Wow, the Wii U's controller DOESN'T suck.

[Eric]

Glorious copy of Microsoft's, with the 2nd analog & buttons switched around obviously.

Oh and the D-Pad doesn't suck! I could actually play fighting games on this!

[Zeus]

That's just the new Pro controller. The real new controller looks very promising. I'm sure Sine and Don will discover how it's the worst controller ever made but there's SO much that can be done with it. Let's hope that with HD and more support from the big boys that we get to see some neat stuff

[SineSwiper]

Wait, so they are giving up on the whole "wave shit like a sword" technology?

[kali o.]

Wait, so they are giving up on the whole "wave shit like a sword" technology?

I can't imagine why...it was *Revolutionary*...right?

[bovine]

Hrm.... There are no extra buttons that make this above and beyond the standard wiiu controller, so this is pretty much a "gamepad for ported games from other consoles".

I hope Nintendo figures out third parties.

[Julius Seeker]

That's not 'the' Wii U controller, it's just a new classic controller model =P

Since the release of the Wii, Nintendo has included three main controller configurations. The main Wii remote can be used for motion controlled and AR games, as well as turned sideways for simple button interface option games which include NES and Genesis VC titles.

The second configuration requires the nunchuck. It can be attached for additional capabilities which are used in games requiring a more advanced interface, like Zelda and Mario Galaxy.

Classic controllers are used for games which only require a traditional interface, such as Smash Brothers, Street Fighter, etc... They are also often an available substitute model for certain other titles - i.e. FPS titles where you might be more comfortable with a dual analog interface than IR aiming. That is essentially what this controller is, but the d-pad looks to be identical to the one used on the Wii controllers.

The Wii U adds a new main interface - think a large iPod Touch with standard controller buttons included and a shape that makes it more comfortable as a game controller. The three main Wii configurations will still be utilized on the Wii U, as some games don't require the advanced interface of the Wii U controller - and in cases for games like Just Dance, it would be a hindrance to use more than a Wiimote. Although the actual main Wii U controller is capable of playing any games which require a traditional interface as well - it just won't utilize all the controller features.

More will be revealed about it at E3; but one interesting rumored feature is built in NFC - I am not sure if that would mean interaction with credit cards, but if it turns out to be true it will certainly mean direct interaction with everything from things like Skylander figurines to points cards and that sort of thing. It's the next step in interaction from the augmented reality features that Nintendo started using with the 3DS (and presumably on the Wii U as well.

We're just a day away from the E3 press conference, which will shed much more light on all things Wii U controller based.

[Zeus]

Wait, so they are giving up on the whole "wave shit like a sword" technology?

Um, this controller was announced at E3 2011....LAST YEAR.

Nope. Watch the video, it's just different (not waggle but still motion...sort of). We'll see how the NA developers are gonna use it. Since Gearbox, EA, Activision, and Ubi are on board off the bat, we should get some decent ideas. The Wiimotes still work except now, the sensor bar is in the controller itself, by the video chat camera

[Zeus]

Hrm.... There are no extra buttons that make this above and beyond the standard wiiu controller, so this is pretty much a "gamepad for ported games from other consoles".

I hope Nintendo figures out third parties.

Really, it's more of a "don't give the super-biased idiots any excuses" controller. There's gonna be the haters who hate for no reason who won't even give it a shot trying to come up with bullshit excuses like "the controller's too big, it's not comfortable" or "it's SOOO heavy" when it weights 0.3 oz more than a 360 controller (estimating here). This way, Nintendo can just say "um, what about the Pro".

Silly system wars are still very evident, I see it all the time. This is an attempt to try and force even the most biased moron to face the fact he/she has no excuses

[SineSwiper]

Well, Zeus, that mainly depends on if this controller comes with the console, now does it? Face it: no gamer wants to spend 4 hours doing hand exercises to play a game. It's tiring. Even Metroid 3 got tiring to play long term and that was just with the point-shoot interface.

As far as the rest of the game I played, all of them that I really enjoyed used the D-pad mode. (Paper Mario, Cave Story, FF:MLDL) Hell, doesn't Xenoblade use the Pro controller?

The right stick vs. button placement is really weird. It's like they changed it just to be different, but it ends up being a bad design decision. MS made decisions about their first XBox controller like that, and they ended up just reverting back to a more natural form. God, I swear Nintendo is always a step behind when it comes to controller design because they are always over-inventing, and then they have to backtrack when they've overextended themselves.

[Don]

I always thought the motion sensor stuff only makes sense for making Star Wars games because that's the one game where you're supposed to wave your controller like a sword.

[Flip]

I always thought the motion sensor stuff only makes sense for making Star Wars games because that's the one game where you're supposed to wave your controller like a sword.

Zelda? How did the mechanic work for it? I never got to play the game.

[Zeus]

Sine, you will get one controller with the system. That's not speculation, their entire system is based around it (remember when they only revealed the controller at E3 2011 and everyone thought it was an add-on to the Wii?). It's the Pro Controller that you will have to buy separately since it's only being released to shut up the biased idiots who can't adapt even when the real controller comes with every single button the Pro does just with a screen in between. Honestly, if you hate the Gamepad (that's what the new controller is called) and "can only use" the Pro Controller, you're ridiculous. And as biased as you are towards the Wii, you haven't reached "ridiculous" level......yet.

Metroid was fine. There were other examples of games that were silly with waggle, but not that one. Maybe Other M since it was a bit silly how they incorporated the different uses but Prime 3 was fine.

Flip, original Zelda (Twilight) was a bit meh. It was clearly a Gamecube game with waggle added to it. It wasn't horrible or anything but it's probably a bit better with a controller. Still, wasn't like it detracted from the game enough to make you wanna stop playing unless you're one of the people the Wii U Pro Controller is made for. Skyward Sword is significantly better, you can clearly tell it was made from the ground up using the Wiimote and is far better with the Wiimote than a normal controller would be.

[Julius Seeker]

It worked fairly well, but that is largely because there was a lot of variety in the gameplay - there are some wild swinging enemies, but for the most part it requires precision or you'll get thrown on your ass. If it were just swinging a sword around at bad guys it would just be Twilight Princess again - and I feel like if you throw in the Star Wars license, it would get kind of dorky - like Starwars kid.

On Zelda though, my one complaint would be that IR was not used at all. I find IR to be very accurate as a pointer, and using motion controls for the pointer can be a little shakey - it is an inferior method in my opinion. Although the menu navigation system was probably the best I've seen in a console game.

IR games are fun, just try Scarface or RE4.