Why the Wii U gamepad design should be more like Vita

[Viper1]

JoeTheBro said:

Do you guys now understand why the Vita is much better than the Wii U gamepad?

So your 3 main issues are:

1. Backside grips not fitting well using both hands.
2. Odd analog sticks.
3. Can't reach center of touch screen with thumbs.

My objections:

1. Not much I can really say here.  Hands come in too many different sizes.  It's fit well for me and everyone else I've read that gave a report but I don't expect it to fit for everyone.
2. Nintendo and Xbox gamers are used to having the left analog stick at the top.   The right one will seem initially odd to almost all of us at first but shouldn't be an issue after a few minutes of gaming.
3. This is a gameplay design mechanic.   If a Wii U game tasks you with quickly switching back and forth between dual analogs + buttons and quickly tappign the middle of the touch screen, they've failed at using the controller well.   That's not a controller flaw, that's a game design flaw.  Imagine if a Vita game wanted you to quickly tap between the front and back touch pads with lots of analog and button presses with it.   Bad game design.   Or a Kinect game that wanted you to simultaneously hold both arms out wide and use both analog sticks.   Bad game design.

pokoko said:
As someone with wrist problems, I'm concerned about the placement of the analog sticks. Seems like a lot of wrist bend to use the buttons. I worry that prolonged gaming could have a painful effect. I intend to listen closely after launch to see if anyone has any complaints.

Actually, the Wii U GamePad may be the most wrist friendly of all controllers.   The X360 controller reqiures you to extend your right thumb down 90 degrees  toward your wrist to reach the right analog stick.    The PS3 controller require this of both left and right thumbs.    The Wii U GamePad will only require 45 degree angles to reach either the D-pad or action buttons.  Though the plus and minus (start and select) buttons on the right side will need the same 90 degree reach.   The Wii U GamePad keeps your wrist, hand and thumb in more natural alignment.

the2real4mafol said:

It didn't feel strange to you that the analog sticks were towards the top of the controller. I haven't used a wii u pad yet, but i'm used to analog sticks being towards the bottom of the controller like the PS3's is.

This has always been an issue with Sony gamers playing a Nintendo (or even MS) console.   Sony uses a 90 degree thumb position for the analog sticks.   Nintendo and MS have always used a 0 degree angle for the left stick.   Though they've usually also placed the riight thumb stick at the same 90 degree position that Sony does.  I myself used my first analog stick on the N64 so it felt very odd to me when I tried the Dual Shock later on because my left thumb had to extend 90 degrees to the side rather than the natural straight up position I had become accustomed to.