Wii U Pro Controller Announced: No Screen, for ‘Multiplatform’ Games
At its pre-E3 conference on the evening of Sunday, June 3, Nintendo unveiled a new controller alongside the details of its online system, the former called the "Wii U Pro Controller". The controller is being pitched as an accessory outside of first-party games.
The controller contrasts to the updated Wii U GamePad, which includes analog sticks but has multimedia services such as NFC and a touch screen. The Controller is sans those features, offering a more traditional experience for gamers.
"For those who are mainly interested in multiplatform games, with more traditional means of control, we will also offer the Wii U Pro Controller as a separate [play style], which is lighter and maybe more attractive for longer, more intense forms of gaming," Iwata said during the Nintendo Direct E3 2012 conference.
Its design resembles a hybrid of the Xbox 360 and Wii Classic Controller, offering two analog sticks at the top and the D-Pad and X-Y-A-B buttons below the left and right analog sticks respectively. Between the analog sticks is the Select, Home and Start Button and below is the Power button. Shoulder and trigger button are on the top and back respectively, though Nintendo didn't show the back of the controller.
At the Direct Conference, Nintendo also revealed the GamePad has been redesigned from the controller shown off at E3 2011 with analog sticks and a wider design. It also added NFC support, gyroscope and motion sensors, and TV remote functionality. The latter allowed users to type a channel number or access the TV guide. The analog sticks can be pushed in, and new handgrips are at the bottom of the device, while the button layout has been tweaked. Both the GamePad and Wii U console were shown in black and white color variants, with availability yet to be confirmed ahead of the June 5 conference.
Iwata didn't announce pricing or a release date, but it could be an optional accessory announced at Nintendo's E3 conference on June 5. Whether the device can be used with first-party titles remains to be seen.