The Wii U generation had a lot of potential, but its lifespan was eventually shortened due to poor sales of the system. One thing that has never expanded is the ability to play with two gamepads at the same time, not just with a console – allowing players to be tied together to do something on a dual screen.
Although Nintendo acknowledged that this was possible, many wondered why this feature did not appear in the first place. In a recent interview with YouTube, Minimum MaximumAmy, Reggie Phils, former president of Nintendo of America, has clarified the matter. Yes really, Technical The gamepad can communicate with the Wii U, but other factors such as system installed base, age and lack of games or unique concepts for such features play a role. Here is the full exchange:
MinnMax: When you first launched the Wii U, you all asked: Can we use multiple Wii U gamepads? And it’s the end of being fun because the news just came out and you guys [Nintendo] Everyone said, “Yeah, yeah, sure you can, here we go.”
Reggae: Now the funny thing was that there was a full development plan for all the interesting interactions with the Wii U and all the interesting capabilities that the system could do and in that case could multiple gamepads communicate technically with the Wii U? The answer was yes, but the installed base was not large enough to make such an installation a success. More importantly, the company didn’t create a game where you needed another gamepad to get a great experience, and the development never lasted and the life of the Wii U became too short and it never happened. … To keep these initiatives alive (at least from a Nintendo perspective) there needs to be an app that powers the game, which lets the player see why you need a second gamepad, for example, and the process of creating that game. Just very critical.
So you go there, it comes down to low installed base and longevity as well as the normal case of a game need that uses the feature properly to support it. If you want to know more about Nintendo’s Wii U generation, Reggie’s new book offers more ideas:
Would you like to see this feature roll out? Did you support Nintendo during the Wii U generation? Please leave a comment below.
