I don't know about that. I think the asymmetric game play with the U Pad is one of the most encouraging features we've seen in gaming in a long time. I mean, frankly, Sony has essentially only tweaked their controller slightly here and there since the original Playstation. Yes some of the revisions have been fairly significant in terms of features but as a controller/input system it's essentially remained the same, the same button placement, the same feel, etc.
That can be a good thing, familiarity can make picking up and playing a game much easier - but I think it also leads to a staleness of experience. Nintendo has a CHANCE to offer something fundamentally different. I mean, the Wii was good because obviously motion gaming was a relatively unexplored concept, certainly on the scale Wii offered it. But still, the input was mostly going to be the same (and even in a game like Smash Bros Brawl where you could use different controllers you all had the same "goal" in mind and more or less the same idea of what your character was doing).
The Wii U is changing that. I thought the most impressive concept they showed off was the different modes where players with the Pad had COMPLETELY different objectives and perspectives and goals and controls than those with the Wii motes. I know there is a focus among gamers (that I share) of the desirability of getting more than one pad working with the console (really, it's the only realistic way Madden will be taken to the next level with Wii U without giving one player an unfair advantage over another) but I think that comes at the expense of talking about the importance of the different experience offered by Wii U.
Having players using totally different CONCEPTS in what they're doing on a system is a very new experience. Historically games have offered different experiences by allowing people to play the same game with different characters with variable abilities and that was great. But being able to play in a COMPLETELY different way that is not directly relatable to the way another player is playing is very different and I think, has the potential to be a HUGE concept.
