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[Airan]

This really isn't that hard to solve conceptually. Detect if Gamepad is on. If not, allow user to press X to project Gamepad contents onto main TV as a sub window (you can already swap display contents in the main menu, with the Miis running around, so the basic code is already there).

PC users have been able to use mouse and kb UIs where UI elements respond to both so I don't see why this isn't possible from a technical standpoint.

 

[Kacho]

Being forced to use the gamepad for various things is very annoying. I despise the thing now and I'm sick and tired of the controller shuffle you have to do with Nintendo systems these days.

 

[Leafhopper]

I feel like Nintendo should let people use an inferior input method if they really want to... strikes me as a case of "we didn't think anyone would willingly choose to do this and now we haven't planned for it". I assume they didn't bother to implement an on-screen keyboard because they knew that every user would have a Gamepad.

To the distain of various people that probably is the case.

 

[Oreoleo]

It's absolutely required because the Wii U doesn't have any other form of text input designed in the UI.

This is interesting actually. I've only had the console a month so I'm not super familiar with the minutia of design like some others who've had it longer might be. Is there really no support using sticks/dpad for text entry in the OS menus (Obviously I think it's possible if built in to the game like eg entering a username in Smash Bros)?

That would certainly explain the pro controller limitation, though it's kind of an embarrassing oversight if true..

 

[Haunted]

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, this feature request ranks pretty low among things Nintendo needs to fix with the WiiU, but it's always good to collect all of these no matter how insignificant they are, in case Nintendo ever makes it down that list of possible improvements.

 

[Interceptor]

The reason is its 1000x easier to type with the gamepad.

The answer is right here.

__
Entering text via analog sticks is so last, last gen. Why did Sony and MS cheap out on hardware again? Can´t they compete with modern R&D anymore?

Spoiler

/s

 

[Zen_Arcade]

The answer is right here.

__
Entering text via analog sticks is so last, last gen. Why did Sony and MS cheap out on hardware again? Can´t they compete with modern R&D anymore?

Spoiler

/s

You can also use the DS4 to type by moving your controller around. It's not as good as a touch screen, but it's quicker then going back and forth with the analog sticks.

 

[……forgetit]

This really isn't that hard to solve conceptually. Detect if Gamepad is on. If not, allow user to press X to project Gamepad contents onto main TV as a sub window (you can already swap display contents in the main menu, with the Miis running around, so the basic code is already there).

PC users have been able to use mouse and kb UIs where UI elements respond to both so I don't see why this isn't possible from a technical standpoint.

It's not impossible, just hasn't been implemented. They're more than likely working on it, but it's probably low priority at this point.

 

[Condom]

Holy shit people. We need a sticky for things like this at this point.

Anytime you have to ask why you have to use the game pad to do something on Wii U it's because the system was built around it and it's the main controller.

And the Xbox One was built around the Kinect. Why can't Nintendo ever backpadel?

 

[……forgetit]

This is interesting actually. I've only had the console a month so I'm not super familiar with the minutia of design like some others who've had it longer might be. Is there really no support using sticks/dpad for text entry in the OS menus (Obviously I think it's possible if built in to the game like eg entering a username in Smash Bros)?

That would certainly explain the pro controller limitation, though it's kind of an embarrassing oversight if true..

This is pretty much the case, it was added in later I believe, but things are done in steps. They haven't gotten around to everything yet. Also if I remember correctly Smash bros uses a different digital keyboard entirely. Actually I'm going to go check if the actually OS keyboard has button support yet.

 

[Vanish]

Completely agree with the OP and part of the reason why I hate the Wii U. Nintendo makes great games but are still pretty awful when it comes to everything else. Why do certain parts of UI require the Wii U gamepad? I should be able to fully use the UI with whatever controller I want. Why does the gamepad have to remain on the entire time and waste battery when i'm playing a game with a completely different controller? So stupid and backwards.

 

[Tathanen]

It helps to understand Nintendo's thought process when they were designing the Wii U. Originally the GamePad was a second screen that sat by the TV. In their mind, it's an inexorable second screen that might as well be a part of the console. Wrapping a controller around it makes people think "oh just drop the screen and give me the controller" but in Nintendo's mind the screen is as fundamental a part of the console as the video-out ports.

Obviously it's inconvenient if your pad is in some way broken, but the "intended use case" for the Wii U is that you interact with the GamePad to boot the system, often via the quick launch menu, and to do system-level things like settings and shopping. Only when you boot a game that utilizes an alternative controller do they expect you to sit the pad back in its dock, and pick up that other controller.

There are plenty of annoying things here if you try to force the Wii U to operate like a different machine, but that's what Nintendo does these days. Their hardware is gonna be different to use somehow, and if you try to cram it into old (yet perhaps still reasonable) paradigms you're going to suffer.

 

[Oreoleo]

Why does the gamepad have to remain on the entire time and waste battery when i'm playing a game with a completely different controller? So stupid and backwards.

If you hit the home button on the gamepad you can go into controller settings and turn off the screen if you're using another controller. I wish you didn't have to turn it off manually every time but at least the option is there.

 

[Vanish]

If you hit the home button on the gamepad you can go into controller settings and turn off the screen if you're using another controller. I wish you didn't have to turn it off manually every time but at least the option is there.

Really? Haven't used the WIii U since December but I remember doing that and it wouldn't let me play the game again or leave the menu until I turned on the screen again. I was playing smash with the gamecube controller if it matters.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

If you hit the home button on the gamepad you can go into controller settings and turn off the screen if you're using another controller. I wish you didn't have to turn it off manually every time but at least the option is there.

Doesn't work on Smash Bros, because there's no way to back out of that menu with the Gamecube controller.

 

[jimi_dini]

Yes. Two sticks a dpad and a bunch of buttons, just like the gamepad. No screen? Hey that's what the TV is for. This is in comparison to aforementioned drums/guitars which are far, FAR less feature identical to standard PS3/360 controllers AND made by 3rd parties yet retain more utility than the pro controller.

But please keep being reductive and explain to me how a touch screen is absolutely required to input credit card info.

You said that the pro controller was feature identical to the gamepad. Which is simply not the case in all sorts of ways.

Motion controls are also not included in the pro controller. Camera is not included. Speakers are not included and so on and so on.

The Wii U gamepad is simply the PRIMARY controller of the Wii U console. Quite a few games require it, just like quite a few PS3 games require the Dualshock 3. Sometimes those games would be at least in theory playable using the pro controller. And quite a few simply wouldn't be playable at all because of the missing functionality. Next you are going to complain, that Nintendo doesn't offer support for drawing pictures for Miiverse using the Pro controller.

Nintendo already changed a lot of code so that the pro controller works for almost everything, but that's not simply pressing a switch. It takes time and money. It would also take time + money to for example patch Sniper Elite v2, so that it supports the pro controller.

You are always going for those guitars, why not take a look what Sony did with the DualShock 4 on PS3. It was and still is simply a mess. For some games it works. For other games it doesn't. Rumble doesn't work at all etc. For some games the DS4 even works for parts of the game and for others it doesn't.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

And the Xbox One was built around the Kinect. Why can't Nintendo ever backpadel?

If you want it to change then go to Twitter and complain about it like the people who hated Kinect did. But from the threads of GAF it seems that most people that own a Wii U don't care about this problem and it isn't big enough for Nintendo to warrant changing.

Microsoft didn't change the Kinect functionality for no reason. They had thousands of people complaining to them. This problem usually amounts to a couple pages on GAF and half the posts are usually something like "Yeah, it was a dumb choice but it's not a big enough of a deal to get mad over."

So to answer your question, Nintendo doesn't need to backpedal on this because there probably aren't enough people who see it as a problem for Nintendo to change anything. People on GAF act like your average consumer gets just as mad about these little things as people here do, when in reality I'd bet that a large portion of people who own a Wii U probably don't own anything but the game pad and some old Wiimotes anyway.

 

[Oreoleo]

It helps to understand Nintendo's thought process when they were designing the Wii U. Originally the GamePad was a second screen that sat by the TV. In their mind, it's an inexorable second screen that might as well be a part of the console. Wrapping a controller around it makes people think "oh just drop the screen and give me the controller" but in Nintendo's mind the screen is as fundamental a part of the console as the video-out ports.

Obviously it's inconvenient if your pad is in some way broken, but the "intended use case" for the Wii U is that you interact with the GamePad to boot the system, often via the quick launch menu, and to do system-level things like settings and shopping. Only when you boot a game that utilizes an alternative controller do they expect you to sit the pad back in its dock, and pick up that other controller.

And honestly, this is okay. If the pro controller had zero functionality outside of the games that used it, I wouldn't mind. Everyone would be on the same page. Quit the game, switch to gamepad. But they went and added half functionality to the OS UI for the pro controller, giving the illusion of full operability, so that when you inexplicably (from the user's viewpoint) run into one of these walls that sort of arbitrarily makes you use the gamepad instead of the pro controller.. well, it makes the user use words like 'inexplicable' and 'arbitrary' when referring to your console, which is never good.

 

[……forgetit]

And low and behold you can use the controller for some keyboard inputs, buy none that were actually there at launch from what I can see.

 

[Airan]

It helps to understand Nintendo's thought process when they were designing the Wii U. Originally the GamePad was a second screen that sat by the TV. In their mind, it's an inexorable second screen that might as well be a part of the console. Wrapping a controller around it makes people think "oh just drop the screen and give me the controller" but in Nintendo's mind the screen is as fundamental a part of the console as the video-out ports.

Obviously it's inconvenient if your pad is in some way broken, but the "intended use case" for the Wii U is that you interact with the GamePad to boot the system, often via the quick launch menu, and to do system-level things like settings and shopping. Only when you boot a game that utilizes an alternative controller do they expect you to sit the pad back in its dock, and pick up that other controller.

There are plenty of annoying things here if you try to force the Wii U to operate like a different machine, but that's what Nintendo does these days. Their hardware is gonna be different to use somehow, and if you try to cram it into old (yet perhaps still reasonable) paradigms you're going to suffer.

The issue in this particular case is that basic controls such as navigating the main menu or the eShop is completely possible via buttons. You see highlights over the element you're currently navigating to. Suddenly you're explicitly required to use touch input for one single, even critical ("hey Ninty I'm trying to throw you money but I can't!") function. Why couldn't they just add button controls to credit card input?

 

[Oreoleo]

You said that the pro controller was feature identical to the gamepad. Which is simply not the case in all sorts of ways.

Motion controls are also not included in the pro controller. Camera is not included. Speakers are not included and so on and so on.

Yeah man but none of that stuff is relevant to navigating UI, which is what this topic is about.

The Wii U gamepad is simply the PRIMARY controller of the Wii U console. Quite a few games require it, just like quite a few PS3 games require the Dualshock 3. Sometimes those games would be at least in theory playable using the pro controller. And quite a few simply wouldn't be playable at all because of the missing functionality. Next you are going to complain, that Nintendo doesn't offer support for drawing pictures for Miiverse using the Pro controller.

Again, this is about menu navigation and text input. You are talking about game functionality, or something like drawing that obviously is making unique use of the touchpad. No one is arguing against those usage cases so I'm not sure why you're pretending someone is.

You are always going for those guitars, why not take a look what Sony did with the DualShock 4 on PS3. It was and still is simply a mess. For some games it works. For other games it doesn't. Rumble doesn't work at all etc. For some games the DS4 even works for parts of the game and for others it doesn't.

Now you are talking about a controller being compatible with a completely different system than the one it was intended. The pro controller was made specifically for the WiiU, the DS4 was not made for the PS3. What is the comparison here?

----------------

Really? Haven't used the WIii U since December but I remember doing that and it wouldn't let me play the game again or leave the menu until I turned on the screen again. I was playing smash with the gamecube controller if it matters.

Doesn't work on Smash Bros, because there's no way to back out of that menu with the Gamecube controller.

My bad fellas, didn't realize that only worked with the pro controller.

 

[Condom]

If you want it to change then go to Twitter and complain about it like the people who hated Kinect did. But from the threads of GAF it seems that most people that own a Wii U don't care about this problem and it isn't big enough for Nintendo to warrant changing.

Microsoft didn't change the Kinect functionality for no reason. They had thousands of people complaining to them. This problem usually amounts to a couple pages on GAF and half the posts are usually something like "Yeah, it was a dumb choice but it's not a big enough of a deal to get mad over."

So to answer your question, Nintendo doesn't need to backpedal on this because there probably aren't enough people who see it as a problem for Nintendo to change anything. People on GAF act like your average consumer gets just as mad about these little things as people here do, when in reality I'd bet that a large portion of people who own a Wii U probably don't own anything but the game pad and some old Wiimotes anyway.

I think you're just blind and deaf, Wii U userbase doesn't consist of a majority of Nintendo fanboys. Sorry.
If it does then holy shit RIP WiiU.

 

[……forgetit]

And honestly, this is okay. If the pro controller had zero functionality outside of the games that used it, I wouldn't mind. Everyone would be on the same page. Quit the game, switch to gamepad. But they went and added half functionality to the OS UI for the pro controller, giving the illusion of full operability, so that when you inexplicably (from the user's viewpoint) run into one of these walls that sort of arbitrarily makes you use the gamepad instead of the pro controller.. well, it makes the user use words like 'inexplicable' and 'arbitrary' when referring to your console, which is never good.

It used to be like this and everyone complained about not being able to use pro controllers outside of the games that supported them. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

 

[jimi_dini]

And the Xbox One was built around the Kinect. Why can't Nintendo ever backpadel?

For Kinect that actually made sense. Because the damn overpriced thing simply does not work properly.

The gamepad however actually does work and delivers.

Removing the gamepad would remove the essential part of the Wii U. Miiverse would get extremely castrated by that. All sorts of games simply would not work on those new Wii Us, especially games that were built for the gamepad motion controls for example.

It would be like removing the Wiimote from the Wii.

Yeah man but none of that stuff is relevant to navigating UI, which is what this topic is about.

Doesn't change the fact that the pro controller is not feature identical to the Wii U gamepad.

Again, this is about menu navigation and text input. You are talking about game functionality, or something like drawing that obviously is making unique use of the touchpad. No one is arguing against those usage cases so I'm not sure why you're pretending someone is.

Some people ITT seem to really hate the gamepad and literally say that the Pro controller would be identical to the gamepad and that they want to use the pro controller for everything.

Now you are talking about a controller being compatible with a completely different system than the one it was intended. The pro controller was made specifically for the WiiU, the DS4 was not made for the PS3. What is the comparison here?

Sony made the DS4 compatible to the PS3, but in a really half-assed way. DS4 is a first party controller. Sony could have removed the support entirely, but instead they 100% half-assed it.

The DS4 was not made specifically for the PS3, but it's supposed to also work with the PS3. That's at least what Yoshida said:
https://twitter.com/yosp/status/393491091351015424

Now you are talking about a controller being compatible with a completely different system than the one it was intended. The pro controller was made specifically for the WiiU, the DS4 was not made for the PS3. What is the comparison here?

The Pro Controller is not the main controller for the Wii U. That's what the gamepad is for.
btw. the DS4 is also intended for the PS3. It's also intended for PC usage. Both of those were explicitly mentioned by Sony themselves.

 

[Stilton Disco]

can you go into more detail on this? I always see it brought up and I think the Wii U's OS is extremely intuitive to navigate. almost everything you could ever want to do on the console is a single tap away and easy to understand. in my experience the Wii U is the console that requires the least amount of inputs to get to where you want. occasionally there will be an extra input here or there to get into a folder or scroll to the next page but that's really it. want to use the internet browser? click the icon. want to play Smash? click the icon. Miiverse? click the icon. eshop? icon. daily log? icon. it doesn't get much more intuitive than that in my opinion.

It's mostly just niggling little annoyances and forced contrivances. Nothing awful, just a steady stream of exasperating little things. A few off the too of my head:

The intial set up was the worst. The constant need to switch back and forth between the TV and Gamepad for each step actually made me feel sick, the system never quite seeming to be sure what it wants you to be looking at, and that still extends out to the systems settings menu, which is bafflingly still Gamepad only inspite of it offering barely any actual options that might require multiple precise inputs.

Generally I've found there either tends to be too much overlap, with an unnesacary number of options on the pause menu, or too few such as with the visual/audio output options in the settings menu.

Everything's just slow and clunky, using the resistive touchscreen is just archaic feeling compared to any other modern capacitive touch for most tasks. Certainly compared to the phone I'm currently writing on, but the Vita has it beat hands down for ease of use. Scrolling around, clicking through preview screenshots on the store, or trying to do anything while multi tasking is generally a massive pain, having to use the touchscreen when a button press would be quicker is irritating, and it all just generally feels behind the times compared to the PS platforms, Windows, OSX, iOS and Android.

Launching stuff from the main menu, I will give you, is easy. It's once you've launched something that things go awry.

None of it makes me want to chuck the system in the bin, but quite honestly the PS3 and 360 have it beat as far as ease of use and user control go.

how much do you game per week man? you might have gotten a faulty Pro Controller unless you're gaming 40-80 hours per week.

Well, I have been playing a fuck ton of Hyrule Warriors lately, but yeah, thinking about it that's a serious underestimate. The Pro Control is just ace.

 

[Oreoleo]

It used to be like this and everyone complained about not being able to use pro controllers outside of the games that supported them. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

lol I had no idea. That's too bad.

 

[Condom]

For Kinect that actually made sense. Because the damn overpriced thing simply does not work properly.

The gamepad however actually does work and delivers.

Removing the gamepad would remove the essential part of the Wii U. Miiverse would get extremely castrated by that. All sorts of games simply would not work on those new Wii Us, especially games that were built for the gamepad motion controls for example.

It would be like removing the Wiimote from the Wii.

The thing is Microsoft offered options, Nintendo doesn't even know what that word means.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I think you're just blind and deaf, Wii U userbase doesn't consist of a majority of Nintendo fanboys. Sorry.
If it does then holy shit RIP WiiU.

Then please show me how the level of outrage about this issue matches the one caused by Kinect. Because you can't be naive enough to think Microsoft would have changed anything without pressure from the consumers.

If I'm blind and deaf, surely you have plenty of examples about how this issue reaches farther then a couple threads on message boards where no one does anything about trying to get Nintendo to change anything.

 

[Ingueferroque]

*shrugs*
They just didn't get around to it, I guess. They're probably busier working on stability than whether people don't want to/can't use their gamepads lol

Wow.

 

[onipex]

This really isn't that hard to solve conceptually. Detect if Gamepad is on. If not, allow user to press X to project Gamepad contents onto main TV as a sub window (you can already swap display contents in the main menu, with the Miis running around, so the basic code is already there).

PC users have been able to use mouse and kb UIs where UI elements respond to both so I don't see why this isn't possible from a technical standpoint.

Only the gamepad doesn't turn off.

 

[BratmanDu]

It helps to understand Nintendo's thought process when they were designing the Wii U. Originally the GamePad was a second screen that sat by the TV. In their mind, it's an inexorable second screen that might as well be a part of the console. Wrapping a controller around it makes people think "oh just drop the screen and give me the controller" but in Nintendo's mind the screen is as fundamental a part of the console as the video-out ports.

Obviously it's inconvenient if your pad is in some way broken, but the "intended use case" for the Wii U is that you interact with the GamePad to boot the system, often via the quick launch menu, and to do system-level things like settings and shopping. Only when you boot a game that utilizes an alternative controller do they expect you to sit the pad back in its dock, and pick up that other controller.

There are plenty of annoying things here if you try to force the Wii U to operate like a different machine, but that's what Nintendo does these days. Their hardware is gonna be different to use somehow, and if you try to cram it into old (yet perhaps still reasonable) paradigms you're going to suffer.

Really well put post. One of the main reasons I went for Wii U was for something different, and whilst many are trying to compare it with 360/one/ps3/4, you're right, it's a different kettle of fish altogether.

I see the gamepad as part of the OS, and part of the console. I don't see it as a kinnect type thing they can just remove.

I cannot stress enough how off-screen play has improved my gaming experience, it has made co-habiting with my girlfriend a very smooth transition from bachelor life, (going from a two tv living room to one!), I actually think I have more time for gaming these days, now that I don't need a tv for it!

I don't see the big deal with grabbing the gamepad and the pro controller - normally, the gamepad sits in it's charging cradle when not in use, with the pro beside it on the coffee table. If I'm having a gaming session, I'll just grab both to have in front of me, I'll start with using the gamepad to boot up - change tv input (if I'm using the tv), quick check of eshop/friends/miiverse, and if I have any eshop codes to enter I'll do that, then I'll grab the pro if it's a game that feels better with it.

I try to avoid using credit card to buy eshop credit (wish I could use paypal or other bank card), but if I was taking the time to enter that number, I'd have time to use the gamepad to do it, no big deal.

If the gamepad is broken, I'd get it fixed, as I'd have to get the xbox or ps fixed if a part of that system broke. If it was just the cable broken - I'd replace the cable.

I love the pro controller, but I don't expect to be using it for anything other than gaming. The system functions, eshopping, etc. would be pretty clunky without the gamepad, the way those things work, the information and button layout, they just work better with the pad screen.

I get the issue of the OP, and I don't think it would be crazy to allow those functions to be done without the gamepad, but the user interaction in doing those things would be a lesser experience, and probably something the developers don't want to cultivate. For example, using the gamepad to navigate the eshop is great and I like the interface of the eshop a lot, using the pro controller to navigate it, is a bad experience, it'd need a complete redesign to be easily useable with it, and the eshop would end up something like ps or ms storefronts.

 

[phanphare]

It's mostly just niggling little annoyances and forced contrivances. Nothing awful, just a steady stream of exasperating little things. A few off the too of my head:

The intial set up was the worst. The constant need to switch back and forth between the TV and Gamepad for each step actually made me feel sick, the system never quite seeming to be sure what it wants you to be looking at, and that still extends out to the systems settings menu, which is bafflingly still Gamepad only inspite of it offering barely any actual options that might require multiple precise inputs.

Generally I've found there either tends to be too much overlap, with an unnesacary number of options on the pause menu, or too few such as with the visual/audio output options in the settings menu.

Everything's just slow and clunky, using the resistive touchscreen is just archaic feeling compared to any other modern capacitive touch for most tasks. Certainly compared to the phone I'm currently writing on, but the Vita has it beat hands down for ease of use. Scrolling around, clicking through preview screenshots on the store, or trying to do anything while multi tasking is generally a massive pain, having to use the touchscreen when a button press would be quicker is irritating, and it all just generally feels behind the times compared to the PS platforms, Windows, OSX, iOS and Android.

Launching stuff from the main menu, I will give you, is easy. It's once you've launched something that things go awry.

None of it makes me want to chuck the system in the bin, but quite honestly the PS3 and 360 have it beat as far as ease of use and user control go.

hmm, I guess different strokes (pun) on the touch screen. I love the resistive screen. I use a capacitive screen all day with my Nexus 5 and I probably average, oh I don't know, like 10 miss-swipes a day. at least. honestly it's just taken for granted at this point that my phone isn't going to be 100% accurate all the time. the gamepad's screen is just so much more accurate and consistent it's not even close. you do have to get used to how to input with it though, but I've been used to that since the original DS so it was no problem. honestly the only down side to a resistive screen in my eyes is that it doesn't feel "premium" because it's not glass but that's a pretty trivial issue on my part.

that initial set up is a piece of shit though. that doesn't really have anything to do with navigating the OS in a day to day setting though but yeah, 2 hours of being annoyed once I brought the thing home.

Well, I have been playing a fuck ton of Hyrule Warriors lately, but yeah, thinking about it that's a serious underestimate. The Pro Control is just ace.

it is indeed. I officially retired my x360 pad for my PC because the Pro Controller just bitch slaps it in all the ways that matter to me (dpad, battery life, and digital triggers). I do prefer the weight of the x360 pad though. Pro Controller is a bit light for my tastes.

 

[Airan]

Only the gamepad doesn't turn off.

Unfortunately in the OP's instance he doesn't have a choice of whether to turn on or off the Gamepad. It's simply off. My solution would alleviate OP's problems and allow him to continue throwing money at Nintendo while his Gamepad gets fixed (or buys a new charger).

 

[jimi_dini]

The thing is Microsoft offered options, Nintendo doesn't even know what that word means.

Wut?
That's wrong on so many levels.

I can play Pikmin 3 with the gamepad. I can play it with my Wiimote (last gen controller support ftw). I can play it with the pro controller. And I can play it with Wiimote combined with gamepad.

Microsoft + Sony on the other hand - nope, you can't use your old controllers at all. You have to buy new ones.

In case of the Bone, there is no reason to not support the 360 controller except greed. And for the DS4, they could have supported it for games that don't require the gimmicky (and quite useless) touchpad feature.

 

[bart64]

Objection! How is OP able to get past the quick start menu without having a gamepad?

 

[EatMyFace]

Yeah I don't know why Nintendo forces people to use the Gamepad for the most trivial things. It's part of the reason why I returned mine.

 

[phanphare]

Objection! How is OP able to get past the quick start menu without having a gamepad?

if you turn the console on with the Pro Controller it just goes to the Wii U menu

 

[bart64]

if you turn the console on with the Pro Controller it just goes to the Wii U menu

Nice, didn't realize that. Anyway, I thought it went out of fashion already to nitpick gamepad implementation. The more I use it the more I love it, but I was kind of apprehensive for the first year or so, so I understand why nintendo feels compelled to shove it down our throats a bit.

 

[……forgetit]

The thing is Microsoft offered options, Nintendo doesn't even know what that word means.

I disagree, Nintendo knows what that word means too well.

 

[Interceptor]

Why do i need a keyboard to post on gaf? I have a mouse, no need for gimmicks.

 

[tronic307]

If you want to talk cumbersome, try entering text with the pro controller. Even the Wiimote is better for that purpose.

 

[Leafhopper]

Why do i need a keyboard to post on gaf? I have a mouse, no need for gimmicks.

More than 1 mouse button is a gimmick

Spoiler

lol.

 

[Azure Dream]

Why do i need a keyboard to post on gaf? I have a mouse, no need for gimmicks.

You don't. Open up CharMap and enjoy.

Oh, wait, you were trying to be funny.

 

[SmokyDave]

Why do i need a keyboard to post on gaf? I have a mouse, no need for gimmicks.

It is better to post using your mouse and let people think you are a fool than to type with your keyboard and remove all doubt.

 

[KarmaCow]

Why do i need a keyboard to post on gaf? I have a mouse, no need for gimmicks.

I've actually used the Windows onscreen keyboard to type out posts when I have my computer hooked up to my TV.

 

[Interceptor]

It is better to post using your mouse and let people think you are a fool than to type with your keyboard and remove all doubt.

At least i got called out by someone with experience on this topic. ^^

 

[Horsemama1956]

It is better to post using your mouse and let people think you are a fool than to type with your keyboard and remove all doubt.

Who cares if it's better. No one is saying using the gamepad to type is not the better way to do it, but there is no reason that it should be the only way. I hear the other consoles get along just fine with using a regular controller to type things in.

 

[SmokyDave]

Who cares if it's better. No one is saying using the gamepad to type is not the better way to do it, but there is no reason that it should be the only way. I hear the other consoles get along just fine with using a regular controller to type things in.

Mark my words, never the Twain shall meet.

Your controller and text input, that is. I'm not making any sly reference to my prior comment.

 

[Interceptor]

I've actually used the Windows onscreen keyboard to type out posts when I have my computer hooked up to my TV.

Nice. The more appropiate comparison for Nintendos OS would be a barebones BIOS from 1998.
Try changing anything without a keyboard. Understandable? Sure, they thought everyone has one hooked up. Still stupid? Yep.

Of course there should be more options. I just have to laugh at the people shitting on the gamepad because they heard its the cool thing to do.

 

[BlitzKeeg]

They didn't.

Nintendo realized really too late that someone may want to not use the GamePad; perhaps Wii U would be something completely different if they got it earlier. The other controllers were initially meant primarily for compatibility with Wii and multiplayer titles.

They have ended up throwing in basic functionality for other controllers where it was easiest to do later in OS history (basic eShop support? 5.1.0). But they have skipped the problematic parts so far. Yes, CC info screen is sort of problematic. It was programmed separately specifically with the idea of your CC number not showing on TV. This is not a priority for Nintendo to fix, honestly.

2 years down the road is more than enough time to change these things on a system level. Yes, Nintendo didn't plan on people not wanting to use the gamepad, but by that logic Microsoft didn't know people didn't want to use Kinect on the Xbone, yet you can still use a controller to navigate every part of that console. Maybe months after release this would be understandable, but with the WiiU and the pro controller both being 2 years old there's really no excuse