Image of New Wii U Controller Design Leaked by Game Tester

Game Rant

By GR Staff

Published May 21, 2012

Those looking forward to Nintendo's new Wii U can get their first glimpse at a redesigned controller that was leaked on Twitter. Altered button layouts and mysterious new functionalities lay in wait for further reveals.

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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Source: Joystiq