Well, I haven't played with it more than maybe 15 minutes in a mall (I don't know a single person in RL who owns a Wii U), but it looks like a gimmicky, unconfortable controller that makes the Wii U unnecessarely more expensive than it should be.

I like it a lot. I use it for almost anything but if by some chance I need a break from the larger stance, I have the smaller controller. That being said that doesn't happen very often/I don't really find the bulkiness an issue.

Battery is a slight issue but A) you can keep it plugged in B) there's an extended battery available somewhere and C) as fun as the Wii U is I can't see myself playing for so long that the battery would be drained and I'd still want to keep playing lol, I don't have huge chunks of free time like that much anymore

Gamepad is great though and it's definitely what makes the Wii U so enjoyable to me. Instead of picking up a remote and a controller I just pick up the GamePad and while the TV starts up I can get ready on the GamePad. Off-TV play and easy headset use and don't even need the TV is great for people like me who only have one TV for all their gaming (I've got a Wii, Wii U, PS2, and PS3 all hooked up to the same TV).

I can also keep more bloody, violent, or loud games on the down-low (e.g. Call of Duty) so people in the house aren't disrupted or wondering what the heck I'm playing where people are swearing etc. constantly (which is a huge problem in my house, even though I'm 19 my parents still wouldn't approve of me playing most mature-rated games and definitely don't want to hear me doing it).

Honestly, sometimes I play the Wii U just because the GamePad is easier to use than the other systems, lol. It's more of a psychological thing than anything else (15 more seconds isn't a huge deal) but eh.

And it's supposed to be getting a quick boot option soon, which means even more convenience, lol.

Love the game pad; like it more than the Wii mote, actually. It is a very comfortable controller, and I firmly believe that most people that complain about it have never tried using it for any extensive gaming sessions.

I still think it would have been better served as an accessory to the system, though, Wii Fit demonstrated that people WILL buy additional hardware. Hell, everything from Kinect to the plastic Mario Kart wheel showed that. If they could have packaged it with Nintendo Land and sold it for 70-80 dollars, I think they would have been better off.

I just changed the battery of my tablet controller... the high-capacity battery is huge compared to the preinstalled, which only uses half of the space in the battery compartment:

Was it a last minute decision of Nintendo to launch the WiiU with a gimped battery to save a few bucks? It can't be much difference, if you buy/produce them in the millions.

How much did you pay for it and where did you get it?...The Gamepad´s battery life is atrocious, I wonder how long that new battery lasts.

€22.49 (taxes and shipping included) after using a €10-voucher, which would have expired a few days later.
http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/90528732/nintendo-high-capacity-akku-2500mah.asp

International, Play-asia is probably the cheapest option: http://www.play-asia.com/wii-u-gamepad-battery-pack-2550mah-paOS-13-49-de-70-6oan.html

Thanks!

Have you tested it yet?...The Gamepad´s original battery only lasts around 4 hours, if I´m not mistaken, that new one should at least double that, no?

I use the gamepad for most of my surfing, to bad there is no Skype. I use miiwerse as a slow communication with one of my sons that does not live at home. 

It is more comfortable than the iPad, and cheaper.
If you take five minutes to learn all the controller features you can use, your surfing gets so easy and efortless. I do not however use the tilt fast-scroll but that is mostly because I selldom is in a such a hurry.
It is so easy to get to links (even page numbers that are so small that you have to zoom on the iPad to even touch the right one.
In games it would be cool to always be able to clear the TV screen from all abundandt information, but the games that use it are better than those on plattforms without tis ability.
Asynchronos play: Cool but have not used it very much.
The pictionary game in Game & Wario is a family favorite.

I will buy more Wii U:s and use them as a cheaper and better alternative than iPad ( we have two in the family already).

Just inserted and recharged it yet.

No its not. It really isnt guys. This is liek the whole " Iwata's gonna resign" shit with no facts to back it up.