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My Wii U gamepad died yesterday, what are my options?

L

LambdaTeos

Member
Hello GAF,

My gamepad died yesterday, had this gamepad since release day.
EDIT: the screen is the only thing that does not work, the buttons work perfectly

1jxVvuN.jpg


I wanted to ask you guys what are my options to replace it, i live outside the US so sending it to repair with nintendo is kinda out of the question (don't know if it is expensive tbh), but i heard you can buy gamepads from japan or something like that

Will buying a used one from other people cause issues with my wii u? can i used gamepads bundled with other consoles?
 
C

Cleve

Member
Died? Looks like it was murdered.

Is repairing it yourself with parts an option? It doesn't seem to hard and there's replacement screens up on ebay for cheap.

look for: NINTENDO WII U LCD Screen + Digitizer
 
S

Skarnet

Banned
LambdaTeos said:
Hello GAF,

My gamepad died yesterday, had this gamepad since release day.
EDIT: the screen is the only thing that does not work, the buttons work perfectly

1jxVvuN.jpg


I wanted to ask you guys what are my options to replace it, i live outside the US so sending it to repair with nintendo is kinda out of the question (don't know if it is expensive tbh), but i heard you can buy gamepads from japan or something like that

Will buying a used one from other people cause issues with my wii u? can i used gamepads bundled with other consoles?
Click to expand...

Buy a new screen for the gamepad and replace the broken one.. DIY..
 
L

LambdaTeos

Member
Cleve said:
Died? Looks like it was murdered.

Is repairing it yourself with parts an option? It doesn't seem to hard and there's replacement screens up on ebay for cheap.

look for: NINTENDO WII U LCD Screen + Digitizer
Click to expand...

Never done that, but i searched and yes they are cheap, mmm.. anythign i need to know about replacing the screen? or is it just about taking the damaged one and placing the new one? do i need a specific model or serial number or something?




DownGrader said:
FYI, Wii U GamePads are region-locked, so don't think about importing one from Japan.
Click to expand...

WAT!? oh boy...
 
P

Platy

Member
Saw it on my twitter feed and looked like Bit Generations Dotstream was released on virtual console xD

Either send to nintendo or fix it like they said ... those are probably the only 2 options =/
 
S

Steejee

Member
I repaired my pad with this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AR6QL1I/?tag=neogaf0e-20
after my screen got cracked bad by it being crushed under some stuff on the couch. Digitizer was fine, but it wasn't worth the effort to replace *just* the screen and try to transfer the digitizer.

Include digitizer, screen, and the Y screwdriver Nintendo uses for some reason.

I recommend following the videos on Youtube specific to the screen - I ended up taking apart way more of the gamepad than necessary and had some trouble with the mini ribbons because I hadn't paid full attention to parts (ie the mini ribbons have plastic pinch things that should be opened to pull out/put in). Took a while to do but it worked. More tedious than hard.

The one big catch is that the new screen seems to have a warmer hue than the old one, but it still looks fairly accurate. Also never got all the little glued on plastic squares that cover the screws back on properly, and I have a Pro pad but the replacement screen has a sliverish outline, so it doesn't quite match, but those are minor. Seems to work fine now.

Hopefully Nintendo re-releases all the WiiU games at some point in some way that doesn't require dual screens + touch on one, so that they don't get left in a dead end for a long time.
 
M

Machina

Banned
Wait for the Switch. Pick up where you left off with all of the inevitable Wii U ports with HD facelifts like Mario Kart 8 and Zelda
 
C

C.Mongler

Member
Like said, buy a screen off eBay and DIY. It's by far the cheapest option, as the gamepads for these things are quite expensive.

If you're not comfortable with that, then contact Nintendo and see how much it will cost to fix. I've never done it nor know someone who has but I'd guess it'll be anywhere from 70-100 bucks to have them do.

Depending on what they quote you, your final option is to just buy a new one. They're stupidly expensive to the point of it almost being just as feasible to buy a new Wii U entirely.
 
L

LambdaTeos

Member
Thank you guys!

I will buy the screen as recommended, and if it does not work (i do need it for TMS and Paper mario) i might end up buying a new gamepad or a new wii u after switch is released (since they migh go down in price)

Thanks guys :D!
 
G

grgelolwut

Member
My local PC repair shop replaced my busted screen for around 60-80 bucks? Granted the new screen didn't have the same touch response, it still got the job done.
 
T

tsab

Member
Option 1: Don't replace it, play only games which only use TV or dont use the second screen
Option 2: Buy a replacement gamepad from your region ( I am not sure if it's region locked) and pair it with your console

Option 3: Borrow a
dusty
gamepad from a friend which switched to other consoles and doesn't use it anymore

edit: forgot Option 4: buy replacement parts


edit2: After googling, region lock is only enforced when updating the firmware, it seems the gamepad has a different firmware per region to match the console. You can sync a japanese Gamepad and use it but not while updating it. But why should you care you say, the WiiU will not have any (major?) OS update so you should be fine.
 
O

ozfunghi

Member
Did you play Mario Kart 8 and did your fist accidentally hit your gamepad numerous times?

I just bought a second hand WiiU, for little over the price that Nintendo would otherwise fix my gamepad. And I still have the broken one, maybe i'll try fixing it one day.
 
D

dragonyeuw

Member
DownGrader said:
FYI, Wii U GamePads are region-locked, so don't think about importing one from Japan.
Click to expand...

Why the fuck would they do this? I made a thread a few months back about the Wii U years from now once all the gamepads stop working. So that means, the working gamepads within your region are going to command an ever higher resale value since you can't use one from other regions. I love the Wii U's signature games, but the decisions Nintendo made with this thing.....WTF?!
 
C

Chezzymann

Member
dan2026 said:
How the fuck do you region lock a controller?

Better question.

WHY the fuck would you region lock a controller?
Click to expand...
I see absolutely no reason. At least with the console, its to prevent people who "aren't supposed" to get the game from getting it. But a controller? Huh?
 
T

tsab

Member
dan2026 said:
How the fuck do you region lock a controller?

Better question.

WHY the fuck would you region lock a controller?
Click to expand...

Different region firmware updates, the Gamepad also receives updates from the console. It's idiotic but whatever
 
S

stan423321

Member
Sakujou said:
NO FUCKING WAY???? the gamepad is region-locked??? so syncing is impossible?
Click to expand...

It's actually really weird. You apparently can sync, or at least could sync on early firmwares, but the problem is that GamePad has its own regionalized firmware that occasionally receives updates. You will not be able to update your Wii U without a matching GamePad. No idea what happens when you sync GamePad with Wii U on mismatched firmwares.
 
D

dan2026

Member
stan423321 said:
It's actually really weird. You apparently can sync, or at least could sync on early firmwares, but the problem is that GamePad has its own regionalized firmware that occasionally receives updates. You will not be able to update your Wii U without a matching GamePad. No idea what happens when you sync GamePad with Wii U on mismatched firmwares.
Click to expand...
That is fucking absurd.

I swear if Nintendo don't drop this horrible anti consumer region bullshit which the Switch, I am fine with then.
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Your screen died, not the entire gamepad. Should be an easy and cheap fix as long as you're not afraid of opening up the thing.
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
That would suck. Basically you'd never be able to plat games that require the pad, like Mario Maker.

And now since there isnt going to be backwards compatibility...
 
Okami Haundo

Okami Haundo

Member
Jumping in because I haven't seen the suggestion yet. I'm pretty sure you can call Nintendo's customer support line and set up a repair/refurbish job for about $100 or so. You'll have to do without the gamepad while they fix it but they're supposed to refurb the whole thing.
 
D

Dunkley

Member
stan423321 said:
It's actually really weird. You apparently can sync, or at least could sync on early firmwares, but the problem is that GamePad has its own regionalized firmware that occasionally receives updates. You will not be able to update your Wii U without a matching GamePad. No idea what happens when you sync GamePad with Wii U on mismatched firmwares.
Click to expand...

Here's hoping homebrew can remedy that issue at some point.

Or gamepad emulation.

Because I am really afraid of my Gamepad breaking and I'd like to have my options.
 
DarkestHour

DarkestHour

Banned
I tried to repair my screen and somehow broke one of those microscopic latches for the microscopic ribbons rendering the display board completely useless. I threw the gamepad and all the replacement bits in the trash and stuck the Wii U in the storage room. May as well toss it since the gamepad is required.
 
C

Cleve

Member
LambdaTeos said:
Never done that, but i searched and yes they are cheap, mmm.. anythign i need to know about replacing the screen? or is it just about taking the damaged one and placing the new one? do i need a specific model or serial number or something?
Click to expand...

Sorry, was out. I've never done it myself, but watched a couple youtube videos out of curiosity. It seems pretty easy and there's some great directions out there. Just be patient and careful. A local shop may be willing to do it for you for cheap if you're still not comfortable.
 
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