Support NeoGAF

[Dog Problems]

But that would make the system even more expensive.

Yeah, my ideas aren't practical.

I do find it hard to believe that it costs $150 the way it is right now. It just feels so cheap.

 

[Persona7]

I would probably throw a larger battery in, they should have did that from the start insead of putting a shit battery in and hoping to sell a better one a few months later.

Upgrade the display, maybe add a small board with a processor and extra memory to offload some tasks. As far as "trimming the fat" I think these upgrades would be worthwhile as they could prolong the system and increase capabilities.

 

[Teknoman]

Longer battery life and find a way to make the force feedback/vibration motors feel closer to what you'd expect from a controller.

The current model has incredibly weak feedback.

 

[Eusis]

I'd shrink it, first and foremost.

We have higher resolutions on smaller phones, and the DS works just fine with a smaller screen. I think you could make it surprisingly more comfortable just by shrinking the screen down to Vita/top 3DS XL screen size and tweaking the ergonomics on a whole. I don't know how expensive capacitive really is and that may be better like it or not, though even if I went with that I'd definitely want a fine point stylus created and thrown in.

EDIT: I think basically what I want to do can be summarized as making it a controller with a screen, not a screen with a controller.

 

[saska]

I'd take lossless streaming over anything. Heavily compressed video quality is easily the biggest flaw of gamepad.

 

[orborborb]

I think they made all the right compromises with the Gamepad and its design has nothing to do with the failure of the Wii U.

 

[outunderthestars]

I think they made all the right compromises with the Gamepad and its design has nothing to do with the failure of the Wii U.

Its nice to meet you Mr Iwata.

 

[NotMyRealName]

The buttons. Tablets are trendy because of their unassuming nature. Nobody wants a tablet with a hundred million buttons glued to the sides.

 

[Here For The Free Feed]

i can't think of a game that used the camera (apart from zombiu extras) but to those saying ditch the camera wouldn't it make the wiiu video chat useless? it's a great feature, so i can't agree with that.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

The buttons. Tablets are trendy because of their unassuming nature. Nobody wants a tablet with a hundred million buttons glued to the sides.

It's not a tablet.

 

[Antoids]

ditch the accelerometer and the gyro

i would keep the camera, because for party games like nintendoland i think it's really fun, especially for non-"gamers" to see the expression of the person as they play

 

[Chamber]

Shrink it down to Vita size.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

i can't think of a game that used the camera (apart from zombiu extras) but to those saying ditch the camera wouldn't it make the wiiu video chat useless? it's a great feature, so i can't agree with that.

Nintendo Land, Wii Fit U

 

[RE_Player]

The camera is probably the biggest waste in that thing.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Do resistive quantum dot displays exist? That should increase both the display quality and the battery life quite a bit.

Other then that, just a decent battery from the beginning. Control wise it's already good.

 

[bobawesome]

-Capacitive touchscreen
-At LEAST 720p display.
Everything else is fine, I guess. At present it just feels outdated when I'm using it.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

Fix the rattly buttons

Concave analog sticks

Matte finish

Better battery included

That's it. Anyone who says the camera can go hasn't played Game&Wario with kids...taking dumb pictures of yourself is half the fun.

 

[NingenJanai]

5" 720p capacitive touchscreen.
Built in mediatek cpu with android 4.0 for real tablet usage away from home.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Capacitive touch screen

Capacitive touchscreen

capacitive touchscreen.

Is pinch to zoom really that desirable?

Matte finish

Yesssss. Forgot about this. Glossy finishes are not nice.

 

[Haines]

The camera is probably the biggest waste in that thing.

Yeah the video chat only made me think but what about when no one else I know has a wiiu?

That's what's great about Skype/Xbox one

 

[secretanchitman]

-720p IPS capacitive touchscreen
-Bigger goddamn battery
-USB charging (the Pro Controller even has this)
-Make it smaller in every dimension
-Ability to purchase Gamepad separately and use more than 1 or 2 at a time

 

[Cutebrute]

Realistically, I would:
Get a smaller (5in) capacitative screen.
Ditch the NFC and camera.
Make the sticks shorter and concave. I feel like the current sticks are too tall for the current body of the game pad.
Make the triggers analog.
Make the pad smaller and place all sticks/buttons in a closer, more natural arrangement. I feel like I have easy access to the sticks/triggers or the buttons right now, but never both.

In a fantasy world, I would:
Get a 720p capacitative screen.
Keep all features and adjust the pad ergonomics.
Replace the sticks with haptic pads, like the Steam Controller.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

Is pinch to zoom really that desirable?
.

Multitouch is.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Multitouch is.

Why? Multitouch is necessary in tablets and phones because they've dropped physical controls. We've got tons of real buttons

 

[webkatt]

Firmware update that allows you to use your 3DS (XL) as a gamepad.

Megaton...

 

[Nessus]

I'd get rid of whatever part adds $100+ to the cost of the system, even if that meant increased latency for off-TV play.

If nVidia Shield can do low-latency, Good Enough streaming over wi-fi then the Wii U should have been able to do the same, and that would also allow for the option of playing it over the Internet if you had a good enough connection.

 

[EightBitNate]

Why? Multitouch is necessary in tablets and phones because they've dropped physical controls. We've got tons of real buttons

Pinch to zoom is nice, but it'd also be a good gameplay mechanic.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Pinch to zoom is nice, but it'd also be a good gameplay mechanic.

I can't imagine it would be used enough to make up for the loss of accuracy in moving to a capacitive screen

 

[C.Olimar788]

I would make it a point to figure out how to give the thing a longer-lasting battery, package it with a screen protector, and add the signature octagonal ridges for the control sticks. Why did they get rid of those things again? They were iconic and really useful for a lot of games. I might also work on the L and R buttons - they feel a bit too easy to press accidentally as it is, they could stand to be a bit more stiff.

I can't think of anything significant that I would want to get rid of - it has a lot of little things built in that are neat when they're taken advantage of, it's just that few games have done so thus far. If I had to lose features I guess I'd probably nix the camera and the little action figure sensor-thing, though, as I don't think either will be used terribly often.

 

[rekameohs]

Capacitive touch screen would suck so much. The great drawings on Miiverse are like one of the few things that the Gamepad does right.

 

[Warewolf]

nothing.

I am just joking bigger battery would be top then higher resolution, and capacitive touch i personally like the size.

Nailed it.

 

[Omnii-chan]

I think the game pad has a place for people who want to use it... just don't make it tethered to the console.
The thing I hate is you can't start and use the console with any controller.
You NEED the Game pad to use it, then turn on the other controller and use that.
Sure, it's a little problem, but it's just cumbersome and stupid and what I would change.

 

[EightBitNate]

I can't imagine it would be used enough to make up for the loss of accuracy in moving to a capacitive screen

The difference in accuracy isn't all that staggering tbh. Have you ever played a game on an iPad? I never notice any inaccuracies, definitely not like the Gamepad feels more accurate.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

The difference in accuracy isn't all that staggering tbh. Have you ever played a game on an iPad? I never notice any inaccuracies, definitely not like the Gamepad feels more accurate.

It would suck for miiverse

 

[mantidor]

EDIT: I think basically what I want to do can be summarized as making it a controller with a screen, not a screen with a controller.

I completely agree, I disagree that the current option ain't exactly that.

Longer battery life and find a way to make the force feedback/vibration motors feel closer to what you'd expect from a controller.

The current model has incredibly weak feedback.

wat

you better bring some hard evidence, resistive screens are far superior to capacitive screens in responsiveness, not to mention, the best dpad ever made, I was even capable of going through Maridia in the Wii U VC as opposed to the original.
.

 

[rekameohs]

The difference in accuracy isn't all that staggering tbh. Have you ever played a game on an iPad? I never notice any inaccuracies, definitely not like the Gamepad feels more accurate.

The accuracy of capacitive touch screens is substantially worse than resistive. It's not even close. There's a reason why all professional drawing tablets are resistive, and why all capacitive styli are shit. Capacitive is great for phones and tablets which use entirely touch controls for complex multitouch gestures, but the Wii U Gamepad has absolutely no reason to use one with its primary input being physical buttons. Again I reiterate, one of the only legitimately wonderful uses of the Gamepad is Miiverse art, which would not even be remotely as good without a resistive screen.

 

[licktheenvelope]

I would make it lighter and extend battery life. Maybe make it option too.

 

[Nasser]

what I would do actually is cancel the whole thing and update every game that out there use the gamepad and make it playable without it. Then, reintroduce the whole system with a new name, say Wii 2. simple and easy for people to understand.

- If I can't cancel it, then, I would change the name. Gamepad is just not a really good name I would say.
- The other thing I would add is releasing COLORED gamepads. like the 3DSs special edition with different colors. People love this, why can't they for example release a Mario Kart 8 bundle, called gamepad bundles or whatever. where only you get the game + a special gamepad.
- Why not releasing a new kind of gamepads? gamepad slim?
- other stuff like the battery and the feeling when holding it, too.

 

[EightBitNate]

It would suck for miiverse

The accuracy of capacitive touch screens is substantially worse than resistive. It's not even close. There's a reason why all professional drawing tablets are resistive, and why all capacitive styli are shit. Capacitive is great for phones and tablets which use entirely touch controls for complex multitouch gestures, but the Wii U Gamepad has absolutely no reason to use one with its primary input being physical buttons. Again I reiterate, one of the only legitimately wonderful uses of the Gamepad is Miiverse art, which would not even be remotely as good without a resistive screen.

I understand that you would lose the ability to draw detailed pictures, but I think multitouch gestures would be more useful than in-depth drawings in actual games. I can't think of any right, to be fair, but it's a trade off I'd want them to make. Both have their benefits, I suppose.

 

[FyreWulff]

Biggest one would be analog triggers. Come on Nintendo, you finally added clicking to the sticks, then removed analog triggers?

All the other functionality is so developers can make use of them if they want. I don't think gyro adds that much cost to make it worth ripping out, for example. Most of the popular IOS titles either actually do not use multitouch (only allow one finger input at a time) or use them for virtual buttons, and the GamePad already has real buttons. Resistive has much much lower latency and much higher accuracy, important for games, not so much for checking your Facebook.

Oh, I'd make the sticks offset as well.

 

[VanWinkle]

This is kind of an odd topic, because you're essentially asking us how we would make the Gamepad cheaper, when one of the problems with the Gamepad is that it doesn't feel premium as it is. You couldn't get any of us to say of your OP suggestions "those are great ideas!" because nobody wants a Gamepad that's even worse.

 

[EulaCapra]

Well for one, I'd make it possible for the Gamepad to really portable and support Remote Play far away from the console.

Significantly up the battery, up the resolution or at least make that washed out look go away, make the speakers louder, and make the triggers analog. My Z shoulder buttons are already squeaky.

 

[Cheerilee]

So in contrast to the fuck ton of folks saying if they were in charge the GamePad wouldn't have happened or would just can it ASAP. So please don't just say that.

Well that's not what this is about. Let's say you were tasked with changing it, not canning it.

What would you do? To achieve the right price and capabilities?

I'd quit.

The Wiimote was a good idea, and was halfway towards becoming the new industry standard. Nintendo should have taken all of the money that was poured into the GamePad (about half the cost of the Wii U) and poured it straight into a console that defined "next gen" a year before Sony did, instead of a controller that contradicted some of the Wiimote's core philosophies (like simplicity) and made a liar out of Nintendo (proving that they don't have ideals, they're all about the gimmick), and whose functionality could easily be replicated by a 3DS or a GBA2 if Nintendo thought that far ahead.

The GamePad was fundamentally wrong, if you ask me. The right balance of price and capability is "the Wiimote", and the GamePad not existing. If my boss refused to accept that answer and told me to rework my answer in some way that made it so that the GamePad was the best price and capability, then I should quit. Or if I really needed the paycheck, I'd say that... I dunno... the GamePad needs 3D. The system should support 3D Bluray, and the GamePad should deliver it, even if your TV can't/won't.

 

[Twilight Gap]

This is kind of an odd topic, because you're essentially asking us how we would make the Gamepad cheaper, when one of the problems with the Gamepad is that it doesn't feel premium as it is. You couldn't get any of us to say of your OP suggestions "those are great ideas!" because nobody wants a Gamepad that's even worse.

I'd quit.

The Wiimote was a good idea, and was halfway towards becoming the new industry standard. Nintendo should have taken all of the money that was poured into the GamePad (about half the cost of the Wii U) and poured it straight into a console that defined "next gen" a year before Sony did, instead of a controller that contradicted some of the Wiimote's core philosophies (like simplicity) and made a liar out of Nintendo (proving that they don't have ideals, they're all about the gimmick), and whose functionality could easily be replicated by a 3DS or a GBA2 if Nintendo thought that far ahead.

The GamePad was fundamentally wrong, if you ask me. The right balance of price and capability is "the Wiimote", and the GamePad not existing. If my boss refused to accept that answer and told me to rework my answer in some way that made it so that the GamePad was the best price and capability, then I should quit. Or if I really needed the paycheck, I'd say that... I dunno... the GamePad needs 3D. The system should support 3D Bluray, and the GamePad should deliver it, even if your TV can't/won't.

Have to agree with these posts. "improving" the gamepad is like trying to trim a square peg until it's small enough to go into a round hole.

 

[acm2000]

Why would they need to shrink the resolution to make the screen smaller? That's the complete opposite of what it needs. It needs a nice 1080p panel but the size is fine.

 

[KingJ2002]

- Dump the gamepad
- Add a small touch screen / motion control to the pro controller.
- Improve Wiimote by adding touch screen and camera to sensor bar.


The Wii U needed to refine the Wii experience to continue the brand's success... not dump it's fundamental ideas in favor of a more complicated controller.

 

[xDUMPWEEDx]

Make it smaller and cheaper. The console needs a price cut bad, even 20-30$ cheaper would help.

 

[Dre_G_Writer]

Ive never even played a WiiU before. I dont even know what that gamepad screen does.

 

[FyreWulff]

Well for one, I'd make it possible for the Gamepad to really portable and support Remote Play far away from the console.

Significantly up the battery, up the resolution or at least make that washed out look go away, make the speakers louder, and make the triggers analog. My Z shoulder buttons are already squeaky.

Why would they need to shrink the resolution to make the screen smaller? That's the complete opposite of what it needs. It needs a nice 1080p panel but the size is fine.

The playable distance is due to using 5GHz and needing low latency. The higher the frequency, the less the signal can penetrate walls and obstructions and the less distance it has before devices can no longer discern it from the background radio noise. If you have 5Ghz home networking, you'll have less range than 2.4Ghz networking.

The resolution is due to them being at the limits of Wireless N's bandwidth for no-latency video.

 

[AntiFacebook]

A power off button that does NOT turn off the wiiU, for starters.