Finally received my ZombiU Premium Pack + New Super Mario Bros. U yesterday! Didn't plan on getting one right away, but than a friend offered me one, since he was about to get 3 delivered. Somehow I couldn't say no, because I really wanted to get my hands on ZombiU.

Anyway, it took DHL 4 days to even FIND the place where this friend lives and then it took 2 more days until we had time to meet.

Long story short - I love the GamePad!

In ZombiU I already had a great moment in which I almost jumped off the couch :P I saw a zombie, which tried to get out of a room, but the door was blocked - I could watch him through a huge glass window - and I thought I was safe. So I turned around and walked on. Then I wondered why I could suddenly hear the zombie louder than before and turned around - instead of using the radar on the GamePad - and that thing was RIGHT behind me. It really scared the .... out of me xD

Mario is fun, but I haven't played much of it, yet.

Are there any Wii U exclusive games you could recommend, apart from the 2 I already own???

Finally received my ZombiU Premium Pack + New Super Mario Bros. U yesterday! Didn't plan on getting one right away, but than a friend offered me one, since he was about to get 3 delivered. Somehow I couldn't say no, because I really wanted to get my hands on ZombiU.

Anyway, it took DHL 4 days to even FIND the place where this friend lives and then it took 2 more days until we had time to meet.

Long story short - I love the GamePad!

In ZombiU I already had a great moment in which I almost jumped off the couch :P I saw a zombie, which tried to get out of a room, but the door was blocked - I could watch him through a huge glass window - and I thought I was safe. So I turned around and walked on. Then I wondered why I could suddenly hear the zombie louder than before and turned around - instead of using the radar on the GamePad - and that thing was RIGHT behind me. It really scared the .... out of me xD

Mario is fun, but I haven't played much of it, yet.

Are there any Wii U exclusive games you could recommend, apart from the 2 I already own???

That depends on whether you also have a PS3 or 360? If you do then check the e shop for some DLC games like Trine 2 or Aurora. Also Little Inferno is worth a full play through. Other than that the Multiplatform games are worse versions of what is available on other platforms.

@FreakGirl: I got Little Inferno earlier today, I know it has since the launch been realised on Steam. But the Wii U version seems to be the version to get, highly underrated game, IGN gave it a 5/10 where I would say its one of the best games on the Wii U.

Nano Assault Neo is also supposed to be a hot eShop download.

Guess there won't be much for me to get. I do own PS3 and X360 and already own Little Inferno on Steam.

MIght check out this Nano Assault Neo.

I would have bought Rabbids Land, since I adore those crazy "rabbids", but after seeing the game in motion and what it's about, it's not worth getting it

Still nothing I want that isn't better on other platforms, so it's a no go for me.

@Hizang said:

@FreakGirl: I got Little Inferno earlier today, I know it has since the launch been realised on Steam. But the Wii U version seems to be the version to get, highly underrated game, IGN gave it a 5/10 where I would say its one of the best games on the Wii U.

Nano Assault Neo is also supposed to be a hot eShop download.

There are zero things wrong with the Steam version of Little Inferno, and the Wii U version doesn't have any advantage over the PC version.

@MordeaniisChaos: It does, the game looks better on the gamepad vs a PC monitor or a TV. It also controls easier on the gamepad. Plus the gamepad means for some you can play it in bed, sure you can play it on a laptop in bed but that won't control as good.

I like how I can play a game while my mom is watching tv. That is a huge plus.

@Hizang said:

@MordeaniisChaos: It does, the game looks better on the gamepad vs a PC monitor or a TV. It also controls easier on the gamepad. Plus the gamepad means for some you can play it in bed, sure you can play it on a laptop in bed but that won't control as good.

Wait, what? bahahaha, it looks better on the fuckin' gamepad? No offense bud, but the resolution ALONE disproves that, second of all, it controls very, very, very easily with a mouse. It's ridiculously simple, and if you know how to use a mouse, it's just as fast as touch.

And anyone with a laptop or tablet can play it in bed. And they can play it without worrying about their battery dying half an hour in.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hizang said:

@MordeaniisChaos: It does, the game looks better on the gamepad vs a PC monitor or a TV. It also controls easier on the gamepad. Plus the gamepad means for some you can play it in bed, sure you can play it on a laptop in bed but that won't control as good.

Wait, what? bahahaha, it looks better on the fuckin' gamepad? No offense bud, but the resolution ALONE disproves that, second of all, it controls very, very, very easily with a mouse. It's ridiculously simple, and if you know how to use a mouse, it's just as fast as touch.

And anyone with a laptop or tablet can play it in bed. And they can play it without worrying about their battery dying half an hour in.

The Gamepad battery lasts much longer than a half-hour. Frankly, if you're playing games in excess of five hours straight non-stop on a regular basis, you probably need to find other things to do with your life.

@Hailinel: Five hours is generous from what I've heard, and I shouldn't have to charge a device every 4 hours period, let alone a controller for a game console. My 360 controller needs to be charged after weeks, not hours. If you are a typical Nintendo console owner and your whole house is using that console? Even 5 hours is nothing.

I love all the people making excuses for the Wii U. The battery should be better. Is it the end of the world? No. But you know what? None of my shit needs to be charged on a daily basis, save for my phone, which I get far more use out of than 5 hours. Hell, I spend that much time listening to podcasts at work and streaming video over 4G not to mention the frequent texting and browsing I do the rest of the day.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel: Five hours is generous from what I've heard, and I shouldn't have to charge a device every 4 hours period, let alone a controller for a game console. My 360 controller needs to be charged after weeks, not hours. If you are a typical Nintendo console owner and your whole house is using that console? Even 5 hours is nothing.

I love all the people making excuses for the Wii U. The battery should be better. Is it the end of the world? No. But you know what? None of my shit needs to be charged on a daily basis, save for my phone, which I get far more use out of than 5 hours. Hell, I spend that much time listening to podcasts at work and streaming video over 4G not to mention the frequent texting and browsing I do the rest of the day.

Fun fact: You can use the gamepad when it's plugged in. The cord is long enough to stretch comfortably from a TV to a couch. If you honestly want/need to play games for more than five hours at a time, you can do that very easily.

I'm not making excuses. I'm stating basic facts that people like you want to dismiss just so you feel better about not buying one. You can go ahead and avoid it without the false justifications.

@Hailinel said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel: Five hours is generous from what I've heard, and I shouldn't have to charge a device every 4 hours period, let alone a controller for a game console. My 360 controller needs to be charged after weeks, not hours. If you are a typical Nintendo console owner and your whole house is using that console? Even 5 hours is nothing.

I love all the people making excuses for the Wii U. The battery should be better. Is it the end of the world? No. But you know what? None of my shit needs to be charged on a daily basis, save for my phone, which I get far more use out of than 5 hours. Hell, I spend that much time listening to podcasts at work and streaming video over 4G not to mention the frequent texting and browsing I do the rest of the day.

Fun fact: You can use the gamepad when it's plugged in. The cord is long enough to stretch comfortably from a TV to a couch. If you honestly want/need to play games for more than five hours at a time, you can do that very easily.

I'm not making excuses. I'm stating basic facts that people like you want to dismiss just so you feel better about not buying one. You can go ahead and avoid it without the false justifications.

And let my siblings, parents, or pets trip on/chew it? I use wireless devices for a reason, wired controllers aren't an option. Even if I could plug in close to me, that would be a hassle, and a step back. Especially for a device that requires a wide range of motion. Think of how many times the guys get tangled up in their mic cables just basically standing around on green screens, let alone when they start twirling around and shit. Your argument would be sound if this wasn't a motion controller, but it absolutely is. In fact, one of the coolest things people have done with it require you to get up and look around with it.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel: Five hours is generous from what I've heard, and I shouldn't have to charge a device every 4 hours period, let alone a controller for a game console. My 360 controller needs to be charged after weeks, not hours. If you are a typical Nintendo console owner and your whole house is using that console? Even 5 hours is nothing.

I love all the people making excuses for the Wii U. The battery should be better. Is it the end of the world? No. But you know what? None of my shit needs to be charged on a daily basis, save for my phone, which I get far more use out of than 5 hours. Hell, I spend that much time listening to podcasts at work and streaming video over 4G not to mention the frequent texting and browsing I do the rest of the day.

Fun fact: You can use the gamepad when it's plugged in. The cord is long enough to stretch comfortably from a TV to a couch. If you honestly want/need to play games for more than five hours at a time, you can do that very easily.

I'm not making excuses. I'm stating basic facts that people like you want to dismiss just so you feel better about not buying one. You can go ahead and avoid it without the false justifications.

And let my siblings, parents, or pets trip on/chew it? I use wireless devices for a reason, wired controllers aren't an option. Even if I could plug in close to me, that would be a hassle, and a step back. Especially for a device that requires a wide range of motion. Think of how many times the guys get tangled up in their mic cables just basically standing around on green screens, let alone when they start twirling around and shit. Your argument would be sound if this wasn't a motion controller, but it absolutely is. In fact, one of the coolest things people have done with it require you to get up and look around with it.

It really doesn't require a wide range of motion for most actions, and the cord is once again long enough to easily handle it, if you need it. And that is if you are playing with it plugged in. Which you don't have to. Also, how do you play PS3 or 360 games when your controller goes dead? Do you somehow have it magically not plugged into a USB port?

Maybe you should, I don't know, try using one before acting like a twit.

@Hailinel: No, I charge my 360 controller once in a blue moon or when I'm not using it for a few days. I don't mind charging. What I mind is constantly worrying about the battery in the fucking thing. Acting like there isn't a difference between having to charge it on a daily basis and charging it twice every month (at most) is acting like a twit. How DARE I not want to keep everything constantly charging. My freakin electricity bill is plenty high already, and I've heard the charge time for the controller can be kind of gnarly. If that's true, combine that with how often it needs to be charged compared to how much it is used, and yes, it's significantly worse than what we had before and as of yet, for no real reason. Maps are cool, but not a game changer.

And again, you just said that one of the things I think is pretty cool about the thing isn't ever used. So just giving me more reasons not to want to spend $400 on a broken OS with loading times from hell, a controller no one makes any real use out of beyond it turning your console into sort of a handheld with 3DS levels of battery and a complete lack of real mobility with nothing but ports that run like shit or are no better than their counterparts, the latter being far more rare.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel: No, I charge my 360 controller once in a blue moon or when I'm not using it for a few days. I don't mind charging. What I mind is constantly worrying about the battery in the fucking thing. Acting like there isn't a difference between having to charge it on a daily basis and charging it twice every month (at most) is acting like a twit. How DARE I not want to keep everything constantly charging. My freakin electricity bill is plenty high already, and I've heard the charge time for the controller can be kind of gnarly. If that's true, combine that with how often it needs to be charged compared to how much it is used, and yes, it's significantly worse than what we had before and as of yet, for no real reason. Maps are cool, but not a game changer.

And again, you just said that one of the things I think is pretty cool about the thing isn't ever used. So just giving me more reasons not to want to spend $400 on a broken OS with loading times from hell, a controller no one makes any real use out of beyond it turning your console into sort of a handheld with 3DS levels of battery and a complete lack of real mobility with nothing but ports that run like shit or are no better than their counterparts, the latter being far more rare.

What doe gnarly even mean in this case? Also, I'm pretty sure that the net effect of charging the gamepad will be negligible on my utility bill. It's not like I'm plugging in a second PC or anything. Also, you've "heard." I've sure you've heard a lot of things, but you haven't bothered to experience any of it, so any knowledge you have (real or otherwise) is second-hand at best.

The controller's motion functions are only used in a limited number of games so far, and it's not like any of those functions requires you to stand up and gyrate or spin your body like a lunatic. Anything motion-based you need to do can easily be done with the controller plugged in.

This conversation is pointless because you obviously never had any interest in the console, are weirded out by cords (I still use my PS2 on occasion and my living room has yet to turn into a war zone), and are otherwise just looking for reasons to justify preconceived notions, even if that takes paring down information received to as basic a level as necessary to fit into the hole you had pre-made for it.

In either case, it's obvious that this conversation is pointless and that there's no use talking about it because OH GOD OH FUCK THE BATTERY DOESN'T LAST THAT LONG.

Oh yeah, the pro controller battery lasts eighty (80) hours on a single charge. Put that in your DualShock and smoke it.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Hailinel: it's significantly worse than what we had before and as of yet, for no real reason.

Uhhh what about the giant screen in the middle of the controller? I get that you don't like the concept behind the gamepad from reading your posts, but there's a pretty clear reason why the gamepad battery doesn't last as long as a 360 controller's does. I do wish the gamepad lasted longer, but it hasn't really bothered me yet. Playing while charging hasn't limited my ability to play a game and the battery meter gives me plenty of fair warning before it shuts off.

Also I'm not really sure why this is even happening here. @FreakGirl just asked for recommendations, not a justification for the purchase they already made.

@Hailinel: It means unpleasantly long. Also, the idea that I have to personally experience it is ridiculous, especially on a site dedicated to other people experiencing games for you and telling you about them. Guess you better just stop paying for that, huh? Cause they couldn't possibly have anything useful to offer you. I don't have to experience it. I have heard from trustworthy places that charging is slow. That may be that there is some other way of charging it that is slow and there's the preferred way (like plugging a USB phone charger into your computer's USB 2.0 port, which doesn't even really charge if the device is even on and idle, vs plugging it into a proper outlet adapter)

Again, one of the unique features of the controller, not being used, and any amount of looking around would be a hassle for me with a cable that I shouldn't have to deal with. Can I? Yes, absolutely. And it wouldn't rune a good game for me. I could also survive not being able to move my account off of the hardware I made it on, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be better. I played with the gamepad at pax, where it was attached to a cable that was help out away from me and long enough to not yank or anything, and it was still annoying. THe thought of that cord snaking down around me and getting caught on an elbow or me standing up to get a glass of water and then stepping ont eh damn thing and yanking the controller off of something? No thanks. Just give me a wireless device with decent life span, and not the one that just makes the console into an expensive and not so great performaing Xbox 360.

This is the smallest of issues, yes, but the reason it pisses me off when people like you behave like you have in pretty much every instance that I've interacted with you in is that it's not good enough compared to every other option. If something isn't ready, it shouldn't happen. If the gamepad can't be made to last more than an hour and a half with your kids and then through a movie that your wife wants to watch in the other room without needing to be charged before you play for more than 40 minutes, it isn't ready. If you can't release a console that loads faster than my old PC, which took so long to load I regularly got a black blank screen while Call of Duty levels kept loading well past the effing mission briefing things, it isn't ready. If you can't put enough effort into not making account management totally fucked, it's not ready yet. Stop making excuses, and just admit it isn't perfect, it isn't as good as it could be and it's inferior to everything else.

And man, if your last statement doesn't show how totally desperate you are to defend the silly box, I don't know what could. If gameplay is all that matters, then the gamepad should be the only thing that matters when talking about the Wii U being worth early adoption, in terms of controllers. I don't care how long the pro controller or Wii motes last. They aren't the single largest selling point of the console, and probably pretty easily the most expensive component of the console.

And don't even get me started on thinking about freaking having more than one of those bastards.

What the fuck, I only told her that the Wii U is the best version to get. If you don't agree with me that's fine but why go into all of this Wii U hate?@MordeaniisChaos

@MordeaniisChaos: Dude. You crazy.

Hey, guys, seriously, I didn't want to get you started on such a huge discussion on GamePad/WiiU vs. PC :P

It's a shame that Funky Barn isn't a game I'd like to get, either. I loved Harvest Moon as a kid and played FarmVille for quite some time on Facebook,

The games I am waiting for most on WiiU are Rayman Legends (Origins was such a great game...) and Lego City Undercover.

What I should mention as well, concerning recommendations, I hardly ever play with friends at home. I usually play Multiplayer only over Xbox Live.

That's why games such as NintendoLand are not really worth buying.

@FreakGirl: I still recommend Little Inferno and Nano Assault Neo

@Lavapotamus: It having a new feature (that has yet to be used properly) isn't enough of a reason to have such an awful battery life. That says to me "this product isn't viable yet." Had they pushed the battery life to at least 8 hours, I could be ok with that. That's an amount I could see itbeing used in a day and not really needing to go beyond that. As it is, in my home, it would often need mid-day recharges. A game controller, regardless of screens, shouldn't be like that.

The thing that really confuses me is that it's just a controller and a streaming device. And it has more space fro a batter than the 3DS. So despite doing a lot less with that power, it lasts about the same amount of time. The only reason the battery is so shitty is because the controller would have been even more expensive to make it last as long as it should.

@Hizang: Yes, I am the crazy one, comparing an SD screen to a higher than HD screen with highly accurate color recreation. Or saying that a game as simple as Little Inferno is going to be easier or faster to control with touch than a mouse in any real way. I can move my mouse cursor faster than my finger, more precisely (not that that matters, because the touch points in the game are huuuuuuge), and like the Wii U gamepad, it's confined to my home.

Also, most of the "Wii U hate" (how dare I criticize a product that is unquestionably pretty fucked up at the moment, and I know I don't need to list the issues) wasn't even directed towards you or my conversation with you. You made statements that woul dhave been ridiculous regardless of the Wii U being involved.

I want the Wii U to be a really awesome console. But there are too many issues and too few real selling points for me to see the point. Yet that makes me an idiot, an asshole, and a crazy person. While you compare a 4 inch DS screen to 24" color calibrated HD display. That probably still has better pixel pitch despite the size.

You can't make excuses for a product that comes from a company as big and supposedly focused on quality as Nintendo without coming off as being a bit silly. The battery SHOULD be better on the gamepad. That is just the truth. It's a shame it doesn't last any longer. And there are a number of reasons behind that, even beyond convenience and usability but just the lifetime of the product. After 10 years of being charged nearly daily, is that thing still going to keep anywhere near the same charge? And I have yet to hear of a game that really makes better use of it than ZombiU, which is pretty cool, but doesn't make or break that game at all. Most other games are significantly less interesting in their use of the touch screen. Rayman Legends is going to be awesome, but not because it's on Wii U. It's cool that they have the touch rhythm thing, but that's not going to make that game awesome either. At that point, it just looks like a 360 with games running at maybe a better resolution but often much worse, and load times that suck, and a controller I have to charge on a nearly daily basis (in my case, most days that thing would need to be charged before use the next day).

But then, I shouldn't be surprised with folk like @Hailinel: in the mix that there's a lot of defending of things that deserve a bit of critique. If you think the damn thing is such a great idea, have the balls to say "Nintendo, do better in the future, because a half assed cool idea is still half assed."

If an iPad can have as much battery life as it has with all of it's processing and it's much much brighter, higher resolution, and larger screen AND stay as thin as it is, the Gamepad should have a little more oomph to it's battery.

But hey, sorry for thinking tons of people posting 2-4 hour drain times is a little fuckin' insane and the idea that I'd have to disable rumble and turn the brightness wayyyyyy down just to get even "reasonable" battery life out of the damn thing is ludicrous.

And seriously, it'd be hard to make Little Inferno play worse on anything. It's too simple, and there's no additional content on the Wii U. A 360 controller would handle the game pretty much as well as touch or a mouse would.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Lavapotamus: It having a new feature (that has yet to be used properly) isn't enough of a reason to have such an awful battery life. That says to me "this product isn't viable yet." Had they pushed the battery life to at least 8 hours, I could be ok with that. That's an amount I could see it being used in a day and not really needing to go beyond that. As it is, in my home, it would often need mid-day recharges. A game controller, regardless of screens, shouldn't be like that.

The thing that really confuses me is that it's just a controller and a streaming device. And it has more space fro a batter than the 3DS. So despite doing a lot less with that power, it lasts about the same amount of time. The only reason the battery is so shitty is because the controller would have been even more expensive to make it last as long as it should.

The argument that it hasn't been used properly is where you and I split. I'm not sure what you're hoping for beyond the basic implementations I've seen so far. I want to be able to play games on the gamepad and I can. That definitely is a case-by-case basis and I can't overstate how much I want to be able to do that with VC games, so I'm certainly hoping that concept becomes more common. I also really like having the majority of UI/maps/menu items on the gamepad. I hate sacrificing screen space for UI elements, so the less that are on the screen, the better. The multiplayer games in NintendoLand that essentially form a team per each screen are really enjoyable for me. I would really like to see those mechanics implemented into meatier, creative games. If you don't see potential in the way the gamepad has been used around launch, is there a concept left you have in mind that you want to see? Because at this point, I assume the console concept just isn't for you, which is totally fine. With configurations like the DS, Wii and Wii U, I get it if people want to stick with traditional controllers. I personally enjoy them, but that obviously doesn't mean everyone does.

I'm assuming the size of the gamepad's screen and the constant interaction between the console and the gamepad are helping drain the battery. Again, I wish it lasted longer than it does, but I think you've nailed it. The battery would last longer if Nintendo either ate more of the production cost to make the batteries or if the console was more expensive at retail. I think the battery life bothers you far more than it bothers me, though. I would love for the gamepad to last 8 hours, but I mean that in the same way that I wish my phone would last longer on a charge than it does. I would never say no to a longer battery life, but I'm okay with what it has now.

And just to make myself clear, I do not think the Wii U is flawless. There's plenty of problems beyond the controller's battery life, but they aren't enough to keep me from really liking what I've seen so far. I'm just trying to understand whether there's actually any potential in the console that you'd enjoy.

@MordeaniisChaos: "My parents, siblings are all going to be retards and continuously trip over the cord, which is why I'm going to play the game on my laptop in bed which obviously lasts more than 5 hours not plugged in."

Also, that "cord" your complaining about at PAX... was it not the obnoxiously large/thick tethering cable they use to prevent people from running away with the table? Yeah, who would've thought that cord would be amazing.

Also, who here is calling the Wii U "perfect"? The Wii U launch is markedly better than other recent console launches in mind. I'm really confused where all of your pointed words towards the Wii U are sourced.

E: Oh, and as for "oh, well why didn't they fill the controller with battery?" Well, probably because battery is fairly heavy in the grand scheme of things, and the Gamepad is remarkably light. This, I assure you, is no coincidence or mistake.

@MAGZine: I wouldn't use a laptop to play games, and laptops don't need to be waved around. A plug for a laptop isn't that big of a deal. It's not like you're going to play Crysis on the train for 8 hours straight. On top of that, every laptop I've used lasts far more than 5 hours without charging.

The cord was pretty normal at PAX when I used it. Like I said, it was as convenient as a cord could be, but it was still bothersome looking around with the gamepad and having that cord there.

Again, you are just completely refusing to admit that it should be better. The 3DS wasn't overly heavy, lasts just as long, and does considerably more with that power. What say you to that? The 3DS literally has every feature that the gamepad has except instead of wirelessly streaming the video, it just displays it normally, which isn't that huge of a difference. It's just WiFi, which the 3DS has.

And again, the iPad lasts MUCH longer playing video (over 10 hours, depending on the model and OS version up to 14 hours), which is exactly what the gamepad is doing, and as far as I can tell, isn't heavier than the gamepad, and certainly not larger. And again, the iPad does all of this while processing the video on it's own, not just receiving input.

So I find it very hard to believe that they couldn't have found a way to make the gamepad more efficient while keeping the weight pretty close to the same. And the Gamepad is quite light, so I could also see them adding a bit more weight and getting more batter out of it without that having a negative impact on it's use.

@Lavapotamus: I'm not expecting anything, I just don't think that the ability to see a map that normally wouldn't be on the screen anyway is that great. It's neat in a VERY particular brand of games, and to be honest, I hate video game maps. I think they kinda suck. I don't want to use them. So the fact that most of the full retail games use it for a map or an inventory screen? I think that the ZombiiU implementation is pretty cool, it's subtle and they design with that stuff in mind. It's a cool thing, but I don't think it's better than existing things. You could argue that more PC esque control schemes are possible because you aren't constrained to four triggers/bumpers and four face buttons any more. But honestly, the only game I can think would be AWESOME with that gamepad and could only be awesome in that was is ARMA 2. Probably seems weird, but throwing the map on that would be cool (The map in ArmA 2 isn't a cheesy video game map, with the in game settings right, it's just a normal map image), and being able to access the command menus on that touch screen is about the only way it could be done without being clunky like it is on PC.

I could also see something that uses the gamepad as a screen that would be attached (securely hopefully) to a fake gun, and as you turn around and point the gun around, you can actually look down the "sights."

There was some redneck guy that made something along those lines for PC, pretty homebrew but a more official version could be awesome for something like Call of Duty or something.

I just don't think you can't argue that a map is worth the consoles being as expensive as it is or it being 10 years behind the competition starting next holiday. The number of people that care that much about maps are pretty freakin limited.

The stuff in Nintendo land is sometimes kinda cool, and the asymmetrical stuff is kinda interesting, but also kinda screwed up because A) it depends on having a crew of dudes or dudettes and B) if you don't like one of the two options then you won't have fun at least 50 % of the time.

And if it was just there and didn't impact the rest of the experience? Awesome. But the controller is unwieldy (it's not uncomfortable to hold exactly, but it's not as convenient and comfortable as a normal controller), ridiculously expensive,

@MordeaniisChaos: absolutely no more weight. You forget that small children and elderly are also going to be using the gamepad. Keeping weight to an absolute minimum is crucially important. For the record, an iPad is about 30% heavier than the GamePad. I'm not saying that the Wii U is perfect and couldn't be improved, but I also don't think that the Wii U is the worst thing to happen in gaming. In a 5 hour gaming session, the lighter the better... although you may never notice as you're a young, healthy fellow.

Also, give some times for the gamePad to gain some traction. When the DS first came out, everyone had the exact same problem: developers don't know how make use of the extra screen. They'll figure it out, give it a bit more time.

@MAGZine: I know quite elderly folk and young children both who regularly use iPads, no complaints about weight. If they can keep the weight down in a handheld gaming system and achieve the same battery life, they can do it with a freakin' controller. That thing could easily be a bit heavier and still be usable by older and younger folks. Also, for the record the iPad mini is pushing a screen at a higher resolution, and an inch bigger with an A5 processor running it and can still push video with wifi enabled for almost 13 hours. And it weights about 3/4 the weight of the gamepad. And it's smaller. Oh, and the materials used on the iPad pretty much account for the weight difference. Unless that Wii U gamepad has glass on the screen? Or is it made of aluminum? In fact I bet most of that weight difference is accounted for in that alone.

I am happy to give it a chance. I'm just saying that right now, it's not worth while. But, at the same time, I don't think I can really recall any DS game that really did anything important on that screen. Most of them still do the same stuff they did at the beginning, dump stuff down there that normally would be a menu you had to pull up. Or it's gimmicky and kind of dumb.

@MordeaniisChaos: The iPad Mini also costs as much as a Wii U and does not have discrete controls, so there's that too. I know that you may prefer to believe that Nintendo just obviously fucked up, but my guess is that they didn't pour millions of dollars into development and not have asked themselves all of the questions that you're asking yourself right now. Also, I'm not sure if you've seen how little kids use iPads, but they generally put it down on a surface or prop it against something after any amount of time. The Wii U is about making the experience as comfortable and accessible as possible. Mission accomplished.

Also, it's okay to say that you hate two screens. It's just then the weight of your opinion is diminished in discussion. Apparently putting things on menues isn't a good idea, and apparently anything that involves using the second screen for gameplay is "gimicky". If nothing else, I'd point your attention to Ocarina of Time, which although it used the screen for menus made the game MARKEDLY better. You can say "oh just menues and maps" all the time, but that's really what the second screen on the 3DS is golden for... it offers easier accessibilty for something more suited to touch. Simply maps are sort of a copout, but menues? Hell-to-the-YES.

And apparently that's a bad thing. -shrug-

@MordeaniisChaos:

Get a grip.

I also think the gamepad is great, IMO it's far more interesting than the wiimote was. In fact, given its usefulness, I wonder if MS and Sony will try to make their own tablet-controller hybrid. Who knows how that would turn out!

@MAGZine: Yeah, it does, and it has a lot more in there. Again, you are acting like they are the same thing, they are NOT. If you pull everything but the screen and wifi out of the ipad mini and make it out of plastic, how much do you think it really costs to make it? http://www.eweek.com/mobile/ipad-mini-carries-188-manufacturing-cost-ihs/

When prices were thrown around for the gamepad, wasn't it like $150? And considering that the Wii U is being sold at a loss, I'd guess that isn't too far off from the manufacturing price.

Also, I've seen little kids hold an iPad mini. They usually have it in their laps, like most people have the Wii U gamepad. But when they want to play a game with motion controls, they easily wiggle and hold the thing up. At a certain point, you are too young to play games, and most kids above that age are pretty capable of holding and manipulating something that weights a couple of pounds. Seriously, it's half a pound. You can't say "well.. derp, ipad heavy!" when you are talking about something lighter than what you claim is light enough for kids to use in that particular way.

I don't hate two screens, so way to just put those words in my mouth. I just don't think that the two things weight out. I don't think that having a menu wher I have to look down to access it and therefor don't get that much of an advantage (oh boy, I can keep driving while I glance at my map, I can do that in ArmA as well!) I don't have the ability to focus on two completely seperate screens in totally different places at the same time, so ultimately it's the input of "look down" vs "hit back" to see the map.

Touch for those interfaces is a big bonus, and I like that. I like the potential of the gamepad. And I think that putting stuff like maps and menus on it is a good idea. I just don't care that freakin much about a menu that will take me away from the game either way with the cost being having to plug the bastard in more than once a week.

On top of that, I have to wonder if that screen is in any way contributing to the performance issues we are seeing especially with ports of games from other consoles. It's not a ton of extra pixels to render, but it's a hefty chunk of what is already being rendered, and an increase of %30 with a busy map screen like the AC series has could have some pretty negative affects on performance. That's just a "I wonder if" thing, but without answers, I'll happily put it in the "I'm not really sure about the value of this thing" box.

But you clearly just want to reverse what I'm saying into me saying it is purely bad, so I think I'll leave it at that. The Wii U gamepad was a neat idea. The first exciting thing that occured to me watching that press conference was "oh man, always there inventory/map!" but at the cost of that much convenience? Yeah, sometimes I wanna play Skyrim for 8 hours straight. If I wanted to do that on the Wii U, it'd be with a pro controller, not with the gamepad. And that's a bummer.

Wow that got out of control really quickly lol. I just popped in to say that if you havent already tried Mighty Swich Force and like Megaman style platformers you might want to check that out. Its pretty great, looks amazing and will keep you occupied until Rayman Legends lands. ^_^

@MordeaniisChaos: Actually, you're the one saying that the iPad and the GamePad are the samething by even bothering to compare the two.

And of course the screen is contributing to performance issues. You do realize that the Wii U is rendering everything twice, right? That would be how you get the screen to render something different than what's on the tV screen.

A small kid might be able to pickup a 500g object without issue, but can he manipulate it by holding it for extended periods of time? I'm not sure if you noticed, but Nintendo is very focused to accessibility and playability for people of all ages. They want to maximize experience. And they felt this was the right decision. And I agree with them. And you do not. /thead?

@MAGZine: No, I'm pointing out that difference A and difference B aren't proportional. It's simple math. A/x and B/x. If the result is the same, A and B are equal. If the result is not, A and B are not equal.

Yeah, but one would assume that would be something developers understand and they optimize around it. It's entirely possible that the screen wasn't the cause of the framerate, and it was some other lack of optimization. I never wondered if it required computation to render what is displayed on the that screen, dumbass.

And yeah, yeah he can. Are you not understanding this? THE WII U GAMEPAD IS HEAVIER THAN THE IPAD MINI. IF YOU ARE SAYING THE IPAD MINI IS TOO HEAVY, THAN THE WII U GAMEPAD IS MUCH TOO HEAVY. Did that do it for ya? I'm giving you facts, doing the math, and all you care about is being a dumbass. If the cost of the two devices is similar, relative to what's inside of them, and the weight is lower, the size is smaller, and yet the iPad mini STILL has better battery performance WHILE doing more, then exactly how the fuck are you right? It's pretty blatant that you are wrong. That's not even an issue of taking sides or bias, it's just not true what your saying. Either that, or you still have yet to catch up to what is actually being said.

@MordeaniisChaos: I was never talking about the the iPad Mini. Only you. Calm down.

You can't handle a mature conversation, so I'm done.

@MordeaniisChaos why is it that whenever someone mentions anything pertaining to a home console there's always at least 1 or 2 PC gamers that just HAVE to go into a fucking tirade about some pointless shit and how PC's are just SO much better? Listen man, just because some people like to game on consoles doesn't mean your personal computer is going to all of a sudden become irrelevant. I mean jeez.. Aren't you guys the "master race"? Why not start acting like it instead of insecure children.

Why the FUCK is someone comparing the Wii U gamepad battery life to an iPad?

$40-60 hardware vs $300+ hardware (depending on which iPad)

Good one Einstein.

@kagato: I haven't tried Mighty Switch Force, yet. Only watched a short gameplay movie of it. I am no Mega Man Fan, though, so I doubt that it will catch my interest.

I have bought Nano Assault Neo, yesterday, and finished the first world "Epsilon". Really like the game, so far. Let's see how far I'll get, I have the feeling that this game is far from being an easy one ;)

played the WiiU for the first time the other day totally stoned off ak-47 hahaha, needless to say, it completely removes any jaded preconceptions and blew my mind away- shits pretty fucking awesome man

Someone is a bit too passionate with their hate for the WiiU. You're pretty annoying person I won't mention by name.