The Wii U GamePad is the most comfortable controller I have ever used. It is the first controller I can play any type of game on and not feel compromised. Usually my main problem is with the d-pad. Too often modern d-pads are simply extra buttons in the shape of a d-pad, and are unusable for the type of precise control a d-pad usually affords. The only company that consistently gets it it right is Sony, since they’ve never stopped placing the d-pad front and center. But, Nintendo too has realized this need and I believe has rectified the situation with the Wii U GamePad. Because of the size of the controller, the d-pad is exactly as comfortable and usable as the typically more optimally placed analog stick. This is key for Virtual Console games, and a boon for newer titles like NSMBU.
I love everything about the Wii U GamePad. It’s large—but light—and the buttons are well-spaced. Even the weird humps on the back feel great when you grip the thing. It definitely becomes a covetable device in Nintendo Land when you get to trade up your Wiimote and bask in the glory of your own screen. The only improvement they could make would be to the screen itself. I wonder how much information the Wii U can stream to the controller because even if they just bumped up the screen’s resolution to 1280×720, it would look worlds better and I would opt for off-screen play almost exclusively. Now, if they could put a 1920×1080 screen in the thing I would—oh my—well, I’d certainly buy one for starters! Regardless, I think it looks good enough as is, and remains a joy to use. I just need more games to use it with!
I want to also plug my previous favorite controller—which I still hold in high regard—the GameCube’s WaveBird. I love the GameCube button layout in general, so the wireless version just made a good thing better. I really dig the idea of varying sizes of buttons. Every button not only looked different, but felt very different as well. Why has this been abandoned? Mashing that giant A button is one of the most satisfying things you can do! There were only two issues I had with the controller. First the springy triggers which, though I liked the feeling of, were a bit noisy. And second, as you may have guessed, the d-pad.
I hope a future Nintendo controller design (and console design for that matter) takes cues from the GameCube. Even if it wasn’t the most successful system, there were a lot of really fun and good ideas that should not be abandoned in favor of the more modern and, quite honestly, tired controller layout we’ve become accustomed to.
Pak N Play 