What is your assessment of the Wii U game pad?

[Algus]

I was surprised that it was relatively ergonomic. The remote play is nice though kind of useless for me since the range isn't great.

 

Games I've played have used it to mixed usefulness. It is kind of cool in Lego City Undercover but not essential to the experience.

 

That battery has to go though. It is nothing for me to burn it out on my weekend and I play games a lot less now then in college.

[NE146]

I like it a lot but I do get annoyed at the battery life. You basically have to play it while it's plugged in if you're going to do a marathon session.

[Austin]

I find it to be a really comfortable controller, more so than any of the other current-gen systems. The battery life kind of sucks though. Fortunately I don't have the same marathon sessions that I used to (maybe three to five hours at the most now), so it lasts fine for me. And something else I do is every time I need to get up for something, I slap it back on the charger for a few minutes. And of course, the first place it goes when I'm finished playing (or if I'm watching Netflix) is back on the charger as well.

 

I do wish the wireless connectivity length was longer though. Some people say they can get 30 feet away in a completely different room, but I'll be lucky if the thing can get ten or fifteen feet away for me. I tried taking it to my room one time, but it disconnected immediately. Sometimes I will be playing sitting down on my couch, with one leg crossed over the other. If I have both arms resting on my legs and the controller sunken down a bit, slightly blocked from the console's view, it will occasionally lose the signal that way as well (my couch is five feet in front of the console).

[Karyyk]

I like it more than I ever thought I would. The only real complaints that I have are (as everyone else is mentioning) the battery life and the wireless range. As far as it just being a "pure controller" though, I think Nintendo more or less nailed it. It's lighter than it looks, the layout is comfortable and I can't point to a single component that really just flat-out sucks (not even the D-Pad).

[Mendon]

According to several sources, including Endgadget, Nintendo is releasing a new battery for the Wii U gamepad in Japan this July. Nintendo says the new battery will give 5 - 8 hrs of play between charges. No word on a NA release.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/30/official-2550mah-wii-u-gamepad-battery-announced-in-japan-promi/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

 

I hate to rag on Nintendo as they have been taking quite a bit of flak for quite some time. But I have to say that one thing about Nintendo is becoming more & more consistent.... they have been releasing a new system and then they improve upon that system within a very short time that ends up costing me more money.

 

As examples.... the Wii was released and then a short time later they released Wii Motion Plus that improved the motion control. They released the 3DS and a short time later announced the 3DS XL which increased the size of the screen and improved upon battery life. They release the Wii U and a short time later release a better battery for it.

 

I'm all for improving my gaming experience but damn, Nintendo, can't you see needed these improvements to the systems while they are in product development AND THEN release the system???

 

Or on the other hand, maybe I should view it this way: I put up with the Red Ring of Death on several Xbox360's before MS released an improved system several years later that ended my ROD problem, so I guess I shouldn't complain that at least Nintendo is on the ball and quickly making system improvements based on consumer response.

[+wood_jl]

After criticizing it through pictures, I was suprised the big thing was as comfortable and light as it was. Never played one long enough to judge battery life, but hearing a better battery's coming can only be a good thing.

[Atariboy]

The battery will shock a few armchair experts that proclaimed all that extra space in the battery compartment that was obviously intended for a larger battery was just there to help keep the battery cool.

 

Edited May 31, 2013 by Atariboy

[Jinks]

The only cheap feel is if you shake it the ab xy buttons rattle. thats it.

[iswitt]

I am surprised at how comfortable it is. The battery life is kinda lame, but there is an outlet right next to my couch, so I can plug it in so it chargse while I play.

[Mendon]

I just bought a Nyko U Boost from Amazon for $15. This device supposedly doubles the battery life of the gamepad, but because there are NO instructions included with the device, I haven't determined whether it accomplishes this feat by actually operating the gamepad or simply charging the gamepad battery.

 

I haven't really been able to test the U Boost out yet in a long gaming session as I've been really busy the last few days. All I've done so far is attach it (very easy to do) and charge it up. I did notice a little bit of added weight to the pad with the device attached but don't believe that will be a problem.

 

Once I've tested it out more, I'll update this post. In the meantime, here is the Amazon ad for it:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Q5XGO2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&tag=atariage&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009Q5XGO2&linkCode=as2

[cimerians]

Like to see if the Nyko helps as I agree with all here that I just have it plugged in all the time.

[Algus]

Mendon, you will be my hero if you post a review once you've tried it out for awhile

[MagitekAngel]

As far as I know, Nyko is also releasing a replacement internal battery life that they claim doubles the Gamepad's life. Since most Nyko stuff for Nintendo is pretty good and undercuts the price of the Nintendo by ten to fifteen bucks, it might be a good investment,

[Algus]

I did love my PerfectShots on the original Wii. I haven't used a lot of other Nyko stuff. I still remember the fiasco over the "does it work or doesn't it" issue with the intercooler on launch 360s lol. I'll definitely be interested in any kind of extended battery though, officially licensed or not.

[Mendon]

I finally was able to get in some Wii U gaming last night and tested out the U-Boost... good and bad results.

 

I hadn't played or charged the gamepad in almost a week, so I sat down and played Lego City for about an hour when the red light lit up on the game pad, indicating low battery. I hit the U-Boost power button and the red light turned orange, indicating a charge was taking place. I paused the game and looked at the battery indicator on the gamepad and it showed the charge indicator symbol, not a charge level indicator.

 

I continued to play for between 45min to an hour more with no problems while the orange light remained lit on the gamepad. I then shut the system down for the night.

 

So, the good news is that I can say that the U-Boost does indeed increase your gameplay time between charges.

 

The bad news.... I did not like the added weight that the U-Boost adds to the gamepad. It was noticeable right away, since the unit weighs in at 6.6ounces, but wasn't too bothersome at first. But as game time played on, the added weight became more and more noticeable and by the time I shut down for the night, I was no longer as impressed as I had been.

 

The end result: the U-Boost does as advertised but you might find that the added weight offsets the ability to play longer gaming marathons.

 

I think I will stick with just plugging in the charge cable to the gamepad as needed while playing.

[cimerians]

Thanks for the review, I won't get it because I feel it's a little heavy to begin with.

[Jinks]

So you can bulk up playing nintendoland.