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Nintendo almost had the best controller ever with the WiiU Pro

A

Alex_Mexico

Member
It's not a matter of opinion: it's a fact Nintendo was drunk when they decided to go with the WiiU Pro Controller's glossy finish. It took all of 2 seconds after taking it out of its box for it to get all smudgy. Sure it looks great on pictures but, goddamn, in practice it's a horrible thing to look at. Seriously, what were they thinking?
Wii-U-Review-of-Controller-Pro.jpg


The other thing that bothers me is more of an opinion and less a cold hard fact. That right stick placement, man.

I get it, Nintendo was already copying the 360's controller design pretty much so I get the feeling that, in a desperate move to make it look unique by any means, they decided to go against every sacred tradition and placed the right stick ABOVE the face buttons. Think about it. Not the Playstation, not Xbox, and not even Nintendo had ever done a controller like that. Even past twin stick Nintendo controllers like the Wii's Classic and Classic Pro and the Gamecube had the right stick BELOW the buttons. I can't tell you how many times my right thumb reaches down from the buttons to look for the stick. I don't like this. I prefer the traditional way.

Other than that Nintendo flew it out of the park. Comfrotable, sturdy design, 80 hours of battery life (rechargabke battery out of the box shaming the Xbox One's double As), good rumble, I think this WiiU Pro Controller May feel better in my hands than the already incredible Dualshock 4. Was it not for its smudge-tastic finish and right stick Id probably be my favorite controller ever.

Thoughts?
 
It's an excellent controller, but the 360/X1 pad still wins because of:

- asymmetric analog sticks
- analog triggers

Pro controller is a close second, though.
 
The triggers not being analog killed any chance it had of being the best controller ever, unfortunately. :(
 
danmaku said:
It's an excellent controller, but the 360/X1 pad still wins because of:

- asymmetric analog sticks
- analog triggers

Pro controller is a close second, though.
Click to expand...
I feel the PS4 pad has taken the crown. They got it just right. Still use my 360 pad for PC gaming but that may change down the road.
 
I very much prefer the position of the right stick above the buttons. The reason is that the "up" position of the stick lies on the axis formed by the root and the tip of my thumb. This way it is far more intuitive for me to press up by just stretching my thumb, whereas with other pads I have to move it sideways. That's why I find the symmetric stick layout more precise.
 
danmaku said:
It's an excellent controller, but the 360/X1 pad still wins because of:

- asymmetric analog sticks
- analog triggers

Pro controller is a close second, though.
Click to expand...
Like I said I think the PS4 controller triumphs over every other one. We're it not for the smudges and right analog placement the WiiU Pro would've been the best.
 
It's pretty good. But I'm one of those weird people that actually like the game pad more.

I do understand why people love it though. It is a very nice controller.

Oh and didn't iwata teach you anything? Handle Nintendo products with gloves.
Nintendo-Wii-U-Unboxing.png
 
Tiu Neo said:
The triggers not being analog killed any chance it had of being the best controller ever, unfortunately. :(
Click to expand...
What's so great about analog triggers? Sure it may feel a bit more like a gun trigger but at the end of the day it's the same exact thing with or without that.
 
The gloss is gross, but it doesn't make a difference like the triggers being digital does. It's a damn shame because they almost got it perfect.
 
I am loving the symmetrical sticks on the top. I think it's my favourite button lay-out. Well, besides Nintendo I'm mostly used to PS controllers which I guess are also symmetrical. However what I love the most is how good it feels. Also I might not be used to a lot, but the rumble goes hard. It sometimes hurts my hands (in Bayonetta it does).
 
danmaku said:
It's an excellent controller, but the 360/X1 pad still wins because of:

- asymmetric analog sticks
- analog triggers

Pro controller is a close second, though.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the XBO controller, so can't say anything about it, but the 360 controller? No, the d-pad is terrible. I would say the DS4 is one of the best controller. Though I think the 360 triggers still feel better than the DS4 ones. It did have some bad QC, like cheap rubber they used for the analog sticks in some batches, sticky buttons etc..
 
AlephAlpha said:
I very much prefer the position of the right stick above the buttons. The reason is that the "up" position of the stick lies on the axis formed by the root and the tip of my thumb. This way it is far more intuitive for me to press up by just stretching my thumb, whereas with other pads I have to move it sideways. That's why I find the symmetric stick layout more precise.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I was about to say something similar. After playing with it, the right stick feels perfectly natural in that position.
 
Alex_Mexico said:
What's so great about analog triggers? Sure it may feel a bit more like a gun trigger but at the end of the day it's the same exact thing with or without that.
Click to expand...
Analog triggers are essentially required for racers. They're also useful in a bunch of different situations.
 
I still prefer the PS4 controller (that sexy under-grip, nice D-pad, pointless but small touchpad and speaker/headphone jack), even if the rubber on the analog sticks suck tremendously.

I agree, if the buttons on the WiiU Pro were switched with the right analog, it would be much better, as it feel a little awkward with them so low on the pad.
 
I found the lack of audio port the biggest weakness after I picked up a cheap copy of cod bo2, going to be a ton of threads on here complaining when splatoon launches.
 
I don't like the face buttons on this controller. They are too small and indistinct. It bothers me more than the analog stick placement.
 
Stick placement for me is optimal. I love it. The fact it has digital triggers also, for me, is inconsequential as it only affects one genre that I hardly play, but benefits many others by being digital. The gloss is ridiculous I agree.
 
Simply Sami said:
Xbox 360 for me, if the dpad was improved. Not a big fan of xbox one controller. The bumpers are terrible.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but, as good as the 360 controller is (it's great!), its godawful abortion of a Dpad will never let it be the best. Even something as basic as choosing stuff from a menu with that Dpad is excruciating. More often than not I think I pushed down and the cursor moved right. And don't get me started on trying to play a 2D platformer or fighter with that Dpad. Unforgivable.



And you know you fucked up a design when your CEO needs to use gloves when handling your smudge magnets!
 
I don't mind the glossy finish (if you have a white one, fingerprints are a lot less visible), but I'm mystified why they went with the old style mini USB socket for the charger instead of the new micro one. It's decisions like that that make me think Nintendo really are in their own little bubble and are unaware of what's going on outside of it.
 
jpax said:
I am sorry for your fucked up hands ):
Click to expand...

Eh, assymetric makes more sense to me too. Just feels more comfortable.

I do like the Pro controller, most games I am not aiming with the second stick so its not as big a deal to me but I prefer 360 controller for shooting (assymetric sticks) and racers (analogue triggers) but neither are the sort of games I play on Wii U so its otherwise fine.

My only complaint is the button prompts. I am so used to the 360 layout for A B X Y when I see it on screen or on a moves list my brain gets confused for a second.
 
Bony Manifesto said:
I don't mind the glossy finish (if you have a white one, fingerprints are a lot less visible), but I'm mystified why they went with the old style mini USB socket for the charger instead of the new micro one. It's decisions like that that make me think Nintendo really are in their own little bubble and are unaware of what's going on outside of it.
Click to expand...
What's so great about the Micro USB that makes the Mini so outdated?
 
Has there ever really been a "perfect" controller?

Wii U Pro Controller would have been perfect if it had analog triggers.
Dual Shock 4 fixed the bad D-Pad of it's predecessors, got a better analog sticks and even added concave sticks for superior control but the nubs are incredibly cheap and the battery life is garbage.
360 has universal compatibility and probably set the biggest standard for control schemes to come, yet it's D-Pad is abysmal.
Xbox One controller fixed just about all the little things that could be wrong with the former and yet it made the bumpers absolutely painful to use.

It feels like there's always "that one thing" holding every controller back from greatness.
 
Xbox One controller is perfect IMO. Almost went for XBO instead of PS4 solely because of the controller, and sometimes I still wish I had.
 
Alex_Mexico said:
What's so great about analog triggers? Sure it may feel a bit more like a gun trigger but at the end of the day it's the same exact thing with or without that.
Click to expand...

For some games, it makes no difference. But for something like a racing game, using analog triggers to accelerate and brake make a big difference.

That, and I like the feel of pressing analog triggers a bit better.
 
Alex_Mexico said:
The other thing that bothers me is more of an opinion and less a cold hard fact. That right stick placement, man.

I get it, Nintendo was already copying the 360's controller design pretty much so I get the feeling that, in a desperate move to make it look unique by any means, they decided to go against every sacred tradition and placed the right stick ABOVE the face buttons. Think about it. Not the Playstation, not Xbox, and not even Nintendo had ever done a controller like that.
Click to expand...

I don't think the pro controller's layout has anything to do with making it look different. The button and stick placement is identical to the gamepad, they probably just wanted to keep the secondary Wii U controller consistent with the primary one.
 
I agree that its by far the most confy to hold. I like the position of the analogue sticks too.

The only thing that holds it back imo is that the d pad and face buttons feel a little bit tio far inset. When you play Super Mario World it feels like your thumb is stretched a little too far to hold down the Y button.

Other than that I love it. Amazing battery life too. Barely ever have to charge it. Compare that to the ds4 which needs recharging almost every session.
 
NotLiquid said:
Has there ever really been a "perfect" controller?

Wii U Pro Controller would have been perfect if it had analog triggers.
Dual Shock 4 fixed the bad D-Pad of it's predecessors, got a better analog sticks and even added concave sticks for superior control but the nubs are incredibly cheap and the battery life is garbage.
360 has universal compatibility and probably set the biggest standard for control schemes to come, yet it's D-Pad is abysmal.
Xbox One controller fixed just about all the little things that could be wrong with the former and yet it made the bumpers absolutely painful to use.

It feels like there's always "that one thing" holding every controller back from greatness.
Click to expand...

A mix of those yeah. What makes the the Gamepad or pro controller so great for me is the placement of the sticks feel natural for my hands. If I use the PS3 controller I have to really do it in increments or my wrists starts feeling awful. I can't play like that anymore.

EDIT: Although on another note I can use the Wii pro controller just fine even though the sticks are in the low position. The controller is more compact than the PS3 and its grips are angled down and not out to the side. So the sticks are more in a neutral position and easily reachable, yet out of the way for buttons. Overall I don't like Sony's controllers anymore with how they are damaging my hands and wrists.
 
I love it, and I ditch the gamepad whenever I can to use the Pro instead. And I agree OP, the glossy finish is the only downside, and equally annoying with the gamepad. Every week or so I wipe the controllers clean because they look disgusting with all the fingerprints and caked on sweat etc.
 
For the life of me I do not get the complaining about the right stick and the face buttons. Is it just because people are used to xboxes? I have never, ever given it a second thought when playing with the pro. It's perfect ergonomically the way it is.

As for the piano black and fingerprint smudges...I got a white one.
 
Alex_Mexico said:
What's so great about the Micro USB that makes the Mini so outdated?
Click to expand...

It's way more durable, and the stress of inserting and removing is placed on the cable rather than the socket. With mini USB you have only a few thousand insertion/disconnect cycles before you run the risk of it wearing out and having to buy a new device (or breaking out the soldering iron to replace the socket). Micro USB is rated got 10,000 insertion/disconnect cycles and if/when it does wear out, you just replace the cable.

There's no advantage to using mini USB and it was deprecated by the USB forum back in 2007.
 
I used to believe that my problem was the symmetrical placement of analog sticks in gamepads, but then I tried Nintendo's approach and I realized how wrong was I. You see, I really dislike the analog stick placement in the DualShock 3/4, but I can live with the way the Wii U Pro Controller has them.

The key difference, IMO, is that having the analog sticks on the center of the controller forces me to constantly stretch my thumbs to an unnatural position, while the Wii U Pro Controller has them on the upper corners. This gives them a lot more space between them and lets me hold the controller in a much more ergonomic position. I still think that the 360 gamepad just nails it with the asymmetrical position of the sticks, but Nintendo is a close second.

Now, if those triggers where analog...
 
LiveFromKyoto said:
For the life of me I do not get the complaining about the right stick and the face buttons. Is it just because people are used to xboxes? I have never, ever given it a second thought when playing with the pro. It's perfect ergonomically the way it is.

As for the piano black and fingerprint smudges...I got a white one.
Click to expand...
Used to Xboxes? Playstations since the PS1, Xboxes since the OG in 2001 and even Nintendo's own Gamecube and Wii Classic Controllers all have been using the right stick below the face buttons!!!! It's engraved in my muscle memory too much!
 
The right stick placement is indeed awkward, and I also feel they did it so as not to outright copy the Xbox's design. It's still a great controller, but the weakest of the big three for me.

Still...that battery life. It's insane.
 
Best "traditional" controller out of all current consoles in my opinion. For me it is the most comfortable to hold. And in contrast to the DS4 my thumb tips don't hurt after longer play sessions. But maybe that might be due to my hands being a little bit too small.

Only little downside are the + and - buttons for me. And it being glossy is awful. Just like the Wii U it gets plastered with fingerprints by just looking at it.
 
Bony Manifesto said:
It's way more durable, and the stress of inserting and removing is placed on the cable rather than the socket. With mini USB you have only a few thousand insertion/disconnect cycles before you run the risk of it wearing out and having to buy a new device (or breaking out the soldering iron to replace the socket). Micro USB is rated got 10,000 insertion/disconnect cycles and if/when it does wear out, you just replace the cable.

There's no advantage to using mini USB and it was deprecated by the USB forum back in 2007.
Click to expand...
And you just blew my mind. I had no idea. I thought it was a way of companies making me buy new cables. I was annoyed when I saw the Dualshock 4 used a different cable than the DS3. Now I see why.
 
Literally my only problems with it are the gloss finish (thankfully not such a problem with my white one mind), lack of analogue shoulder buttons, and the lack of SNES style multicoloured face buttons.

Other than that, it's my third favourite controller ever. Great ergonomics, godly battery life, superior symmetrical sticks, comfortable button's to use for long sessions, excellent D pad, it's just brilliant.
 
NotLiquid said:
Has there ever really been a "perfect" controller?

Wii U Pro Controller would have been perfect if it had analog triggers.
Dual Shock 4 fixed the bad D-Pad of it's predecessors, got a better analog sticks and even added concave sticks for superior control but the nubs are incredibly cheap and the battery life is garbage.
360 has universal compatibility and probably set the biggest standard for control schemes to come, yet it's D-Pad is abysmal.
Xbox One controller fixed just about all the little things that could be wrong with the former and yet it made the bumpers absolutely painful to use.

It feels like there's always "that one thing" holding every controller back from greatness.
Click to expand...

If you play fighting games I don't know how you can say the DS4 dpad is better than the DS3. DS4 dpad feels too stiff to me. Anyway I'm shocked they didn't go with something like the Vita's dpad. That just feels right.
 
The PS4 controller bums me out.

The joysticks have a terrible finish and feel cheap.

The highest RRP too.

Not in my conversation.
 
jpax said:
I am sorry for your fucked up hands ):
Click to expand...

Playstation's stick placement has always felt like I was gauging someone's eyes out. I can't get comfortable with them both down like they are. It's all preference though. I prefer the XB1 controller over 360/PS4. Yet, there is no objectively better controller, or objectively better stick placement. It's all opinion.

EDIT: Unless you're talking battery life, or build quality.
 
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