system because it does its own thing. Take away the GamePad from the whole thing and you get a bland console. Make it a peripheral and it'll end up almost never being used because devs can't count on people owning the peripheral.

Of course, it can be used in similar ways as the DS as well. And it can be used as a full-featured controller. It doesn't have to be a game-changer with every game, but it never makes a game play worse and it often makes games play better. It is worth it. You can't please everyone, but for its impact on gameplay, it's absolutely worth it. The system isn't even that expensive anymore. It's about the same price as a PS3 and cheaper if you get an official refurbished model from Nintendo (it costs $200 for the 32GB model with Nintendo Land included).

 

[CUD]

This may never happen, but if you ever get the chance, play through Nintendo Land. I'd honestly be shocked if it didn't change your mind about the GamePad. It's most definitely not a gimmick as it can easily fundamentally change the way you play games, perhaps most notably in local multiplayer.

About your concern that the two-screen set-up couldn't work as well as the DS/3DS because the screens are far apart, you're assuming that Nintendo uses the Wii U's dual-screen concept in the same manner as the DS', but in practice it's very different from the DS, and in Nintendo Land itself, you can see that they're fully aware of that and have gameplay ideas built on that idea that juggling between your TV screen and a screen in your hand is not an easy thing to do and can be entertainingly confusing. There are gameplay concepts possible with the GamePad that aren't possible with the DS/3DS or with any other system, so it doesn't work better or worse than the DS because they work differently. A friend of mine expressed the same concern as you actually, back before the Wii U was released, but we played Nintendo Land with some friends a few weeks ago and she got it. There's a similarity in concept between the two systems, but they're still different things.

To me, the GamePad is the console, plain and simple. I had drifted away from home console gaming because I've always loved playing on handhelds and there was nothing on home consoles that I thought was compelling enough to get me to spend money on that rather than on handhelds. The Wii U is the only home console I've enjoyed since the Dreamcast, because there are experiences on it that can't be replicated on handhelds, on consoles, on PC, or on mobile. It's a good system because it does its own thing. Take away the GamePad from the whole thing and you get a bland console. Make it a peripheral and it'll end up almost never being used because devs can't count on people owning the peripheral.

Of course, it can be used in similar ways as the DS as well. And it can be used as a full-featured controller. It doesn't have to be a game-changer with every game, but it never makes a game play worse and it often makes games play better. It is worth it. You can't please everyone, but for its impact on gameplay, it's absolutely worth it. The system isn't even that expensive anymore. It's about the same price as a PS3 and cheaper if you get an official refurbished model from Nintendo (it costs $200 for the 32GB model with Nintendo Land included).

I did actually play the Wii U in October of 2012 at a convention. I played a few Nintendo Land games, NSMBU, ZombiU Rayman Legends and a little bit of Assassin's Creed III and Batman: Arkham City. I haven't played the Wii U since so it's a little hard to recall exactly how it felt holding the controller but I don't think holding the controller itself was as bad as I had imagined, the part which didn't impress me was the use of the controller itself. It didn't seem to me as any more than a new form of motion controls, though they didn't allow us to play all the Nintendo Land games so games that utilised the touch screen more weren't really used. I can't recall the other Nintendo Land games I played other than that one where you are controlling a kart on some tracks through a long obstacle course. The use in NSMBU and Rayman Legends was similar although it was used more effectively in Rayman Legends it also felt just as unnecessary as NSMBU. As for Batman and Assassin's Creed from what I played and from what I recall they did not use the gamepad screen very much at all. ZombiU made the best use of the gamepad's screen but once again I just felt it was unnecessary and something that could have been done on the one screen. I guess I'll just have to play one of the games that you mentioned that do something that makes this more than an unnecessary gimmick.

From my experience, however limited, I'm just not a fan of the gamepad and that is turning me off the console itself because as you said the GamePad is the console. I'm just not going to be convinced otherwise until I play some game/s that really make it some revolutionary new control scheme, in all honesty I can't see that happening but I'll try to be open minded.

What are some other games that use the gamepad well?