Pre-E3 2012: Wii U GamePad Is Revamped

Nintendo Direct just happen and they talked all about the Wii U and one of the things that they showed off was the new and mostly improved GamePad (the now official name for it) controller. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata showed off the new pad and how it is now different from the prototype from last years E3.

For starts, the controllers name harkens back to the old Nintendo Entertainment System’s controller, the NES gamepad.

In regards to the changes made. The buttons were moved to make the GamePad fit more comfortably in the players hands. The handgrips here also moved to make it easier for the player to hold on to the GamePad.

The once before sliders are now more of analog sticks that can be pushed in, much like other controllers these days. There is also a NFC reader/writer than can read cards or figures when they are placed on it. I think is is safe to assume for games such as Pokemon.

The GamePad can also be used as a TV remote control as well. Unlike the Wii controller that could only turn on and off the Wii itself. The Wii U GamePad can turn off the Wii U and then turn itself into a TV remote control.

It seems Nintendo has put a lot of thought into the GamePad and it looks to be very promising.