At first glance, it may not look any different, but in fact, the new Wii U tablet has received a facelift.
Thanks to the digital world we live in and the age where we can post pictures of anything that excites us at a moments notice, gamers got a look at a new build of the future Nintendo controller. Whoops.
This photo of the newly redesigned Wii U tablet comes courtesy of a quality assurance tester from Traveller’s Tales Games who Tweeted out the image. The photo and tweet have since been taken down of course.
Since the Wii U’s first appearance at E3 2011, there haven’t been too many fresh details on the hardware itself floating around. The thumbsticks have changed from 3DS-looking pads to Wii-like joysticks. No longer will the plus and minus buttons be located at the bottom – they can now be found on the right hand side of the device. There are also the additions of two unidentifiable square markings – which could be buttons – though there are no clear signs or other information to corroborate that assertion. From this angle, it is hard to tell whether or not the bumpers on the top have been changed or even removed.
In addition, as a commenter on Joystiq, points out, it’s possible that the Home button is now surrounded by a light source – similar to the Xbox 360 controller (which also indicates the number of the controller).
Click the image below to get a full sized comparison view of the new and old Wii U controllers:
We’re all doing a lot of speculating about the Wii U controller’s abilities – since Nintendo has been tightlipped with official details. Will we be able to use one tablet at a time or two? What kind of features will be available? We had our first hands-on preview at last year’s E3 but, given that an entire year has passed, it’s likely Nintendo will announce new features and capabilities. Hopefully, following a rumor that the tablet wasn’t working as expected, Nintendo has fixed all of the kinks before its big presentation this year.
We are expecting a lot of answers at this year’s E3, especially the device’s price point and what third party developers have jumped on-board - aside from Ubisoft.
Look forward to the Wii U’s release this holiday season and stay tuned to Game Rant this E3 2012 as we dig up all of the answers to your questions!
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Follow me on Twitter @TyRawrrnosaurus
Source: Joystiq
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Am I the only one thinking about how much fun I had with Mario Paint?
I still think this thing looks huge and annoying.
I agree. This is a very neat idea, but the controller looks too bulky to fit comfortably in my hands for hours at a time. They could do a lot with their games to make this technology a hit, but it’s Nintendo. When the revolutionary Wii came out, instead of taking advantage of being the only system with motion controls and moving things towards a more interactive future for gaming, they released exercise and dancing games. I can only imagine how many drawing games there will be on the Wii U.
When will people listen. People who were at E3 last years said it was surprisingly comfortable to hold the controller.
Comfortable or not, I shouldn’t have to release either of my hands off the controller in order to access another part of the controller. Nintendo made this mistake before with the N64, making the left half of the controller almost useless. It changes the flow of gameplay and slows it down quite a bit when you have to go from holding a controller and looking at a tv to reacting with a tablet. Your eyes have to adjust to a closer screen, you have to lift your hand and figure out what you’re supposed to do on the touch screen, all the while, in the game, you could be getting chased by someone, and while you’re adjusting to using the screen, you could be getting killed or captured by whoever’s chasing you.
Not to mention the more clumsy groups of gamers who threw their Wiimotes across the room, some of which shattered their tvs. If someone got so into a game on Wi-U, they would be holding a rather large controller with only their left hand while using their right hand to do whatever on the screen, is there not a good chance that they could wind up dropping and breaking the controller? I’m not saying this will be an issue with everyone, but I think Nintendo should take it into consideration, because it most likely won’t be uncommon to hear that someone dropped their Wii-U tablet.
I see what you’re saying and I understand, but that has nothing to do with what either of us said. You mentioned comfort and I said people have claimed it was comfortable. And I’m sure you’ll get used to it, just like you do different controls for new games.
I think that the new tablet looks too big and bulky, the old was basically perfect.