Wii U's "GamePad" Revealed
Iwata delivers the details via Nintendo Direct.
by Lucas M. Thomas
June 3, 2012
Yeah, that's definitely a match. Mr. Iwata thankfully didn't just hold the controller up for the camera, though, but went into detail regarding its final specifications.
First up, the controller has been given an official name. It's being referred to as the "Wii U GamePad."
Next, support for near-field communication is confirmed. As hinted at in Ubisoft's Rayman Legends trailer – which leaked to the Internet earlier this year – the controller will be able to interact with objects placed on its surface to activate a variety of in-game effects. (The square marking on the left side of the controller's surface indicates the placement spot, as many had guessed. Nintendo was quiet on specific examples of NFC, but that's probably just because the company doesn't want to reveal its software line-up until the Tuesday morning press event.
The other mysterious square, placed under the lower-right corner of the screen and sandwiched between the Power button and Battery light?
That's the TV Control button – which, again, is exactly what many people guessed it would be based on the leaked image. Pressing it will control the action of having your TV screen's image jump to the handheld screen for portable play, and vice versa. You can also use the GamePad as a remote control for your normal television viewing.
The analog control sticks are longer, now confirmed to be replacing the shorter, 3DS-style slider pads that the controller originally had in place when revealed at last year's E3. A new detail, though, is that the sticks are now clickable -- an extra button's hidden underneath each one.
The GamePad will also include gyro and motion sensors to pick up player movements.
We'll have more details as they become available, so stay tuned to IGN Wii U. E3 has begun!
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/03/wii-us-gamepad-revealed
