Nintendo Redesigns Wii U Controller
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What's Noteworthy About Wii U's New Controller?
It appears as though Wii U's tablet is changing.
by Richard GeorgeMay 20, 2012
It appears as though Nintendo has been doing more than just developing games in the year since Wii U debuted at E3 2011. If a recent leaked photograph posted to Twitter is any indication, the company has been making some small - yet important - alterations to the system’s controller as well.
Some of these changes are obvious, but some are more subtle. All in all, it appears as though Nintendo is contemplating the precise form of its innovative, unconventional controller. What follows is a mix of observation and fact, as we dig through this supposed new design. We’re only two weeks away from E3 2012, where we theoretically will learn the true design of the Wii U controller. Until then... let’s obsess over some details.
An alleged look at the new Wii U controller.
Number One - Exit Sliders, Enter Sticks
The most blatant change to the Wii U controller - and certainly the one everyone is talking about - is the apparent removal of the 3DS-esque analog sliders. They’re being replaced by more traditional analog sticks, which appear to be somewhat similar (at least in design) to what is included with Wii’s nunchuk or Classic Controller.
Nintendo’s reasoning for this change will remain a mystery until E3, but the explanation does seem relatively simple - third parties wanted clickable sticks. Despite the debate over the stick/slider selection, the fact was that the Wii U sliders were more than suitable for gaming. The parts used for the tablet controller were far superior to those included on the Nintendo 3DS, yielding far more precision and an overall better experience. But they didn’t click.
For this reason alone, Nintendo likely yielded to pressure. Without the “L3” and “R3” functions, games like Aliens: Colonial Marines would not have parity between their Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions and Wii U. Nintendo needs that transition to be as smooth as possible, particularly if it’s asking developers to spend extra development time to program for the system’s touch screen. Suddenly a change from sliders to sticks doesn’t seem like a huge challenge.
One more small difference - it appears as though Nintendo has shifted the sticks slightly to the upper corners of each side of the controller. Because of the perspective of the photo it’s hard to say this with complete certainty, but no doubt these incremental shifts are attempting to make this hardware as comfortable as possible.
Number Two - Get Used to Wii U
For months there has been speculation about whether Nintendo would change the name of Wii U. We even wrote a lengthy editorial in support of that change. As the company’s latest fiscal year ended and E3 2012 approached, the likelihood of an alteration seemed smaller, but not impossible. The appearance of this new controller seems to put more nails in that coffin.
Tucked in the lower left corner is a logo that wasn’t present a year ago. Simple, yet to the point, Nintendo is slapping its branding on the tablet controller. Ladies and gentlemen, you might want to start figuring out how to live with this name. It seems as though it’s here to stay.
Number Three - Some Moving Buttons
Sticks aside, one of the most visible changes to the controller is the movement of the Start and Select buttons, as well as bit of an embellishment to the Home icon. There’s no brand significance to this, but clearly Nintendo realized that the design of its controller requires more buttons to be easily accessible by the right hand. Thus the Start/Select have moved.
One note that we’ve heard from many of you - why not stagger the sticks? The answer, at least to us, is relatively simple - the Wii U controller is too big to accommodate that kind of design. To be clear, this controller isn’t quite as big as it looks. Average-sized hands should have no issue gripping the device, and keep in mind that it is surprisingly light to hold. That said, trying to shift the right hand downward for a lower stick wouldn’t seem ergonomically wise. This just isn’t meant to support that, from what we remember about the original design, and what we believe would remain constant to this one.
Number Four - Mysterious White Boxes
What the hell are these little white squares below the D-Pad and next to the Power button? Some are speculating these are indeed input additions to the controller, but their positioning seems so odd that we doubt they are for any gameplay applications.
The one on the left strikes us as possibly being the location for the controller’s NFC chip. Announced earlier this year as being an included feature for Wii U, it would make sense to have a physical indication on the hardware for players to know where to engage proximity-based communication.
The lower right nub might be more for controller functionality, either to sync the tablet with the system, or for some sort of signal-based operation - such as moving the television display to the more portable screen. One of our thoughts was that this might open some sort of store, but the complete lack of visual markings means this is something less essential. Previous sync buttons for Wii were located in the system’s battery bay, which would seem to be a clunky solution - plus Wii U’s controller doesn’t have a traditional battery bay like Wii did. So there is that.
Number Five - Patents and Registrations
As Nintendo’s designs for Wii U have progressed, the company has been forced to file paperwork with various global entities to ensure its hardware is protected by law. The astute folks at the NeoGAF forums dug up the following schematics several months ago. At the time the assumption was that the left design was an original working prototype that eventually evolved into the right one, which is clearly what was seen at E3 2011.
Wii U Controller: New Design (L) and Old Design (R)
It now appears that assumption was incorrect. From the inclusion of the branding to an overall more polished design, this latest model seems like it is a later iteration of the tablet.
Since that’s the case, we have some more images to show you.
More concept drawings of the new controller's design.
Take a look at these two schematics, clearly showing the bottom and side of the system. We’re clearly still looking at a controller that features analog sticks, but this one also features a more contoured, hand-friendly shape. The E3 2011 tablet design was by no means uncomfortable, but the grips shown in these drawings would no doubt make a surprisingly decent design even better.
It appears as though Wii U's tablet is changing.
by Richard GeorgeMay 20, 2012
It appears as though Nintendo has been doing more than just developing games in the year since Wii U debuted at E3 2011. If a recent leaked photograph posted to Twitter is any indication, the company has been making some small - yet important - alterations to the system’s controller as well.
Some of these changes are obvious, but some are more subtle. All in all, it appears as though Nintendo is contemplating the precise form of its innovative, unconventional controller. What follows is a mix of observation and fact, as we dig through this supposed new design. We’re only two weeks away from E3 2012, where we theoretically will learn the true design of the Wii U controller. Until then... let’s obsess over some details.
An alleged look at the new Wii U controller.
Number One - Exit Sliders, Enter Sticks
The most blatant change to the Wii U controller - and certainly the one everyone is talking about - is the apparent removal of the 3DS-esque analog sliders. They’re being replaced by more traditional analog sticks, which appear to be somewhat similar (at least in design) to what is included with Wii’s nunchuk or Classic Controller.
Nintendo’s reasoning for this change will remain a mystery until E3, but the explanation does seem relatively simple - third parties wanted clickable sticks. Despite the debate over the stick/slider selection, the fact was that the Wii U sliders were more than suitable for gaming. The parts used for the tablet controller were far superior to those included on the Nintendo 3DS, yielding far more precision and an overall better experience. But they didn’t click.
For this reason alone, Nintendo likely yielded to pressure. Without the “L3” and “R3” functions, games like Aliens: Colonial Marines would not have parity between their Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions and Wii U. Nintendo needs that transition to be as smooth as possible, particularly if it’s asking developers to spend extra development time to program for the system’s touch screen. Suddenly a change from sliders to sticks doesn’t seem like a huge challenge.
One more small difference - it appears as though Nintendo has shifted the sticks slightly to the upper corners of each side of the controller. Because of the perspective of the photo it’s hard to say this with complete certainty, but no doubt these incremental shifts are attempting to make this hardware as comfortable as possible.
Number Two - Get Used to Wii U
For months there has been speculation about whether Nintendo would change the name of Wii U. We even wrote a lengthy editorial in support of that change. As the company’s latest fiscal year ended and E3 2012 approached, the likelihood of an alteration seemed smaller, but not impossible. The appearance of this new controller seems to put more nails in that coffin.
Tucked in the lower left corner is a logo that wasn’t present a year ago. Simple, yet to the point, Nintendo is slapping its branding on the tablet controller. Ladies and gentlemen, you might want to start figuring out how to live with this name. It seems as though it’s here to stay.
Number Three - Some Moving Buttons
Sticks aside, one of the most visible changes to the controller is the movement of the Start and Select buttons, as well as bit of an embellishment to the Home icon. There’s no brand significance to this, but clearly Nintendo realized that the design of its controller requires more buttons to be easily accessible by the right hand. Thus the Start/Select have moved.
One note that we’ve heard from many of you - why not stagger the sticks? The answer, at least to us, is relatively simple - the Wii U controller is too big to accommodate that kind of design. To be clear, this controller isn’t quite as big as it looks. Average-sized hands should have no issue gripping the device, and keep in mind that it is surprisingly light to hold. That said, trying to shift the right hand downward for a lower stick wouldn’t seem ergonomically wise. This just isn’t meant to support that, from what we remember about the original design, and what we believe would remain constant to this one.
Number Four - Mysterious White Boxes
What the hell are these little white squares below the D-Pad and next to the Power button? Some are speculating these are indeed input additions to the controller, but their positioning seems so odd that we doubt they are for any gameplay applications.
The one on the left strikes us as possibly being the location for the controller’s NFC chip. Announced earlier this year as being an included feature for Wii U, it would make sense to have a physical indication on the hardware for players to know where to engage proximity-based communication.
The lower right nub might be more for controller functionality, either to sync the tablet with the system, or for some sort of signal-based operation - such as moving the television display to the more portable screen. One of our thoughts was that this might open some sort of store, but the complete lack of visual markings means this is something less essential. Previous sync buttons for Wii were located in the system’s battery bay, which would seem to be a clunky solution - plus Wii U’s controller doesn’t have a traditional battery bay like Wii did. So there is that.
Number Five - Patents and Registrations
As Nintendo’s designs for Wii U have progressed, the company has been forced to file paperwork with various global entities to ensure its hardware is protected by law. The astute folks at the NeoGAF forums dug up the following schematics several months ago. At the time the assumption was that the left design was an original working prototype that eventually evolved into the right one, which is clearly what was seen at E3 2011.
Wii U Controller: New Design (L) and Old Design (R)
It now appears that assumption was incorrect. From the inclusion of the branding to an overall more polished design, this latest model seems like it is a later iteration of the tablet.
Since that’s the case, we have some more images to show you.
More concept drawings of the new controller's design.
Take a look at these two schematics, clearly showing the bottom and side of the system. We’re clearly still looking at a controller that features analog sticks, but this one also features a more contoured, hand-friendly shape. The E3 2011 tablet design was by no means uncomfortable, but the grips shown in these drawings would no doubt make a surprisingly decent design even better.
Comments
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It seems like it would be uncomfortable to hold it as a controller and is closer to a tablet.It just seems awkward and I would prefer that the sticks be lower as it is easier for the thumb to reach up to touch the face buttons than to reach down.Interesting part about the touch screen, devs will not want to take the extra time to develop for the touch screen which is an obvious gimmick on a console controller.Touch screens work better for handheld devices since you do not have to look back and forth between the TV screen and the handheld screen.The major third party titles will not make use of the screen so it is all on Nintendo to show what the touch screen can enhance if anything.It's like the Wii mote which did not improve the gaming experience over what a regular game pad can do and is the same for Kinect and Move.
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All good changes IMO. The layout really seems like it works with every kind of game.
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Yeah.... Who gives a ? ?
They're still tinkering with it before the final product is released. It's normal. This is just a case of ford focus being bored and thinking he's reporting some ground breaking news.
? loser.
