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WiiU gamepad broke, aw hell.

Wait, 175 dollars to repair the pad when you can by the System for close to $200?
Damn, I feel bad for you. I would just buy another system at that point. Also buy a cover for the Gamepad next time. I know I will be using mine more because of this.
 
That price is unreal. I would love for a journalist to bring this up in a future interview with Reggie sometime. It's a controller and controllers break - even when you don't store your cat bowl underneath your entertainment center. ;)
 
I haven't really been following the Wii U at all, but you're telling me you cant buy the pads seperately?
 
I haven't really been following the Wii U at all, but you're telling me you cant buy the pads seperately?

Nope, they do not sell since you can only pair one to a system.
Really the Gamepad is not completely needed to use the system, but that is not the point.
 
Don't they or didn't they sell the Gamepad separately in Japan? I can imagine the import price would probably be pretty steep though. And there's the question of region locked firmware too.
 
Holy crap! I feel like I should buy a safe just to store mine in when I am not using it! If it ever breaks there is no way I could afford replacing it anytime soon. $60 for a new DS4 is expensive enough as it is.
 
As some other people have said, call again, the rep probably made a mistake.

I'm pretty darn sure the standard cost to repair a Gamepad is $80, and even if it isn't, $175 just defies all reason.

Edit: wait a read the op again and it was the website that quoted the $175 price? WHAT?!
I would definitely call anyway. That price just doesn't make sense and I'd bet the rep won't charge as much, or won't if you politely argue a bit.
 
Again, reiterating my point earlier, call them. I bought a used wii u that had a gamepad with a faulty wifi connector and they fixed it up for $50. I had to send in both the console and the pad to see which had the faulty wifi connector, though I don't think OP will have to worry about that. Repair also comes with a one year warranty.
 
Nope, they do not sell since you can only pair one to a system.

What. I didn't know that. I still remember Reggie anouncing support for up to 2 WiiU gamepads on a E3 show. What happend to that? And not being able to purchase them seperatly... That sucks big time. What about the pro controller, can't you use that instead?
 
Right. If they don't go down in price, buy a refurb, sell all of the parts seperately except the pad. Nintendoland, HDMI cable, power cable, Wii U, charging stand, console stand (usually not sold seperately, so basic users might want those)...

What. I didn't know that. I still remember Reggie anouncing support for up to 2 WiiU gamepads on a E3 show. What happend to that? And not being able to purchase them seperatly... That sucks big time. What about the pro controller, can't you use that instead?

You can use the pro and Wiimote for everything except system settings and mii-creator i believe.
 
Damn OP that sucks, this is my biggest fear, and living in Brazil I'd have to buy a new Wii U since there is no customer service here.
 
Holy shit that repair cost, where do Nintendo get off charging that amount? It'd be cheaper to buy a new Wii U!
 
Just call them, haven't seen that price anywhere, though major repairs to the gamepad in UK can go up to £85 (still 30$ +/- away from that price). Minor repairs are £50. Call them.
 
How come no one has checked this? From what I've seen it's actually $175 for the Deluxe Console and $80 for the Gamepad. Unless this is a special case, maybe the OP or Nintendo rep made a mistake.

Regardless, I'm not surprised people have already used this to bring up third-party issues and the Gamepad-less sku.

You're right, I just double checked.

Thing is, when I follow the link to repair my WiiU gamepad due to physical damage, it shows a page where I'm prompted to put in my console's serial number, while also mentioning where the gamepad serial number is. I just tried to put in the gamepad serial number, and received an error, thus leaving the only option as putting in the consoles' serial number, as that is what it is prompting for, even though I used the option of repairing the gamepad to get to that point.

Edit: I'm an idiot, and didn't put in the last number for the gamepad, repair is $85 plus tax and shipping.
 
Just had that shit happen to mine. The kids were playing and the one holding the gamepad tripped, smashing the screen.

Ended up calling Nintendo and they're fixing it free of charge cause it's under warranty, which is great especially since that's physical damage and last I knew they didn't replace the screens for free under the warranty.

I'd try and see if they can fix it on the free or cheaper.
 
I had the lcd broken too. Contacted phone support and they replaced it (or fixed, not sure) for 100 usd, including shipping forth and back.
Had to send them the unit, wait a couple of weeks, got it back.
Everything was ok.
 
You're right, I just double checked.

Thing is, when I follow the link to repair my WiiU gamepad due to physical damage, it shows a page where I'm prompted to put in my console's serial number, while also mentioning where the gamepad serial number is. I just tried to put in the gamepad serial number, and received an error, thus leaving the only option as putting in the consoles' serial number, as that is what it is prompting for, even though I used the option of repairing the gamepad to get to that point.

Edit: I'm an idiot, and didn't put in the last number for the gamepad, repair is $85 plus tax and shipping.

Whew, that's much better. You must be relieved. Still pricey, but nowhere near as bad at least.
 
I'm also very paranoid about this type of things. I have the charging cradle next to my feet where I sit while playing videogames. I'm always afraid to trip on the charger's wire.
But what am I gonna do? I have to leave the charger connected to the wall socket, because the gamepad's battery duration is ass otherwise... :s

I wonder if this Nerf Armor is good:
product%5Clarge%5CN8530.jpg

Obviously won't protect the screen, though...
I bought the Nerf Armor case (in orange) for the gamepad as I don't trust my boys to not drop the controller (which they have on several occasions).

It provides decent protection for the sides of the gamepad, but as you said it doesn't protect the screen. Also, it doesn't fit the gamepad as tightly as I would have liked so it's a bit loose, but not enough to fall off on it's own.

I was considering to take it off, but after reading this thread I'll leave it on for now.
 
Did someone say the gamepad is region locked?

Why would they EVER region lock a controller? Is there any plausible explanation?
 
I bought the Nerf Armor case (in orange) for the gamepad as I don't trust my boys to not drop the controller (which they have on several occasions).

It provides decent protection for the sides of the gamepad, but as you said it doesn't protect the screen. Also, it doesn't fit the gamepad as tightly as I would have liked so it's a bit loose, but not enough to fall off on it's own.

I was considering to take it off, but after reading this thread I'll leave it on for now.

Came here to post this. Love the nerf armor for my Wii U gamepad and 3DS. I only use plastic screen protectors which wouldn't save it from direct impact, but I do exercise care and caution when using fragile electronics. Good investment.
 
Pft, still too much for a repair. Does it not come with any warranty?

Of course it comes. Like any other warranty though, it doesn't cover everything. Unless you're paying for a warranty to cover those special situations.

EDIT: Or are you talking about a warranty for after the repair?
 
$85 is reasonable enough. But it would be better if Nintendo would simply make them available in its online parts store along with the Wii U AC adapters and other things most people don't need multiples of.
 
The d-pad on my wiiu pad never worked correctly for me. The left direction didn't work. So I sent it in for repairs within warranty. Writing that the left direction of the d-pad didn't work in any of my games, and neither did it work in the wiiu system menu.

I got it back, had to pay for repairs since they didn't find anything wrong.

I complained and was told that I had to explain the problem better. So I sent it to Nintendo again, with the same note. This time however, I made a drawing of the WiiU pad and pointed out where the d-pad is on ghe controller.

I got it back and this time it worked. Turns out noone at Nintendo repairs knows what a d-pad is.
 
Here's what people mean when they say update the OP with the edited information in bold and all the fucking colors of the rainbow. Some people just don't bother to read.
 
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