Wii U was originally planned to have analogue sticks

Wii U controller prototypeIt seems to be the case that analogue sticks, similar to the ones on the GameCube, had been planned for the Wii U controller. A pre-E3 version of the controller shows analogue sticks raised from the controller’s surface. This differs from the version we know of now, which has sliding circle pads similar to those found on the Nintendo 3DS.

There were a few other changes as well such as the relocation of buttons and the stylus. With E3 2012 still a few months away, we could see some more changes to the controller.

Are you happy Nintendo have changed the controller to circle pads or would you like them to revert to the original plan of analogue sticks?

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Comments, Reactions, and General Hooliganism

  1. Interesting.
    I always doubted that circle pads were the way to go. But since I have my 3DS I love them.

  2. GeneralCraezy

    I would have preffered analogue sticks…

    • man on fire 101

      HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE NEVER PLAYED/USED A WIIU CONTROLLER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???

      its this backwards mentality of so-called gamers that boils my blood its like the DUMMYS and there twin sticks beats wii remote at fps WITCH IS PHYSICALLY/ENGINEERING WISE IMPOSSIBLE a stick cannot match a mouse motion pointer to ever suggest it is total dumb!!!!!!!!!!

      right analog vs slide pad there’s no VS as both offer near identical function what MATTERS is how polished there are to use AND LAST TIME I CHECKED NINTENDOS ANALOGS DESTROY ALL COMPETITION SO ITS COMMON SENSE THAT THERE SLIDE PADS WILL ALSO COMMONSENSE BASED ON EVIDENCE COLLECTED AND PROCESSED = A COMMON SENSE ANSWER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      STOP COMPARING NINTENDOS SLDER TO SONYS THATS WHAT YOUR DOING

      just because sonys psp slider was crap doesnt mean nintendos will be COMMON FLAMING SENSE yet again

      now for a technical fact slide pads like the ones on 3DS and wiiu pad are much more mouse like than a stick a stick pivots at a center point that you move the stick from a bit like a stick in the mud that your pushing pulling to get out

      a slide pad under the thumb acts more like a mouse as its sliding around as if a mouse ball would or a THUMB NUB on a touch screen

      so TECHNICALLY THE WIIUS PAD IS FAR FAR BETTER FOR TWIN STICK FPS 3RD PERSON ETC for those not using a wii remote mouse pointer

      look at it this way wiiu has loads of fps choices

      1 wiiu pad with slide pads
      2 wiiu pad with slide pad and touch screen
      3wii remote and nunchuck
      4classic pad
      5zapper

      all 5 offer great fps choice etc SO WHOS THE CORE GAMING COMPANY HINT HINT KENECT LOL

    • BOB THE BUILDER

      Man why are you going crazy???!!! He’s not comparing two the PSP circle pad, he’s just preferring over circle pads.
      He’s not talking about FPS at all!!!
      And HE’S NOT SAYING SONEY’S ANALOG STICKS ARE BETTER.

      What if he likes the xbox 360 Analog sticks.

      All you should really say

      “I DISHAGREEEE WEN I PUT IT IN THE DRAWERER IT RUINSHH SHHEM SCHLIDER PADS ARE FFFLAT AND DON’T GET RUINED WEN I PUT SHHEM ON THE DRAWWERER

      HERP DERRRPSH”

    • Yo, man on fire 101, seems like every time I see you, you’re do that, man. You seriously need to cut that pugnacious mess out and chill out, brother. It ain’t that serious. And you’re not even on point.

    • Raven

      Man on fire 101, you sir, are an idiot.

  3. Wolf

    For the love of all that is holy, bring back the analogue sticks…

  4. Name*

    You’re forgetting something really important by not showing comparison pics: the new remote is much bigger than this one. The analog sticks would be very awkward on the current controller.

  5. Guy Guy

    As long as the Circle Pads do what they’re supposed to do and it feels right, I’m fine with how it is. Plus, My thumbs slip out of place a lot less on my 3DS circle pad, compared to other analog sticks (not to say that the Circle pads will be the same). We’ll see. Obviously, they made this decision for a reason and I don’t think crappy control playability has ever been Nintendo’s problem. They do quality.

    • cm93

      true dat 🙂
      they know what they’re doing 😀

  6. Tails the Foxhound

    They should include covers for the circle pads that add the extra height of control sticks for those that want it. I won’t need it though, I love circle pads.

  7. I have never used circle pads before, so I don’t know. Circle pads definitely look better, though…

  8. JD2995

    I don’t mind having circle pads on the wii u controller but i will like to have analog sticks instead of the circle pads. But well, both are good.

  9. Smurfman256

    GIMME STICKIES! GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!!!1!!!!!1!!!one!!

  10. RockD79

    Analog sticks. I’m hoping the negative feedback from E3 2011 will help bring them back.

    • WTF

      Negative? I’ve only seen positive feedback about the circle pads. You know, from people that actually tried the controller =P

  11. Johnny

    By the looks of things from this picture it originally had triggers similar to those found on PS3 controllers as opposed to the buttons on the Wii U controller we’ve all seen

  12. lookatme34

    Well, I’ve been looking at this for some time, and it is reasonable that nintendo adopted circle pads so that your fingaers are at the same level as the buttons and can easily reach the touchscreen. also, I have a 3DS, and the precision it gives is amazing, and also makes it really confortable and my thumb almost never slides off it.

  13. N_S

    I don’t like how circle pads are being treated as a type of analog stick. Much like how the D-Pad isn’t a type of analog stick or vice cersa, the circle pad is a completely new directional control system that arguably has more in common with a D-Pad than an analog stick. At the same time, though, one or the other always got preference on a controller, so could you imagine what a struggle it would be to try and balance three?

  14. LordFalcon

    Circle Pads for Wii U? Possibly. The pads might be an advantage design-wise, since the controller is flat. Either one would be good for me, though. Unfortunately, I was never able to get my hands on a 3DS to know how circle pads are like, but I seriously hope that they can last longer than the sticks, or it wouldn’t be a good option.

    Anyway, even if the Control Stick does not make it back to the controller, it won’t be entirely forgotten, because Wiimotes and Nunchuks can still be used. However, as a last resort, there could be both versions of the controller, but it’d either require Nintendo to make two versions of the Wii U and endanger the console itself to be out of stock or sell each controller separately.

  15. Jeff

    before i put my hands in a 3ds i tought “well, the slide pad cant be any worse than psp’s analogs”

    but now that i own a 3ds i know the truth… no analog stick can be better than nintendo’s slide pad

  16. william

    On this site they posted all the pictures showing the original version compared to the actual one!

    http://wiiu-spiele.com/original-wii-u-controller-design-gelaked-874/

  17. adam

    To be honest, I don’t mind either way. i think that they made the change to make it more comfortable on a big controller. Also these circle pads look to be thicker (and maybe higher quality) than the 3DS one, so I’m not worried.I really love the 3DS circle pad a lot more than I thought that I would.

    I just don’t know how the general public will like circle pads, or if they will even give them a chance.

  18. It’s 50/50. They both have their benefits and their disadvantages.

    Circle Pads don’t have that 3D sense that analog sticks have (especially for camera view control). They’d have to have stronger Circle Pads on the Wii U controller than the one on the Nintendo 3DS, however (and I heard that was the case).

    Analog sticks hurt my thumbs after a while from being at a higher position than the rest of my fingers. They’re also more prone to being the first things broken on the controller when dropped one good time.

    If they choose Circle Pads, I won’t complain. But if they’re still open to options, and I were able to suggest an idea to them, I would tell them to do something no one’s done before–make the analog controls height-adjustable, where while heightened, it acts as dual analog sticks, and while flattened, it acts as Circle Pads. So folks who’d want Circle Pads can have Circle Pads, and folks who want analog sticks can have analog sticks. And we could even have both if we wanted–one analog stick and one Circle Pad.

  19. Captainhowdy

    The circle pads look good. I just want to try it out, before I pass judgement.

  20. JustThatGuyBen

    I think that it would be so much better with analogue sticks and the Nintendo octagon around it for precision platforming