Earlier this month at E3 we gave you a bit of a closer look at the new Nintendo Wii U GamePad. Afterwards we got some hands-on with one.
The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world.
It incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touch screen, as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks.
Inputs include a +Control Pad, L/R sticks, L/R stick buttons, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, Power button, HOME button, -/SELECT button, +/START button, and TV CONTROL button.
The GamePad also includes motion control (powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensor), a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, an included stylus and support for Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality.
It is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and weighs approximately 1.1 pounds (500 g).
I managed to get a picture of both the black and the white Wii U:
Here are more photo’s of the Wii U GamePad I took at the Nintendo booth at E3, and don’t forget the thick cable won’t be there on the released product:
Overall I was actually quite surprised how much I enjoyed using the GamePad. It felt easy to use and playing on a number of different games felt fairly natural too.
The quality of the screen was very clear and the images were sharp and vivid. The touchscreen was also very responsive, both with a stylus and with a finger.
What remains to be seen is how much Nintendo are going to price the Wii U at – if it is a reasonable price I can see it selling very well, although my concern would be that the cost will be significantly higher than that of the current Wii if for no other reason than the GamePad!
What do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
