Confirmed! Only 1 Wii U controller can work with the Wii U!

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3DChipset

Gawd
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It's been confirmed on shacknews.com that only 1 Wii U controller works with the new console and you can't buy the controller seperate either! Ouch..... Ultimate fail for a system that's targeted toward "Family use"...
A spokesperson told CVG that the console and controller are sold as one unit. "You won't be able to buy the controller alone," he said. The system is only designed to support one of the tablets, while multiplayer games will have others playing asynchronously with Wii remotes.
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The screen has to be the big reason. I wonder what type of wireless technology they're using to stream game data to it. Though wasn't there some interview somewhere where they said they're still deciding on if they're going to allow more than one?
 
I've been trying to find out more if that's the case. So far shacknews.com is the only place I can find the information about the 1 controller per unit. I hope they can. At least allow 2? How is co-op going to work now in future hardcore games? Strictly online only? I thought this was shown with family and fun in mind? lol... I'm sad that only 1 per unit. Seems like it's gearing everything for online use and alienating anyone in the family to play with a wiimote.
 
Even ignoring the co-op issue for a moment if they're not going to sell more controllers what happens if you break one?
 
WOW.

You won't be able to buy replacement tablet controllers for a system targeted at children?

If this is true, then this will be a bigger failure than the Atari Jaguar.
 
Hehe, right! SOL I guess? Only time will tell what that will occur. I can't imagine that this will stick. I hope that it changes to allow at least 2 controllers, plus the ability to "order" through Nintendo or something another one if it breaks? If the RROD was anything to complain about, this could be even more of a fiasco...
 
Seems absolutely rediculous. I have a feeling they will make some changes and alter this decision once this news starts to spread and the stock drops even lower.
 
Wow... They had better make a controller similar to the PS3 and 360 controller if they want to compete for 3rd party support. The Wii controllers just won't cut it. You could use the classic controller, but that has two buttons less than the PS3 and 360 controllers.

Also, what happens if you break your controller? You have to order one special from Nintendo? That would be pretty stupid.
 
Shit controller, shit console. "Next Gen" graphics that are 4 years late.

Wii motes need to die also. Am I the only person that vastly enjoyed playing games on the gamecube controller way more than these wiimotes? Smash Bros, Metroid Prime series, and Twilight Princess were all vastly better on the gamecube controller for me than the wiimotes (only games i've tried both on)
 
Shlomo said:
Shit controller, shit console. "Next Gen" graphics that are 4 years late.

Wii motes need to die also. Am I the only person that vastly enjoyed playing games on the gamecube controller way more than these wiimotes? Smash Bros, Metroid Prime series, and Twilight Princess were all vastly better on the gamecube controller for me than the wiimotes (only games i've tried both on)
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I pretty much agree with you here but at least you can use the gamecube controllers on this new system.
 
Its probably something to do with the weakness of the console GPU/wi-fi(bluetooth whatever). It would have to render the screen, then the monitor on each controller, then send it over bluetooth. Which might be too much for either component.

The wii seemed like a pretty shitty idea, like xbox live but both were sucessful, so who knows...
 
Only one person can play with the new tablet thing while up to 4 other people play with Wiimotes/nunchucks/GC/classic controllers. I think it's pretty cool.

I forsee, among other things, one serious gamer playing with the tablet controls and his girlfriend and roommate helping out and playing on the main screen.
 
wow, thats not good. Its supposed to recapture the hardcore market, except you cant play any multiplayer fps locally... Only one controller with dual analog sticks?
 
tpfaff said:
wow, thats not good. Its supposed to recapture the hardcore market, except you cant play any multiplayer fps locally... Only one controller with dual analog sticks?
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You can use the Wii classic controller and gamecube controllers, but they really don't compare to a PS3 or 360 controller.
 
Well that's one way to keep people from shitting themselves for having to pay $100+ for a controller. :rolleyes:
This will be great too for households with kids who will now fight over who gets to use the cool controller. :rolleyes:
 
Well, it's still a long way out. Reportedly, MS developed the entire xbox360 (after beeing queasy about the xbox original) in the same timeframe between this and the supposed launch date of the WiiU. So... there is a still a good chance of better wireless tech/cheaper display tech comming out in the timeframe to allow more the one WiiU controller. That being said, why isn't the controller it's own gaming system, lol...
 
I'd also suspect there will likely be other controllers (like the Wii-motes) that will be used in a lot of these multi-player cases. It's not like you're going to be playing many games where 4 people need those monster controllers with their own screens while playing on 1/2 or 1/4 of a TV. At that point you might as well just have a bunch of portables.

Nintendo went into detail about the controller because they're selling a product...but it doesn't have to be the absolute focus for everything.

I'm a skeptic with the Wii U for sure, but I don't think this is that much of a big deal. I am a little curious how replacements will be handled, though. I bet they won't be less than $100.
 
jeremyshaw said:
Well, it's still a long way out. Reportedly, MS developed the entire xbox360 (after beeing queasy about the xbox original) in the same timeframe between this and the supposed launch date of the WiiU. So... there is a still a good chance of better wireless tech/cheaper display tech comming out in the timeframe to allow more the one WiiU controller. That being said, why isn't the controller it's own gaming system, lol...
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They don't want to create another portable device to compete with the 3DS. Thats why they stressed that it wasn't portable.
 
simonizor said:
You can use the Wii classic controller and gamecube controllers, but they really don't compare to a PS3 or 360 controller.
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I forgot about the GC controller, they really need to rebrand those and sell them again
 
I think what will happen is games will be designed around the Wii U controller being the "master" and the user fulfilling the game master/referee role, while the other players are the actual players. This would fit the family/party aspect.
 
Joe S said:
I pretty much agree with you here but at least you can use the gamecube controllers on this new system.
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I haven't seen any confirmation of this.
I haven't seen any confirmation of gamecube backwards compatibility.

This leads me to believe they didn't include the controller ports in order to reduce cost.
 
Mozex said:
I haven't seen any confirmation of this.
I haven't seen any confirmation of gamecube backwards compatibility.

This leads me to believe they didn't include the controller ports in order to reduce cost.
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Yeah, no gamecube backwards compatibility for controllers or games.

http://www.destructoid.com/e3-wii-u-amd-gpu-25gb-discs-no-gamecube-compatibility-203333.phtml


Here's a video fo the console itself too, but the design might change a bit before release.

http://kotaku.com/5810084/this-is-the-wii-u-console-in-my-ink+stained-hands
 
Well that ruins a lot of the Wii U excitement for me. This is a whole lot less fun for my household if only one person gets the good controller.
 
ocellaris said:
Well that ruins a lot of the Wii U excitement for me. This is a whole lot less fun for my household if only one person gets the good controller.
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No kidding, it's the "I want to be first player" all over again.
 
3DChipset said:
It's been confirmed on shacknews.com that only 1 Wii U controller works with the new console and you can't buy the controller seperate either! Ouch..... Ultimate fail for a system that's targeted toward "Family use"...
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Unusual choice for Nintendo. They normally want lots of extra accessories being sold with new consoles but this highly limits that.

Might be some good news though , sounds like they are focusing on the single player experience which is something they haven't done in ages. I don't see this as a bad thing.
 
I guess this means I might have to retire my trusty pair of Wavebirds. That's too bad.
 
@ OP

First, this is the [H]ardest of hardcore forums. Nobody cares about entertaining the family.

Second, this is the [H]ardest of hardcore forums. Nobody has spawned a family.
 
Godmachine said:
Unusual choice for Nintendo. They normally want lots of extra accessories being sold with new consoles but this highly limits that.

Might be some good news though , sounds like they are focusing on the single player experience which is something they haven't done in ages. I don't see this as a bad thing.
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For single player experience, it's not a bad idea.

However, like others said, it does put a dent in multiplayer if only one person can see what's going on in the LCD screen on the controller.

Now, why one controller?

The last rumor I read was that the new controller and console is using possibly ZigBee wireless technology. The problem though is that the bandwidth is insufficient for what this controller intends to do-- display Wii-U games without the need of a TV. That's because of ZigBee's max bandwidth is 250 kb/s at 2.4 GHz. This was months ago and I highly doubt that was true.

Bluetooth is probably the biggest possibility now. BT currently stands at version 4.0 with data rate at 24 Mbit/s. That's good enough for maybe 720p streaming. (I don't believe that LCD is 1080p anyway just to keep costs down. I have not seen any 1080p LCD that small... yet.) And, it can transmit to 7 devices at most but at low bandwidth to each device.

If they are using Bluetooth 4.0, it's possible that there wouldn't be enough bandwidth to sufficiently transmit video to at high enough bitrate.

If the max data rate is 24 mbit/s then let's say under ideal conditions it's transmitting close to max (20-24) when TV mode (arbitrary name I give it for now) is disabled and maybe less if the TV mode is on.

So, if we have two controllers, then wouldn't the data rate be split in half evenly, again under ideal conditions into two 12 mbit/s streams? If that was the case then the controllers would only display game UI, inventory and menus but no "screen stream" mode.

Now, this isn't factoring any non-video data being sent for controls, and the audio as well.

Therefore, if going with the Bluetooth 4.0 possibility, in order for Nintendo to implement that "screen stream" tech to at least two devices, they would have to do one of three things:

  1. Decrease the video (and audio) quality being streamed out of the Wii-U console.
  2. Or, implement 802.11g radio to allow screen stream to more than one controller.
  3. Or, use two bluetooth radios.
The problem with #2 and #3 is again costs. I don't know how much it would increase the console's price by adding two bluetooth radios but it shouldn't cost much given that a bluetooth transceiver is around $15 to $20 nowadays.

The 802.11g is better idea but again it would add to costs. Also, it may interfere with the wifi radio for wireless communications to the network router. I don't believe the majority of people buying this have a wireless N router anyhow. Lastly, I have not seen any 802.11g devices used as a controller.

Now you can see the difficulty in bringing a second Wii-U controller to the console. #3 above would have to be the best option-- implement at least 2 bluetooth radios.

In a way, if they went with option #3, you can have the following:

  • Full "screen stream" mode to one controller. (20-24 Mbit/s)
  • Full "screen stream" or TV display-only mode to two controllers. (20-24 Mbit/s per controller)
  • TV display-only mode to four controllers (10-12 Mbit/s per controller)
It definitely sounds like Nintendo made the console with a single radio with only enough bandwidth to display to one controller. Lastly, if this was a Class 1 device, we're looking at 100 meter range. Class 2 according to Wikipedia is in the 10 meter range. And, a big possibility is that Nintendo went with Class 3-- a range of approximately 5 meters.

That's unless Nintendo came up with a new high-bandwidth wireless technology that doesn't interfere with wifi communications, bluetooth and other RF devices...
 
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Actually, this has NOT been confirmed final.

Q: Will players use two touchscreen controllers or will they use just one new controller and the original Wii controls with the new console?

Our basic premise is that you can use one with a system. If we got to an idea of having multiple (controllers) it might be just more convenient for people to use their Nintendo 3DS and have a way to connect that.

That being said, we are doing research about if someone brings their controller to their friends house and they want to play together on Wii U to whether or not something like that would be possible.
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http://www.news.com.au/technology/g...-u/story-e6frfrt9-1226071923070#ixzz1OjQL7AD0

Not only that a few devs are already talking about making 2 player games. Nintendo has some work to do.
 
LeviathanZERO said:
Actually, this has NOT been confirmed final.


http://www.news.com.au/technology/g...-u/story-e6frfrt9-1226071923070#ixzz1OjQL7AD0

Not only that a few devs are already talking about making 2 player games. Nintendo has some work to do.
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That's good news because when I saw the thread title I just couldn't believe the stupidity.


I sincerely hope and personally believe that Nintendo rolled into E3 with mostly prototypes and I hope they go into sponge mode, take in the slew of feedback they're getting, and send the hamsters back to the lab and put foot to ass on some things between now and by the time this thing is supposed to street late next year.
 
From Shacknews:
A Nintendo representative has told 1UP that the company has "not made any announcements about the SKU." That's not technically a denial that the Wii U will only support one tablet controller, but it means the news hasn't been officially confirmed either.
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Derangel said:
Even ignoring the co-op issue for a moment if they're not going to sell more controllers what happens if you break one?
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Thats one of my first thoughts as well. I've worn out a bunch of controllers.
 
You guys are assuming that games will require that every user have the tablet. I wouldn't want to be the player using that cumbersome thing anyways. So why make a big deal out of it? Imagine playing D&D and having one person as the DM using the tablet and using the touch screen to place monsters, etc. It makes sense to have at least one type of controller like this but it's not necessary for all players.

As for the technology to stream games to the controller, I'm guessing it's done with something like Intels Wi-Di. All of the processing is done on the console and the video is streamed to the controller rather than over the wires to the TV.
 
Octoberasian , they could also go with WHDI as well if they wanted a near latency free standard that will support extra devices. The screen resolution I would imagine won't be that high so even basic 802.11g will handle the bandwidth requirements but as it stands right now its all dependent on the final design specs.

It would be unwise to restrict gamers to one Wii-U controller per console as we all naturally will want a Wii-U controller for the games we're playing together. I'm sure that with the system a ways away from actual release that the issue of using 2 Wii-U controllers is not the problem (there are plenty of technology standards that could handle the bandwidth) but more a design choice on perhaps what they want the Wii-U to be (more of a single player focus when using the touchscreen controller).

I seriously doubt they will release this system before 2012 holiday season. We'll just have to wait and see what it all ends up as next E3 when the final specs will likely be nailed down.
 
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