From a pure conceptual perspective, which is the better "Gimmick controller", Wii U Gamepad, or Joy-Con?

[GhaudePhaede010]

mutantsushi said:

TheMisterManGuy said:

The Wii U GamePad had some nice ideas, but most games didn't bother using half of what it offered, and instead just used it for Off TV play, or in the case of shooters and action games, a map. I think the main problem with the gamepad, is that the concept of dual screen gaming in a living room console setting really doesn't work. With a DS, you have both screens in your field of view, but you can only focus on one screen at a time with the Wii U, so that made games like Star Fox Zero an absolute nightmare to play, because now you have to juggle your focus between two de-synced displays in a fast-paced setting. On top of that, you can only use one gamepad at a time, and you couldn't even buy one in stores. I will give the gamepad this though, asymmetrical multiplayer is one of the better uses of it's potential, and is a concept that deserves to be explored more. The ability to play games off TV is also nice, though the range is rather limited.

And all these issues were apparent from Day 1. I always failed to see value vs alternative approaches to same problems, such as "auxiliary info display". How does 2nd screen (requiring shifting visual focus) solve that any better than having modal window/view on main screen triggered by button or gyro tilt? The only potential value is in shared-screen local multiplayer re: "hidden info" but multiple WiiU 2nd displays were not well supported, making it moot. All this is at cost of hardware budget & draining system performance to drive 2nd screen. For... being able to play tethered to WiFI while you sit on toilet? OK.

The conversation here is not about execution; rather, it was made clear this conversation is about concept. Both of your paragraphs are about execution . The first paragraph starts off talking about concept, "The Wii U gamepad had some nice ideas" but ultimately breaks down to a conversation about execution which, in this case, is off the topic.