The Nintendo NX controller

[Damien Lee]

We all know that Nintendo always likes to come up with unique controllers for their game systems. Every controller they've developed has been revolutionary and different to what the competition would offer. Perhaps their most orthodox controller was the GameCube's but it still had a unique button layout, and remains one of the most comfortable controllers ever made.

The Wii sold like hotcakes, pretty much on the basis of it's unique controller that finally got motion control right. Unfortunately the Wii U's GamePad has turned off a lot of people and may have aided in the systems less than stellar sales performance

Could Nintendo rectify this matter when they release the Nintendo NX?

What type of controller do you think Nintendo will come up with this time round?

 

[CemeteryGates23]

I've no idea. As you clearly remind us, Nintendo is very innovative in this area, and therefore unpredictable.
I'd like to add, however, that I was one of the skeptics when the GamePad was unveiled, and now I'm a huge fan of it. A tablet for a controller seemed gimmicky at best, but it's truly a magnificent controller, or at least I think so now. Even apart from the off-the-TV concept, it's very comfortable.
I wasn't one for motion-based gaming, so with that out the window, the Wii's Remote left a lot to be desired, so the GamePad definitely exceeded, by far, all my expectations.

I just hope I can say the same about the new controller and I'll be happy with that.
But then, on that same note, kudos to Nintendo for integrating the option for different controllers. It's one of my favorite things about them at the moment.

 

[Damien Lee]

@CemeteryGates23 Thanks for your feedback. I'm really glad to hear that you're a fan of the GamePad. Likewise I didn't warm up to it initially, I thought Nintendo was trying to cash in on the rising popularity of traditional tablets. It's also what caused me to hold back from purchasing a Wii U during launch. However, a friend of mine was an early adopter and I tried his out, I then realized what Nintendo was trying to do with this unique controller.

Hopefully Nintendo will blow us away with a controller that is different from the norm once again. The launch of the NX can't come soon enough.

 

[joshposh]

Nintendo is trying to fill a void, or their niche rather, that the 2 other competitors are not addressing. Sony and Microsoft are very similar in their approach in making consoles. Nintendo is thinking out of the box if you will. I thought the gamepad was a great addition but it may have fallen flat due to size and battery life. Or people just didn't find it appealing at all? Not sure what happened. But it will always come down to the games and the fun factor.

 

[JohnGrey]

Speaking for myself, and being ridiculously late to the party, I abhor the GamePad. It's truly the quintessence of the solution to a problem no one posed. Aside from the fact that, perhaps three games aside, it served no function whatsoever, the fit and finish of it were terrible. It was cumbersome and creaky, the battery life was abysmal, the glossy finish not only felt cheap but was impossible to keep clean, and the touchscreen was awful: a plastic, low-resolution, resistive panel was a cheap and totally unnecessary, but then that's the GamePad in a nutshell.

The NX needs to adopt the adage that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. Part of the success of the Wii was that the Wiimote, turned on its side, become a classic NES controller: D-Pad and two buttons. It's simple and there's no wonky control schemes to justify a ludicrous integrated hardware/software mentality. Just match the basic controller layout of the PS4 and XBOne, especially if you want even the possibility of major third-party support (Nintendo's continual hardware development of PPC architecture while both competitors have wisely adopted x86 is the more salient issue there but a separate one) and call it a day.