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WII U without gamepad?


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I've been thinking about getting used a Wii-U to be able to play the 1st party and exclusive games for the console. On Fleabay, the gamepad goes for as much as the console itsself. How feasible would it be to play games on the Wii-U either with just a classic controller or with an android tablet with a gamepad emulator installed? I know there are games that won't work without the gamepad emulated or otherwise, but they would also be the ones I am not interested in playing. I'd stick to Mario Kart, Zelda, Smash Bros. etc.

 

The gamepad was one of the reasons I wasn't interested in the Wii-U when it came out. I'm sure it has fans, but I'm not really big of Gimmicks. The original Wii had a gimmick controller, but at least they weren't expensive and using a Gamecube controller was almost always an option. I miss the days of the Gamecube and GBA - great consoles that differentiated themselves with great games that didn't need a crutch to lean on. Being comparable in power to the competition was nice too. Games made with the PS2 in mind could be ported without noticeable downgrades (or non at all).

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I personally wouldn't recommend it without the gamepad. And I don't know what prices you'll seeing, but on the off chance it's of any assistance, I saw refurbished systems for $175 on Nintendo.com a few days ago. Not a bad price for what should feel like a brand new system, sans original box.

 

Been a while now for me and perhaps OS revisions have changed it since I bought mine a year in, but I think it was heavily used when setting up the system. So that may pose a problem for you with just simple setup tasks like connecting to the internet the first time (For instance if you want to play New Super Mario Bros. U with a Pro Controller, you'll need the patch). If you have a buddy with a Wii U, you probably can work around this by borrowing a gamepad temporarily so that you can get things like resolution set to where you want it.

 

Also be aware that Breath of the Wild requires it from time to time. And if you're interested in Super Mario 3D World, that also sadly mandates it for a handful of levels. Either way, I imagine that you'll want a Wii U Pro Controller at the very least. Lots of games supported the Classic Controller, but a lot of good ones that didn't mandate the Wii U gamepad don't and only support the Wii U's own Pro Controller for an optional controller.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wii_U_games_that_use_the_Wii_U_Pro_Controller

 

That list, while incomplete and not always accurate (It is Wikipedia, after all), is a handy guide showing which games offer Pro Controller support and which of those also supported Wii Classic Controllers. For instance since you mention Zelda, it shows that Wind Waker HD has Classic Controller support while Twilight Princess HD doesn't.

Edited by Atariboy
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Thanks much for the info.

 

I could swing the $175, but given the option Having to Swing $80 would be even better :) . That why I was hoping that the Gamepad emulation in Android would be capable of acting as the gamepad. The other thing is that at $175 I'm really on the fence. Nintendo first party games are great, but other than that the Wii-U library is a rather

small one.

 

I guess I could try the gamepad emulation, and if that doesn't work well enough I could get a gamepad seperaetly

I personally wouldn't recommend it without the gamepad. And I don't know what prices you'll seeing, but on the off chance it's of any assistance, I saw refurbished systems for $175 on Nintendo.com a few days ago. Not a bad price for what should feel like a brand new system, sans original box.

 

Been a while now for me and perhaps OS revisions have changed it since I bought mine a year in, but I think it was heavily used when setting up the system. So that may pose a problem for you with just simple setup tasks like connecting to the internet the first time (For instance if you want to play New Super Mario Bros. U with a Pro Controller, you'll need the patch). If you have a buddy with a Wii U, you probably can work around this by borrowing a gamepad temporarily so that you can get things like resolution set to where you want it.

 

Also be aware that Breath of the Wild requires it from time to time. And if you're interested in Super Mario 3D World, that also sadly mandates it for a handful of levels. Either way, I imagine that you'll want a Wii U Pro Controller at the very least. Lots of games supported the Classic Controller, but a lot of good ones that didn't mandate the Wii U gamepad don't and only support the Wii U's own Pro Controller for an optional controller.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wii_U_games_that_use_the_Wii_U_Pro_Controller

 

That list, while incomplete and not always accurate (It is Wikipedia, after all), is a handy guide showing which games offer Pro Controller support and which of those also supported Wii Classic Controllers. For instance since you mention Zelda, it shows that Wind Waker HD has Classic Controller support while Twilight Princess HD doesn't.

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Some games will load and function without it, but many will not. Even if you focus on the games that don't need it, you are going to run into problems down the road with the games that do and you will have to shell out more cash for it. And who knows, by then standalone game pads might be more expensive than they are now. Simply put, buying a system without the game pad is just not smart.

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I've never tried one of those emulators, though, and all the articles on them seem to be from January of last year, when they seemed pretty rudimentary and difficult to get working right. I wonder if you can do initial setup with one or only use one after first using the official gamepad. It seems like kind of a gamble to spend $80 on a system and then find out it won't work, unless you're already mentally prepared to buy a gamepad separately if you find out you need to.

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