I´m just going to re-post what devilrising has posted 14 hours ago in the other trhead. No more question about it.
Devilrising:
The GamePad, for all intents and purposes, is a bad ass controller. It has NO major flaws or drawbacks, unless you want to argue size, which isn't ideal, but even that you get over after awhile, due to how light the damn thing is.
It provided, to ME anyway, the best, most functional and most comfortable combination of d-pad, analogs, and buttons that any modern controller since the SNES has. It throws in the awesome bonus of having a LARGE touch screen, which also allows you to treat the controller both as a second screen for some games, as well as treating the controller itself as a semi-portable TV, so you can play your home console (or eShop) games in comfort in your living room, even while your roommate/family is watching TV or even playing another system. Yeah, the system to controller range COULD be larger, that would certainly be nice, but at the same time, that kind of tech is new/novel enough and convenient enough already, that you really can't complain TOO much.
Plus the touch-screen aspect itself is SUPER useful when it comes to map/item screen/menu navigation, not having to pause the game (for games that are designed to take advantage of that), not to mention the fact that it makes having to input words or browning the internet from your console MUCH more convenient. You can pause effectively pause your game, and go look up GameFaqs or Youtube real quick on the same console, to help you in the game you're currently playing. Not necessary, but super useful.
Outside of all THAT, it also has the extra bells and whistles, such as 9-axis motion sensing, a NFC reader built in, a mic, speakers AND camera in the controller, with nice volume control, I mean it's not all totally necissary stuff, again, and not every developer/game is going to or even HAS to use it all, but it's awesome that it's there. And if that weren't enough, for the super picky out there, Nintendo DOES still provide you with controller options, from the new Pro Controller, to the Wiimote, to the Classic Controller via Wiimote, etc. The kinds of functionality that the GamePad alone offers, plus the additional controller options the Wii U also offers the gamer.....no other system or competition offers that, period.
The camp of folks who have insisted from day one that the Wii U would somehow magically have sold way better if it had a "normal" controller, have always been laughable at best. The GamePad offers FAR more than it could possibly detract, and as I pointed out, it in all blunt honesty has very little about it you can really, fairly criticize. It works great, has tons of built in features and functionality....Nintendo really did good by themselves on the controller end.
Again, the ONLY thing that really hurt Wii U in that first year, a hurt which we are still feeling echoes of today thanks to most major third parties apparently abandoning ship, was misjudging their own development cycles and not having a steady enough flow of games out that first year. Even 2014 had it's burps where it seemed there wasn't a new retail game coming for a bit. 2015 looks as if it just MIGHT manage to have a full, steady game flow, what with: Yoshi, Kirby, Splatoon, Devil's Third, Mario Maker, Mario Party 10, Mario vs. DK, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox (if it's any good), Zelda, and possibly even STM x FE and (if rumors are to be believed) Animal Crossing.
I think the Wii U will be supported pretty steadily at LEAST through 2017, honestly, and that's good, because as an owner I want my money's worth, and I want at least a good solid 5+ years with my console. Between Nintendo retail titles, and the glut of great eShop content coming out (seriously, Wii U really does have one of the best digital platforms now of anything this side of Steam, with a pretty amazing slate of stuff, that keeps getting larger all the time, coming down the pipeline), I think Wii U owners will be just fine. If major third parties feel like getting back on board, well great. If they don't? Well.....you can either own other systems too, or honestly.....who needs em? Most of those so-called "AAA" blockbuster titles are not always worth their hype anyway.
But regardless of all of that, no, the GamePad isn't nor has it ever been Wii U's problem. If anything, it's one of the best things about the system.
