Were you stressing out over having to buy two of the Wii U GamePads at launch later this year? Worry not, as a second unit won't work with the Wii U for some time. While the Wii U is launching this holiday season, dual GamePad support will come a bit farther down the road. Reggie Fils-Aime says to expect it "well after launch."

"Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers," said Nintendo of America's president to Gamasutra. "It's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life."

They need to figure out how to handle two screens with one game before adding a third, he adds. For now they'll focus on asymmetric gameplay, with the rest coming later: "We think that's where developers will focus first, then there will be multiple experiences that have two GamePads."

For now, you have plenty of Wii Remotes, don't you?

I can't shake the feeling that the Wii U is appealing less and less to people since the recent E3. I actually thought Nintendo could pull off this E3 and show us something amazing with this hardware, and it never happened. Now with this news, it's clear Nintendo is not making dual gamepads a priority. This isn't a huge deal, only a fraction of the customers will buy a second gamepad, but it points to a larger point of Nintendo's approach, and that is that they don't have one. Nintendo's message of what the Wii U is is so convoluted, it seems even they barely know how to make living room tablet gaming fun.

Source: No dual gamepad support soon says Reggie.

Ever since the Wii U's controller was revealed, I never understood why people wanted to use two GamePads? I don't see how it can directly effect gameplay in a positive way, when other players can use a Wii Remote, Classic Controller or Wii U Pro Controller. Most games seem to make a case that the Wii U GamePad is used for a special function, while the other players use normal controllers.

@Haziqonfire said:

Ever since the Wii U's controller was revealed, I never understood why people wanted to use two GamePads? I don't see how it can directly effect gameplay in a positive way, when other players can use a Wii Remote, Classic Controller or Wii U Pro Controller. Most games seem to make a case that the Wii U GamePad is used for a special function, while the other players use normal controllers.

Well then what's the point of the Wii U? I thought the gamepad was the main draw... Is it essentially an HD wii? I am not trolling, I seriously don't know it's hook.

I feel like that's becoming more and more of a Nintendo "thing", announcing features that will be a part of their system or game "at a later date." Can't say that I'm disappointed, though, as that would require me to be excited for the system in the first place. *Sigh*

@BestUsernameEver said:

@Haziqonfire said:

Ever since the Wii U's controller was revealed, I never understood why people wanted to use two GamePads? I don't see how it can directly effect gameplay in a positive way, when other players can use a Wii Remote, Classic Controller or Wii U Pro Controller. Most games seem to make a case that the Wii U GamePad is used for a special function, while the other players use normal controllers.

Well then what's the point of the Wii U? I thought the gamepad was the main draw... Is it essentially an HD wii? I am not trolling, I seriously don't know it's hook.

I just don't see why people would need two GamePads in any case though? They've been pushing the idea of Single Player experiences that work with the controller, like having on screen inventory, maps, or switching the game image from the TV to the GamePad.

I can't think of a really great gameplay feature that would use multiple GamePads effectively. Nintendo has been touting Asymmetrical Gameplay (one player using the GamePad, the rest using normal controllers) and that has more benefits to it for multiplayer than two GamePads do. The whole point of the Wii U has been about options IMO. The GamePad is there to provide a new hook, motion controls are still there for those who want it, and a more traditional controller is also there for people who want that -- the Wii U Pro Controller.