• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Nintendo looking into games that support two Wii U controllers

captmcblack said:
You people are crazy. There is no way on this, or any other Earth that this thing can only support 1 native controller. It would undo the entire history of consoles for that to be the case.

c'mon, son.
It's ballsy and I don't know that it makes sense, but Nintendo is very obviously trying to break with the history of consoles here. They're attempting a paradigm shift where the controller is a subunit of the console rather than a peripheral in the traditional sense, and where accordingly they can throw crazier and more expensive features into the controller than would otherwise be feasible.
Iwatas Magic Sports Coat said:
Either this is all a PR foulup and this stuff isn't true. Or Nintendo pulled a fast one over pretty much every 3rd party. The way the 3rd parties are talking, they seem to think everyone will have their own screen.
Third parties are probably talking about online play.
 
Davidion said:
I'm convinced that it's a bandwidth/pipeline limitation that's keeping them from doing this.

I wonder if there's any way to engineer the console and the controllers so that it's not the console doing all the leg work for the streaming.

There is. If you add rendering/processing hardware to the controller, you can lighten the load on the console and just send game-specific information to keep it in sync. But it would require making the controller more expensive. Just think of having a 3DS as the controller pushing its own workload.

The less hardware the controller has to push its own visuals, the more the console has to work. The more the console has to work, the less it can push out prettyness. It'll be a balancing act if the whole thing's set up anything like this.
 
single upad sucks.

they should still sell classic upad controllers without the screen.

that way at least everyone has the same button layout.
 
Ten bucks says we get something like this at some point:

qY1Ck.jpg
 
Sutanreyu said:
There is. If you add rendering/processing hardware to the controller, you can lighten the load on the console and just send game-specific information to keep it in sync. But it would require making the controller more expensive. Just think of having a 3DS as the controller pushing its own workload.

The less hardware the controller has to push its own visuals, the more the console has to work. The more the console has to work, the less it can push out prettyness. It'll be a balancing act if the whole thing's set up anything like this.
That's not really a feasible solution. You'd essentially be having another Wii-U in the controller.
 
Nintendo needs to know that kids have envy and want to play the best controller. Multiplayer will seem a step down to watch one person play the magic screen and 3 others playing 'old tech'. I've got 2 sons and this will be a problem. BTW, screens showing each players unique perspective gets me all excited and erect. Could have some effect on the social aspect: 4 people looking at their screens and others looking at the main screen.
 
Sorry, couldn't read all the thread, but I was thinking in something like this(in a 4 player split-screen fps game): maybe they could stream the same content to all players(same entire screen) but having each player watch only his part of the screen(in a lower res of course since it's only 1/4th of the screen) and if you want you can turn off the tv. I guess that would be the easiest way to do it?
 
They could switch to 720p native for the TV and then that would give them an extra 1.15 million pixels to stream to the controllers. That would be enough pixels to fill up 2.8 more controllers. Add in some blast processing on that third controller, and it'll fill the rest up on it's own. It's basic math, people. Quit worrying.
 
Multiple Wii U Controllers Are a Cost Issue
http://kotaku.com/5812512/multiple-wii-u-controllers-are-a-cost-issue

"There's a cost issue," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Japanese business site Diamond Online. "Technically, it is possible for the Wii U to support multiple Wii U Controllers," Iwata said. However, this will result in a "considerable" price increase. According to Iwata, "We're not planning on asking our customers to buy multiple Wii U Controllers."
Thanks God, if Nintendo doesn't want a new Four Swords, at least let Square create a sequel to Crystal Chronicles.

I wouldn't mind Phantasy Star and Monster Hunter with console local-multiplayer either.

And with Smash Bros. 4 coming out in 2019, I think it's time to rethink your shit strategy, Nintendo. So it's okay to pay $250 for a 3DS and use it as a controller, but not $100 for Wii U tablet?

Bitch, adios.
 
Sammy Samusu said:
And with Smash Bros. 4 coming out in 2019, I think it's time to rethink your shit strategy, Nintendo. So it's okay to pay $250 for a 3DS and use it as a controller, but not $100 for Wii U tablet?.
Why the hell would you need additional tablets for Smash?
 
Varjet said:
Why the hell would you need additional tablets for Smash?
It's a new game, and supporting at least four controllers (really, this is like the most basic shit ever) would offer Sakurai and his team new and creative ways to play with the Smash franchise. Think new modes and concepts.
 
I think this should be a new thread, Sammy.

Varjet said:
Why the hell would you need additional tablets for Smash?

Imagine a final smash type power up where you get to control Master Hand for 10 seconds and hit everyone by touching them on your touchscreen. That's just off the top of my head.
 
If a Wiimote + Nunchuck being $60 at Wii launch wasn't a "cost issue," I think we're looking at these tablet controllers being $100 or more.
 
I don't buy the cost thing at all.

It's far more likely to be technical limitations of the streaming, syncing problems, and probably how the custom GPU has been set up to render. Knowing Nintendo the second buffer is only enough to support one screen at its resolution.

There's also nothing to stop people bringing over their controller to use at someone else's house, and if the machine could do it there would have been a tech-demo to show it.
 
So wait a second, the WiiU DOES support multiple Contablets, but Nintendo is (as of right now) only making games that support one at a time?
 
Oni Link 666 said:
I think this should be a new thread, Sammy.
God no. That was being said so many times already, there's no reason to make yet another Wii U thread.


Did anyone already mention (it probably was) that Nintendo has shown a game at E3 that used two Wii U controllers? It's called Measure Up and involved two players drawing symbols. Rather strange that Nintendo decided to demo a game that uses two Wii U controllers even though they actually don't plan to support such a feature.

Edit: Whoops, my bad, it actually doesn't use two controllers. The players have to turn the controller around. Sorry!
 
wrowa said:
God no. That was being said so many times already, there's no reason to make yet another Wii U thread.


Did anyone already mention (it probably was) that Nintendo has shown a game at E3 that used two Wii U controllers? It's called Measure Up and involved two players drawing symbols. Rather strange that Nintendo decided to demo a game that uses two Wii U controllers even though they actually don't plan to support such a feature.

First I've heard of that demo, will check it out.

Edit: It's just passing one controller around.
 
DECK'ARD said:
I don't buy the cost thing at all.

It's far more likely to be technical limitations of the streaming, syncing problems, and probably how the custom GPU has been set up to render. Knowing Nintendo the second buffer is only enough to support one screen at its resolution.

There's also nothing to stop people bringing over their controller to use at someone else's house, and if the machine could do it there would have been a tech-demo to show it.

Aren't you also the same guy who kept insisting that it was impossible that Nintendo would stream data to a controller so you could play and that you didn't believe any of the rumors?

I'll answer that question: Yes. It was you.

There were several reports yesterday that the Wii U was underclocked for devs and that the system was capable of producing an HD image and 4 separate SD streams.
 
isn't that measure up video showing them taking turns with the tablet?
 
Plinko said:
Aren't you also the same guy who kept insisting that it was impossible that Nintendo would stream data to a controller so you could play and that you didn't believe any of the rumors?

I'll answer that question: Yes. It was you.

There were several reports yesterday that the Wii U was underclocked for devs and that the system was capable of producing an HD image and 4 separate SD streams.

Er, and I was right? That latency problems would be a major issue, that supporting more than one controller would make things increasingly difficult, and that they'd have to go with a wireless solution to get round latency problems that would introduce issues with how close to the machine you'd have to be?

I said I found it incredibly strange that Nintendo would go with something with so many limitations. Then we end up with a unveiling at E3 with all these problems on display.

The 4 separate SD streams is talking about *wired* streams, and even all this talk is just pure speculation based around the specs. Probably by flipping the main 1080 buffer with the controller's, so you'd end up with a low-res TV picture. From the Zelda demo the second buffer is only the size of one screen display. Also it seems the console just likes firing out full video signals, not chopping up a 1080p image into quarters.

The proof is in the pudding, and at the moment the pudding is very half-baked.
 
Sammy Samusu said:
It's a new game, and supporting at least four controllers (really, this is like the most basic shit ever) would offer Sakurai and his team new and creative ways to play with the Smash franchise. Think new modes and concepts.
Even if there's a multiplayer mode that makes use of multiple tablets, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the main attraction.
 
DECK'ARD said:
First I've heard of that demo, will check it out.

Edit: It's just passing one controller around.
Yeah, my mistake, it was explained wrong in the description. Didn't realize the mistake until I've watched the video. Sorry. :)
 
So, it's a price issue rather than a technical issue?

I guess this means most of the games won't need two controls to use, but it'll still be an option for those who want to do local multiplayer.

Well, this (hopefully) takes care of one of my biggest dissapointments with the console.
 
This is no different than Nintendo not doing Wii games that use two remotes or severely limiting the nunchuk in multiplayer modes. Four Swords and Crystal Chronicles were great but also hard to assemble the pieces. Certainly as a normal I wouldn't want that. Still to not be overly restrictive the option would be nice.
 
Sammy Samusu said:
Multiple Wii U Controllers Are a Cost Issue
http://kotaku.com/5812512/multiple-wii-u-controllers-are-a-cost-issue


Thanks God, if Nintendo doesn't want a new Four Swords, at least let Square create a sequel to Crystal Chronicles.

I wouldn't mind Phantasy Star and Monster Hunter with console local-multiplayer either.

And with Smash Bros. 4 coming out in 2019, I think it's time to rethink your shit strategy, Nintendo. So it's okay to pay $250 for a 3DS and use it as a controller, but not $100 for Wii U tablet?

Bitch, adios.

Basically what I've been saying when this thread was created. While others suggested that the console was to weak to support it. Just give us the option with a limited production number so you don't have to many collecting dust in warehouses.
 
NSQuote said:
So, it's a price issue rather than a technical issue?

I guess this means most of the games won't need two controls to use, but it'll still be an option for those who want to do local multiplayer.

Well, this (hopefully) takes care of one of my biggest dissapointments with the console.

At the moment, price concerns, asymmetrical gaming etc. is all spin to get round an E3 unveiling that went far from well and left people with more questions than answers.

If the console could do it, they would have shouted it from the rooftops and shown it doing it. They are running with the concept despite the limitations, and will make the best with what they have in typical Nintendo fashion, but I wouldn't expect a change from their one-controller focus. The console and controller have been designed around this limitation from the start.

The technical issues with streaming suggests more than one won't be coming, and if it can't do the streaming to more than one Nintendo would have a hard time justifying the additional cost of an extra controller with limited functionality. Even if that would sadly mean losing the possibilities of just individual HUD's/play calling/private item select etc.

The best I'm hoping for is they manage it to get it all working, streaming included, with 2 controllers. Which would be an acceptable compromise, but as it looks like the GPU has been designed to support just one in the first place I'm not sure they will even go down that avenue.
 
Sammy Samusu said:
Multiple Wii U Controllers Are a Cost Issue
http://kotaku.com/5812512/multiple-wii-u-controllers-are-a-cost-issue


Thanks God, if Nintendo doesn't want a new Four Swords, at least let Square create a sequel to Crystal Chronicles.

I wouldn't mind Phantasy Star and Monster Hunter with console local-multiplayer either.

And with Smash Bros. 4 coming out in 2019, I think it's time to rethink your shit strategy, Nintendo. So it's okay to pay $250 for a 3DS and use it as a controller, but not $100 for Wii U tablet?

Bitch, adios.
HA

That's exactly what I said

So HA-HA to everyone who ever disagreed with me

HA-HA
 
I believe that gives more credibility to the Japanese rumors about the Wii GPU. They stated support for 4 SD streams to the controllers in addition to the main TV screen. I think Nintendo won't roll out all their aces at once though. They'll probably bundle extra controllers with certain games.
 
Always-honest said:
Can one system even stream to two screens at the same quality of one screen?

You could always use software tricks to get around the hardware limitation.

Remember, the controller screen is low resolution.
 
It's the same old thing about hardware add-ons.

EA won't make a Madden game that requires two padlets, because it would hurt or limit sales, raise complaints etc. Therefore they also won't develop a Madden game that is enabled to use two padlets, because a) why bother, and b) if they do it would be half-arsed, tacked-on, and would have to be a bonus rather than the definitive version. Which brings you back to point a).

Which I believe is why Nintendo are talking only very cautiously about the possibility. To me that caution means - we're not doing it, we're not encouraging anyone else to do it, it basically doesn't make sense as a gaming application.

Which sucks, and is kind of an indictment of the Wii U concept. There's such an obvious next step, but for cost reasons it's one that can't be taken.

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to everything else the system offers, capabilities and possibilities a few posters in this thread have already listed.
 
I dont get why people want multiple (more than two) wii U controllers on a console. Doesn't online multiplayer guarantee the same exact (minus the local aspect) experience?
 
Shiggie said:
I dont get why people want multiple (more than two) wii U controllers on a console. Doesn't online multiplayer guarantee the same exact (minus the local aspect) experience?

Well there's 2 issues there:

1) Nintendo's strength is social multiplayer in the same room. So it's worrying when the only way to share the same experience of the Wii U with someone else is through online which is something Nintendo have never got right.
2) The main benefits of a private screen is so you can see things other players can't, which is only a benefit with local multiplayer. As soon as you remove that possibility, most of the benefits of a controller with a display go out the window.

It all leaves the concept seeming very confusing.
 
Shiggie said:
I dont get why people want multiple (more than two) wii U controllers on a console. Doesn't online multiplayer guarantee the same exact (minus the local aspect) experience?
With this current setup, Nintendo can't even bring Four Swords Adventure/Crystal Chronicles (which both highlights the strength of having a local screen + big screen) to the Wii U. When you can't support the best ideas that you've established before, then there's a problem.
 
Top Bottom