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[Rumor] Support of 2 controllers on Wii U already available or on its way
- Thread starter IdeaMan
- Start date
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this. Even with one pad support, and ignoring the touch screen, player one has a set of controls available to him that simply isn't covered by using wiimotes. So Nintendo needs (please) to make a screenless pad, so players 2-4 can play with the same controls.
Unless Nintendo expect everyone to play 4 player multiplayer with just wiimotes. Ugh.
Hopefully the price to buy a second controller isn't murder, lol.
Not surprised. It was a true step back if there was only one upad supported (and what the frak means DRC?!). After all, Nintendo is the best house to 4 players games, so 2 upads is the bare minimum.
To clarify, this is not a power question. This is a bandwidth
question related to the technology (Ni-Fi?) used to transmitt the data wirelessly between the DRCs (!) and the Wii U.
But yes, you have to render one more time a 800x480 or something scene. But this will not be a problem for 2D menus.
And that what's important here: In a football game, you can play a local 2 players game with your tactics kept secret on the player's upad screen.
Most of the time, the point will not to have a fully rendered 3D scene on each upads. This is very unlikely to have a developer doing a FPS for example, with it's HD glory on 3 screens at a time!
In short, the point was to have access to the new gameplay ideas involved by the the new controlle,r not only in solo modes, but in 2 players local mode two (co-op anyone?).
To clarify, this is not a power question. This is a bandwidth
NM0dz >_<
But yes, you have to render one more time a 800x480 or something scene. But this will not be a problem for 2D menus.
And that what's important here: In a football game, you can play a local 2 players game with your tactics kept secret on the player's upad screen.
Most of the time, the point will not to have a fully rendered 3D scene on each upads. This is very unlikely to have a developer doing a FPS for example, with it's HD glory on 3 screens at a time!
In short, the point was to have access to the new gameplay ideas involved by the the new controlle,r not only in solo modes, but in 2 players local mode two (co-op anyone?).
I agree, I think the main issue would be infrastructure to support the extra pad/s, not whether the GPU can draw enough - that would be trivial for certain games, much like split screen can happen now.
Just buy two wiiUs, set them both up on your LAN but don't connect the second one to a TV, and play online with each of you using your own screen. Voila.
MoogleWizard
Member
It would be great if this were true, but would a second tablet not suck even more power from the system? That's why I find this a little doubtful.
chickdigger802
Banned
i just hope it doesn't hurt other features or what not.
Now that my friends are all out with life stuff like work and w/e. I haven't really had a need for local MP.
Heck, my ps3 still only has 1 controller.
Now that my friends are all out with life stuff like work and w/e. I haven't really had a need for local MP.
Heck, my ps3 still only has 1 controller.
Cheesecakebobby
Banned
A few more ideas I had about how this could be used in a novel way:
2 person collaborative art-making. Mario Paint/ Colors with 2 artists at the same time.
Scribblenauts HD with a co-op mode.
Any sort of competitive game where you could receive secret missions on the pad that your opponent doesn't know about (I think Red Steel or another FPS on Wii did this by using the Wiimote speaker as a phone). Maybe a Spy vs Spy remake?
2 person collaborative art-making. Mario Paint/ Colors with 2 artists at the same time.
Scribblenauts HD with a co-op mode.
Any sort of competitive game where you could receive secret missions on the pad that your opponent doesn't know about (I think Red Steel or another FPS on Wii did this by using the Wiimote speaker as a phone). Maybe a Spy vs Spy remake?
mmmm, Delicious bandwich I hope, of which I will take multiple bytes...
sorry
The Wii U having multiple tablet support would be great, but at this stage what I am most excited to see are the games
Two tablet support would come second to a Retro made Zelda for example : P
Always-honest
Banned
Same here.
Cygnus X-1
Member
Makes sense. After all, even the NES supported two controllers.
It needs to be there, local multiplayer is Nintendo's strength and asymmetrical-gaming the bandaid for the problem. Everyone will want to use the shiny new controller, and a private screen is far more beneficial when everyone has one.
All the consequence of Nintendo running with a concept the technology isn't there to deliver in full, which is streaming everything to everything with no lag, dropped frames or sync problems.
It could probably be kludged to support more than one even if the hardware is geared to only one, just at the expense of full-functionality. You'd give up streaming and fire alternate frames to each pad. Dropping the frame rate but still enough for weapon/item/map/play select. This would open up a lot more gameplay possibilities, and make the whole Wii U concept easier to understand.
Nintendo would much prefer to be able to do it all though, stream to at least 2, at full framerate, with no lag or other problems. So you don't have yet another contradiction added to a system full of them. And that may just be out of reach with the wireless technology they have to play with. So it's basically a judgement call. Restrict to one, or have limited support with more than one.
It's just wait and see really, and that's all the OP needed to say. Rather than a load of fluff, speculation and needless banners to bamboozle people into thinking it will happen. With an 'I told you so' if it ever does.
Look at you, without any efforts, you already wrote a chapter of explanations, assumptions, guesses, about why, how, etc, they must implement this feature in the end
I basically did this, to introduce this story to people who didn't followed it this last year, try to cover all the scenarios that the new info could implies, and present some interesting speculations related to this, to talk about. I guess already informed gamers could directly skip to Part 3. But there is more to it than just "2 DRC ports confirmed", the fact that it wasn't present on the previous dev kits, and above all, that third-parties didn't knew it was possible until very recently, is important.The wires used to plug the padlet on those boxes are coaxial (not sure) or of another type, but it seems it sends video signals. So if they add another port, it means they managed (or are currently doing it) to support the streaming to 2 controllers. Now, maybe they will allow a bunch of friends to bring all their uPads and two of them will just have a glorified (because of the useless touchscreen in the middle in this case) classic controller. One might say then "but why not bring wii-motes/CC ?". Because we can imagine a clever multiplayer, multi-DRC mode, where the streaming will be dynamically switched between the controllers present, depending on the content.
Picture a Wario Ware Wii U minigame, where the 4 persons in your living room, with their own DRC, are feverishly waiting for a sudden role attribution from the game. The computer will choose randomly who get the padlet with the turned on display and therefore will throw by finger movements on the touchscreen, some pineapple pizzas directly on the TV, and who get the "dumbed uPad" (screen turned off) and play in a more traditional fashion Robert & François, Mario & Luigi french cousins who want to eat the maximum of this food on the main screen, mouths wide open, but must avoid some obstacles set-up by André, the villain baker that put some slippery outdated croissant au beurre on the floor.
The possibilities are endless for this kind of dynamic switching between activated/unactivated DRC.
We need developers hindsight on that.
Concretely, considering the map/player lists/all the team management interface are already done (because it's needed even with only 1 DRC), how much time do you think a studio need to involve a second controller, to adapt their content to this new feature ? Would it be difficult to late implement this support in their games, by just streaming to another controller all the elements described above that would be on the first controller anyway ?
Look at you, without any efforts, you already wrote a chapter of explanations, assumptions, guesses, about why, how, etc, they must implement this feature in the end
No, you did this because you are a former games-journalist who is clearly missing the attention and glory. Trying to cobble whatever you can together from whereever so you can point back in the future to your 'scoop'. Layers and layers of extra fluff, speculation, and unnecessary presentation to distract from the very little information you actually have.
The OP is ridiculous, you are not announcing a game.
Your posts were annoying enough, but when your thread has a Q&A about you then you have officially jumped the shark.
I suppose a way to allow video streams for multiple controllers (of simple content like maps/inventories/stats etc) without needing to increase hardware costs...
...would simply be to drop the resolution streamed to each controller. 1 player - 1 x 480p stream, 2 player - 2 x 360p streams, 4 player - 4 x 240p streams.
...would simply be to drop the resolution streamed to each controller. 1 player - 1 x 480p stream, 2 player - 2 x 360p streams, 4 player - 4 x 240p streams.
I'VE EDITED COS POST WAS A BIT TOO LOOOOONNNGGGG....
Hi Ideaman, it's a very good thread indeed.
And if we go through your posting history or BGs, Iherres, wsippels and others who have some kind of knowledge about the WiiU the final picture gets closer to an end.
All of that shows me one thing for sure (for all the Big N haters out there) YES the Wii U is way stronger more capable, more advanced than PS360. (For all haters plz go through our speculation threads cos we already found that out and nailed it down.
Ideaman you mentioned in one of your earlier posts that a system which outputs to a 2nd screen is a strong system...now it output to two screens.
IMO that is great news.
About the 10% bump that your contacts mention, is it a 10% bump if they use all 3 screens?
If so, then it will be a real powerful system. (More powerful than we have might thought in the most positive way)
(So BGs post in speculation thread VI about the GPU 6xxx was true?)
To make long things short will we see a visual advantage on main screen (if developers are not lazy) YES we will, and I'm sure even if one or two padlets are used.
(Here we also have to take in charge the "face tracking" that was mentioned by you which gives a richer picture if you stare at TV...)
Will we see a visual bump over PS4/720 on main screen if both padlets are used most likely NOT (I would loved to be surprised) and if only useing the mainscreen??
Maybe we will get closer to them. (That is enough for me)
Oh man, the FAQ is to be taken with humour, it's obvious and everybody on IRC understood it for example, and it was made exactly to prevent this type of totally useless argument. Anyway, it's your opinion, it's just a pity that you're focusing on such un-important stuff
Maybe, and it's from the speculation threads, it could also be related to audio streaming problems, like a lack of channels between the sound for the TV + 2 DRC.
Thanks
For the bump, it's only with 1 DRC supported. And i doubt they have boosted the hardware to a point to manage a second intricate, 3D, content, on the planned to be supported additional DRC (+ what the TV displays), without any sacrifices (sub-resolution, lower framerate, as split-screen modes actually) as the boost appears too slight for that.
I could be wrong though, perhaps they tweaked with AMD some sort of Eyefinity technology, to be able to render multiple scenes in an efficient fashion, with even more resources saved. We need some techie hindsight on that.
MarkMclovin
Member
Urg, does the entire OP really need to be quoted?
Anyway, I can't really imagine playing Nintendo games that are made for just 1 person in mind. Easily more than half of my play time on the Wii, has been with another person.
Having 1 console stuck with just 1 controller just doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
Anyway, I can't really imagine playing Nintendo games that are made for just 1 person in mind. Easily more than half of my play time on the Wii, has been with another person.
Having 1 console stuck with just 1 controller just doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
Well, the OP has been teasing his thread in the Wii-U speculation threads for what it feels like months now. It had better contain something, even if it doesn't really tell us something substantial.
well, at the very worst, you would have been able to play with 1 DRC + Wiimotes/Classic Controllers, so local multiplayer wasn't left aside even without this second DRC support, it was just "asymmetric".
But now, if it's implemented, a new realm of possibilities opens. Imagine as another example, Team DRC VS Team Wiimotes gamedesigns.
Noone ever said or mentioned that the Wii U is only a 1 player console??
U have one (minimum) additional screen to play with and then u have WiiMote/Nunchuk or Classic Controllers as well.
MarkMclovin
Member
Ah I forgot about that. Haven't we already seen cross controller support, with that Alien game? If we can play games that have up to 2 tablets + x Wii controllers, then consider me happy.
MarkMclovin
Member
I haven't been following many/any of the Wii U threads, so I wasn't aware of that. I was just basing my piont on the Wii U only having (at the moment) 1 tablet controller.
Mickdundee96
Member
LoL don't be sorry that was puntastic!!
Yeah, options can't be a bad thing. Whether or not they get used or not by developers is one thing, but least they are there.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Plus NFC stuff in the cards. Put the card on the Wii U pad and it comes to lif-
...nervermind.
Wouldn't.. this just be a case for the classic controller? I mean those still work with the system.
I wonder if it's possible. Hardware capabilities (calculations, etc.) wise, it could, i mean, all Nintendo consoles since N64 were able to do 4 players split-screen mode, they just need a few sacrifices in the scene complexity, the resolution, the framerate, etc.
Maybe a buffer problem then, it's not the same to display one image divided in 4, than 4 separated ones. Or related to encoders, bandwidth, streaming technology, etc.
As it seems this support is not available yet + all the other elements explained in the OP (that's why its extensive), it looks like Nintendo struggled to implement this feature. So more than 2 DRC is unlikely.
BUT, there's still a really minuscule possibility that their engineers decided to support/or plan to do it further in the system lifespan 4 padlets by modifying something in the hardware. Ok, it appears there's only one additional DRC port on the dev kits, but perhaps they assumed this is all studios needed for their development, presuming that ambitious content will involve 2 DRC max, like our co-op examples OR because just 2 controllers plugged on the kits are enough to develop & test a multi-DRC mode, they just need to copy/double their results on 2 more DRC for 4 players. It's really more a fantasy than something expectable for all the reasons given earlier though + the fact, as a poster named wsippel explained on the speculation thread, that 90% of the time, the hardware they could have integrated to allow the streaming to 4 DRC will be wasted, in this day & age of heavy focus on single player experience (campaign, online, etc.).
We need to know what they changed in the hardware to allow this feature, what is the cost of these alterations (the price of an encoder ?).
Well, less than a week to know more about this story
I wonder if it's possible. Hardware capabilities (calculations, etc.) wise, it could, i mean, all Nintendo consoles since N64 were able to do 4 players split-screen mode, they just need a few sacrifices in the scene complexity, the resolution, the framerate, etc.
Maybe a buffer problem then, it's not the same to display one image divided in 4, than 4 separated ones. Or related to encoders, bandwidth, streaming technology, etc.
As it seems this support is not available yet + all the other elements explained in the OP (that's why its extensive), it looks like Nintendo struggled to implement this feature. So more than 2 DRC is unlikely.
BUT, there's still a really minuscule possibility that their engineers decided to support/or plan to do it further in the system lifespan 4 padlets by modifying something in the hardware. Ok, it appears there's only one additional DRC port on the dev kits, but perhaps they assumed this is all studios needed for their development, presuming that ambitious content will involve 2 DRC max, like our co-op examples OR because just 2 controllers plugged on the kits are enough to develop & test a multi-DRC mode, they just need to copy/double their results on 2 more DRC for 4 players. It's really more a fantasy than something expectable for all the reasons given earlier though + the fact, as a poster named wsippel explained on the speculation thread, that 90% of the time, the hardware they could have integrated to allow the streaming to 4 DRC will be wasted, in this day & age of heavy focus on single player experience (campaign, online, etc.).
We need to know what they changed in the hardware to allow this feature, what is the cost of these alterations (the price of an encoder ?).
Well, less than a week to know more about this story
Thanks for your opinion on that matter!
I just thought that the console wouldn't need that much power to render a four-player game because the DRC screen is small and thus the graphics could be scaled down. I just hope that at least one developer chooses this feature over a "cinematic visual-orgasm experience".
Huw_Dawson
Member
I am sure the Wii U controller's screen will be utilised by developers and in no way shape or form will end up being a near-redundant feature.
Totally sure.
Totally sure.
JoshuaJSlone
Member
Pretty much every feature of every system is going to suck power relative to if that feature wasn't being used, but if it's a desirable feature we consider it worth it.Plinko said:
Wasn't somebody in the speculation thread talking about the limit of output sound channels? How a sign towards only one DRC being possible was that it was built with six for the main surround and two for the controller in mind? That seems like a thing that could be improved upon.IdeaMan said:
AdventureRacing
Member
Whilst you were being sarcastic i actually do think this is fairly likely. It's much easier for devs to use the screen even if it's just for something simple like a map than it was for developers to come up with ideas for how to implement the various forms of motion control. I think we will see the screen far more widely and effectively utilised than motion controls have been this gen.
I think the WiiU will feature:
4 Player Wiimote gameplay
5 Player (4 Wiimote + 1 Upad) gameplay (Families with 3 children served? CHECK!)
2 Player Upad gameplay
All in all I think and dearly hope that WiiU will be the promissed "console for everyone".
If you wanna be successful with everyone, you need flexibility and let the players have CHOICES.
I they manage to achive that - I'd be more than happy.
At this point (and after seeing the Ubisoft Rayman leak), I can't imagine Nintendo forcing Upad gameplay for all their own or third party games only.
4 Player Wiimote gameplay
5 Player (4 Wiimote + 1 Upad) gameplay (Families with 3 children served? CHECK!)
2 Player Upad gameplay
All in all I think and dearly hope that WiiU will be the promissed "console for everyone".
If you wanna be successful with everyone, you need flexibility and let the players have CHOICES.
I they manage to achive that - I'd be more than happy.
At this point (and after seeing the Ubisoft Rayman leak), I can't imagine Nintendo forcing Upad gameplay for all their own or third party games only.
Huw_Dawson
Member
I'm being a bit mean for the sake of it. I have no doubt the screen will have simple uses. I doubt it will innovate or be used for very much at all beyond easy to do stuff like GUIs. Have the menu in the palm of your hand!
Look at the DS/3DS. The touchscreen is a glorified mouse pointer.
I hope they can get this to work. I play multiplayer games with my brother often, and it's annoying to play games like Borderlands that have bad menu systems for the split-screen. At the very least, this could take the menus and put them on the subscreen to be less of a hassle.
I really just hope that companies take advantage of this feature. It would be extremely lame to have a GBA-Gamecube connectivity type situation again because that renders this move ineffective. If it gets that kind of support, they could have just lived with 3DSes as extra controllers. I also hope Nintendo has changed their mind about not selling controllers if two player tablet games become (somewhat) common.
I'm glad that it'll be easier to call plays in sports games too, though I dislike Madden. Maybe 2k NBA can find some interesting uses for it, as well as NHL and FIFA.
The main gameplay ideas I can think of are for RTS type games like Battalion Wars. Have two generals moving troops across the map, etc. Since someone mentioned Magic: The Gathering, I guess I could mention Culdcept Saga, working in similar ways.
I really just hope that companies take advantage of this feature. It would be extremely lame to have a GBA-Gamecube connectivity type situation again because that renders this move ineffective. If it gets that kind of support, they could have just lived with 3DSes as extra controllers. I also hope Nintendo has changed their mind about not selling controllers if two player tablet games become (somewhat) common.
I'm glad that it'll be easier to call plays in sports games too, though I dislike Madden. Maybe 2k NBA can find some interesting uses for it, as well as NHL and FIFA.
The main gameplay ideas I can think of are for RTS type games like Battalion Wars. Have two generals moving troops across the map, etc. Since someone mentioned Magic: The Gathering, I guess I could mention Culdcept Saga, working in similar ways.
Dreamwriter
Member
The majority of gamers are adults, average age 37 years old. Children are a very small part of the audience.
test_account
XP-39C²
Why "nevermind"? Do you mean that all AR stuff is unnecessary?
AdventureRacing
Member
I'd say this is a pretty accurate take on what will happen. Having said that i'm really only interested in the wii U for nintendos games and thankfully they most likely will make good use of the screen.
Hopefully some 3rd parties can do a better job than what they have with the 3DS/DS, wii and kinect.
Well there's this:
There's always going to be workarounds for the power like reducing resolution or image quality, draw distance, etc., that's pretty much how splitscreen has been done for years when the power wasn't there (granted lower resolution is a given with splitscreen). As I posted earlier I think the issue is...everything else hardware wise in the system to make each DRC work, mrklaw referred to it as the "infrastructure to support [them]" which I think gets the idea across.
Sure that's not the average age of the game buyers? Cause that would skew heavily towards adults cause it'd include parents buying games for their kids and not necessarily for themselves.
Well there's one simple use that is actually one of the more appealing ones to me, just using the controller as the only screen (leaving the TV for something else and/or playing away from the TV). Ironically this is most likely to be implemented if they don't take advantage of the the screen much since single screen gameplay might not be possible then.
Dreamwriter
Member
Yeah, the average age of game buyers is 41.
Two DRC support is already cool strictly for games applications, but imagine the Wii U being the social, multimedia, high-tech hub in your living room: your 50 years old mum cry in front of Desparate Housewives displayed on the TV (through Netflix), your little brother is drawing a gothic cat with spikes, black & red fur, on the first DRC (Mario Paint/Colors!), while you play Superman 64 in the virtual console on the second controller.
Wii U will really be the "project café" as leaked first, like 3 friends ordering different drinks and meal BUT reunited around the same table.
It could be huge if they'll get it right in regard to OS, system features, services, etc.
Wii U will really be the "project café" as leaked first, like 3 friends ordering different drinks and meal BUT reunited around the same table.
It could be huge if they'll get it right in regard to OS, system features, services, etc.
I don't think you'll have to buy a new console just to get another controller.
I'd be pretty happy if they did that.
Thank god Nintendo seemed to catch onto this and corrected it early on. I feel like it would have/could have been disastrous had 2 controllers not been implemented.
At the very least the Wii U would be much less memorable and innovative than it has the potential to be with the support of 2 pads.
Absolutely can't wait to see what's in store for E3.
So...hyped......
At the very least the Wii U would be much less memorable and innovative than it has the potential to be with the support of 2 pads.
Absolutely can't wait to see what's in store for E3.
So...hyped......
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