Wii U controller won’t be sold separately?

I'll have the tablet and you guys can have the Wiimotes

Ever since Nintendo demonstrated the Wii U controller in a multiplayer game questions have been surrounding it. The demonstration only showed local multiplayer with one person using the controller while the other players used Wii controllers. This seemed to suggest that only one person in a multiplayer game would be using the Wii U’s new controller.

It now seems that this has been confirmed. According to CVG, they asked a Nintendo spokesperson about the price of the Wii U and the controller the spokesperson had this to say: “”Both the controller and the console will be sold as one unit. You won’t be able to buy the controller alone.”

The Nintendo representative also went on to say that multi-player games for the Wii U were being designed with the idea of one person using the Wii U tablet controller while the others used Wiimotes.

There is a chance that the Nintendo rep was mistaken or that Nintendo might allow for more than one tablet in the future but if not, what do you think of the idea of only one tablet for multi-player games?

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Comments, Reactions, and General Hooliganism

  1. Daimyo Nintendo

    I am thinking this might be a big mistake, to have to use the Wii remotes for this new console is a bit of a buzz kill. Wii U should be able to hook up four of these new controllers.

  2. wiiu? hell yeah i wiill

    1 per console then upto 4 wiimotes and all other controllers classic/balance boards etc

    utablet is not replacing the pointer and wm+ IT CANNOT DO THAT

    • FL767

      Only allowing one player to use the tablet would be a horrible idea, you do realize. There are so many windows opened when each player has his/her own personal screen and then share one. The fact the the wiimote is still here period is because it is required for backwards compatibility and they decided they may as well use it while they’re at it. While we, rather ominously, might i add, have no proof that more than one player can have use the new controller, it is the new controller and the wiimote is just tagging along.

  3. Well then… how would a multi-player shooter game work? You would need the two tablets at least. Let’s be real, hardcore gamers aren’t going to want to use the wiimote even though it’s HD. It would be a huge fail if you cannot purchase the controller as a stand alone. Besides… what if you break it??

  4. blah

    Exactly, this is obviously BS. One would need more than one controller simply if they break the one they have. Surely Nintendo doesn’t expect you to buy a WHOLE OTHER CONSOLE if you break just the controller. That makes 0 sense. I’m sure the guy just messed up.

  5. George Tirebiter

    I heard differently yesterday about this system supporting 5 players. Maybe that’s just the 4 Wiimotes and the Wii U controller, but maybe it’s better than that.

  6. rewkol

    Well when you think about it these controllers will cost a hefty sum and the wiimote or wiimote plus is pretty virsatile. Anyways Nintendo will probably be nice and replace the controller for free(or for a fee)

  7. Limelight788

    That is quite possibly the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard from a Nintendo’s console. There’s no justification for just one Wii-U controller at a time. With this move, Nintendo is destroying local multi-player and along with it, a major reason why people buy their product.

    While this doesn’t necessarily turn me away from the system as it still is going to have Smash 4, this is a huge slap in the face to all who have grew up with local multi-player games. Going online should not have an impact on local multi-player games.

  8. Wertville

    I honestly believe that that’s one of the reasons they decided to show the console 1+ years early… To see peoples reactions. Now, let me ask you… Would you be willing to pay an extra $100 for the processing power to run 5 screens? How bought $150-200 for 3 extra controllers?

    • Dan

      “Would you be willing to pay an extra $100 for the processing power to run 5 screens?”
      Perhaps not 5, but the Wii U ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to be able 2-4 new controllers for multiplayer experiences.
      If not, robust online multiplayer would be a good compromise…

  9. What happens if your controller breaks and you need a new one? I believe that person must be mistaken.

  10. wiiu? hell yeah i wiill

    think as in social living room games 1 is host or banker (think manopally) then 4 players makes 5

    in split screen online cod instead of two on the tv 1 guy can twin stick on utablet whilst 1 or more wii remote or classic pad on the tv

    mario kart one guy classic pads or wm+ motion stears on the tv other guf motion stears or sticks on utablet

    its not about loads of utablets its about NEXT GEN WII PLUS THE UTABLET

    WM+ mouse pointer and nunchuck is still a main controller

    wiiu tablet acts as a hub a do it all wirless extra to the console

  11. Dan

    Only 1 new controller is a a HUUUUGE mistake. Not enough power? ADD MORE! Come-on, Nintendo! Take a profit hit at first if you need to! You can’t be so rigid on such policies if it means you need to compromise the system so much!

  12. wiiu?...hell yeah i wiill...

    1 utablet and 4 wii remote plus with whatever plugged into them = 5 controllers at any one time plus 3DS conectivity so your point is what

    supporting more than 1 utablet will happen it just isnt reqiured and running high tech engines with 5 view points at the same time would take 4 wiius

  13. Andodel

    I’m restating this from the previous blog post.
    How are they putting local MP aside? I think it was a bright idea to allow Wii controllers to be used, instead of having to pay 100s of dollars for those tablet controllers that are probably unnecessary for local play. I think it was a smart move, but all the PS360 fanboy’s are spreading rumors about how horrible it is.
    At the same time, I’m sure you will be able to use more than one. The only thing I can see holding the idea back is the console itself. Look at how sophisticated the controller is, and then realize that the console has to stream all of that information to it. Apparently, it’s almost instant, but with 3 other controllers, I can easily see it causing lag which nobody wants. In the end, there is no real need to have up to 4 of these due to price and strain on the console itself.

  14. Andodel

    Sorry to double post, but I’d like to point out that even with some really advanced hardware, I guarantee it would still lag. Also, this would jack up the price a lot, which is not good. People are already complaining about the price, just imagine how much it would cost for 4 utablets as well as a system with top notch specs that are basically unnecessary. You can’t have both amazing specs and a good price, I wish people would either make a decision or shut up.

  15. Biohazard

    I really don’t know what to say, but we’ll probably have to deal with it. The console would need large amounts of processing power to get all the tablets working together at once. Sacrificing profits for more processing power would not be a wise business decision, Dan. You may be content with Nintendo losing more profits, but they can’t because they have far more to lose than you as a consumer. I wish there is a silver lining and that Nintendo may find some solution in the future like they did with MotionPlus, but all I have to say is that at least local, offline multiplayer is STILL possible. It is just that you and your friends will get into arguments over who gets to hold and use the tablet controller. We’ve put up with the Wii’s glaring limitations in its early life.

  16. RockD79

    Im really not too concerned about this right now. Mostly everyone including reps are kept in the dark until its necessary for execs to share their plans. Limiting one Wii U controller per console sounds silly anyways. As far as streaming the TV screen its likely it can only handle one but streaming a screen with menus, items those such things I dont see why it wouldnt handle another controller at the same time. I think for that purpose its almost necessary.

  17. “People are already complaining about the price, just imagine how much it would cost for 4 utablets as well as a system with top notch specs that are basically unnecessary. You can’t have both amazing specs and a good price, I wish people would either make a decision or shut up.”

    Nintendo has not announce the offical price of any of the Wii U products. Sure, in theory 4 tablets + this new console sounds like it SHOULD be ridiculously expensive, but, we don’t know what’s inside these damn pieces of hardware. Nintendo may price this all a lot lower than we may think when it comes out in a YEAR.

    I have a feeling that the final hardware pieces will be slightly altered in their design. After having hundreds of people play around with it at E3, plus the subsequent gaming conferences, Nintendo has endless (free) Quality Assurance testing.

    This is all very preliminary. I’m not TOO impressed yet. BUT, I can’t wait to how this thing will work when I pull mine out of its box. 🙂

    • Biohazard

      Even if they didn’t announce it, they are still worried that the price would go over $350.

  18. game queen

    x360/ps3 fans spreading lies how horrable utablet is

    funny thatbthey called the w9rlds only 1mm precision mouse pointer a wii remote horrable for fps HOW IS A MOUSE HORRIBLE FOR FPS that lie has been milked for 5 freaking years

    the must uncomfortable controller on this planet = DUALSHOCK and its analogs STINK

    theres even high end gaming sites with real journalists REPORTING UTABLET HAS REPLACED WII REMOTE AND NOW WE CAN FPS WITH TWIN STICKS AND COUGH NOT THAT CRAPPY WII REMOTE

    its called fanboys abusing there power 90% of gaming writers out there become games industry jurnos out of faning a company then report biased

    that has been true all wiis life

    HARDLY-CORES wii remote is a lag free 1mm precision easy to use tv MOUSE

    mouse = core gaming and wiiu will support WM+ FPS CONTROLS

    the pointer has not been replaced by a second analog stick SO WHY MAKE BS UP

    and ill ad to that utablet has a mouse too A FRIGGING TOUCHSCREEN

  19. bnob

    It doesn’t matter because most people play multiplayer online anyway.

  20. That is bad, what if I smash my controller, I don’t believe this news.

  21. SteveDOF

    I’m sure Nintendo have thought long and hard about this. Perhaps they are gauging reaction and might change things in the future?

    Certainly using multiple controllers to display fairly static map or inventory screens, little more than jpeg images, would need much less power, possibly even allowing for the touch-screen to display custom controls. It might even be able to handle low res in-game displays, al la split-screen action, to be streamed to multiple controllers.

    Nintendo will have considered all of these options, but we will have to wait and see. They do tend to keep things close to their chest…

    As for trolling fanboys, they are twits. They were actually complaining that the game-trailers, which we now know were from Xbox and PS3, were “crap graphics and not a patch on the Xbox or PS3”.

  22. Epic Kirby

    I’m not sure what to make of this, it sort of throws the whole Legend of Zelda four swords thing out of the window.

  23. Josh

    D’ya think you’ll be able to buy these controllers without the screens, like a Gamecube controller… -.-

  24. zx81

    YES THERE CALLED CLASSIC PRO PADS they already exist for wii