Wii U Will Support Two Gamepads at Launch, The Games Won't
By Joseph Christ on June 14th, 2012 (7 comments)
In what has been a fairly consistent flip-flopping -or better yet massaging- of statements concerning the initial gamepad support on the Wii U, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has brought further clarification to the matter. Namely, that while the Wii U will support two gamepads at once, none of the launch titles will.
"Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers," he told Gamasutra in an interview, "It's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life." He goes on to say that he believes developers are the best people to figure out how to utilize a second screen before moving on to more.
Now we'll ignore, for a moment, the use of the phrase 'figure out' even though that bothers me somewhat. But I'm more interested in how many people does Nintendo think will buy a second $150 controller to get a little more content out of a game that will most probably cost $60 alone? And bringing a game to market that requires a second gamepad essentially raises the cost to somewhere around $210 or more depending on the sales taxes in your area (which here are close to an anal-clenching 10%).
It's a contorted tale to be sure, but we should be used to that when it comes to the Wii U by now. And as much as I liked the games I played on the system at E3, I can't help but to think that this schizophrenic styly of bringing a product to market is only going to hurt Nintendo in the end.
Joseph Christ
Joseph Christ is the Reviews Editor and a Podcast Personality at 4Player. Specializing in reviews, editorials, drinking, and saying inappropriate things about gaming franchises that are beloved by millions, his satirical and sometimes edgy style offsets a more serious and penetrating substance lurking below the surface. He is also the host of the Cocktail Time Podcast. You'll follow his Twitter if you know what's good for you.
|
Follow Us
|
Back to the Top
|
|
|
© 2012 4Player Network All rights reserved |
Log in or sign up |
After all this time, I still don't know what the Wii U is. Is it this gamepad we all keep talking about that is limited to 2 per console? We've seen lots of images of the gamepad/tablet, but very few images of what the actual console looks like. The more I heard about this, the more I believe it is going to fall as flat as their 3DS launch. $150 controller? Are you kidding me, Nintendo? Are the Wii U games going to cost consumers $60 a piece like the other "current"-gen consoles? I don't know if I'm the only one, but casual gaming has sure gotten more expensive.
Link / ReplyJust let us plug our Gamecube controllers in it, Nintendo. You did right on those. Also, that picture makes me smile.
Link / ReplyI think developers can do some really cool stuff with N-pads and Smart Glass technology. $150 is expensive. By the time WiiU is out you'll be able to buy Android tablet for $150 with bigger screen and use it with Xbox Smart Glass.
Link / ReplyOne step forward two steps back, nintendo.
Link / ReplyGreat work from Nintendo as usual here. Ironic they left out this convenient fact until now.
Link / ReplyI'd only buy it if I could play with Reggies face on the tablet, like Mario's on Mario64.
Link / ReplyJoseph, do your latin funeral chant for nintendo again.
Link / ReplyNew Comment