Touchpad will be great for games like Tropico, Sim city, Civilization, anything that benefits from a fast and accurate pointer. At least it will make browsing a lot easier.
And no it's not the same as selecting things on a touch screen like the wiiU gamepad. A touchpad is a lot more accurate and you are not blocking what you are trying to select. (Unless you use the stylus, I rather use a touchpad)
I hope you can set it up the way you want. Move the pointer with your left thumb or index finger and use the directional buttons as 'mouse' buttons would be my preferred setup. I guess thumb plus R1/R2 would work well too.







