IGN calls the Wii U gamepad a crappy controller in the Microsoft Pre-show

[F0X]

eFKac said:

F0X said:

eFKac said:

F0X said:
Nintendo has consistently set standards for future controllers and control methods in general. I have a feeling that by the end of this generation, words such as these will be hastily eaten.

So you imply that by the end of the generation both new xbox and PS4 will get dedicated tablet controllers? I'm not even saying that they will be the main controllers, just additional dedicated controllers a'la Wii U gamepad - tablet like with a big 5 inches or more screens.

I am willing to bet that they won't as a gamepad like that is sub-par to a traditional controller like Dualshock 4 or X360 controller. We're at any stake here, your call, so you want to bet?

 

An optional tablet controller wouldn't be feasible because it would require a change in actual system hardware. Microsoft and Sony understand this and are pursuing other dual-screen options, namely SmartGlass and Vita remote play. Those options aren't quite as robust or ideal as the Wii U GamePad, but that's probably as far as Microsoft and Sony will go during this generation. Wii U is set to be the gold standard for dual-screen gaming for the next several years, which is pretty much exactly what Nintendo wants. Anyone saying otherwise, actually, should be eating their words right now - before people start lining up at Best Buy demo kiosks during E3.

I agree with that and hope it stays true, without Sony or MS pursuing Nintendo in dethroning it because in my opinion the dual-screen thing with your TV and home console is well a lousy idea, being polite. I never really seen it's appeal in DS or 3DS but can see how dual screen benefits handhelds, but here I don't know. I think the general consumer will proove me right as the Wii U sales will stay mediocre in part because people don't see the dual-screen in this situation appealing or needed.

I also don't think the dual-screen idea is particularly useful for home console gaming. Handhelds, yes, because screen space is a major issue and the second screen isn't completely seperate in the first place. The GamePad's implications for the kinds of games one would find on other platforms are, unsurpsigingly, limited, leaving titles built from the ground up to put the controller and the hardware through its paces, like the Wii. Regardless, the control scheme does make porting much less of a hassle than before.

I find Wii U's off-TV play as a potentially excellent unique feature (especially in family-related situations), and the overall dual-screen concept can be a good hook for the party-style titles that Wii was known for (if Nintendo Land is any indicator). Given time, maybe it could become far more accepted and natural-seeming, like the DS (which also had a sluggish sales start). But there's something everyone can agree with - we'll never know unless Nintendo finally gets around to releasing games.