Wii U's Second Screen Once a Separate Entity

[Tom Goldman]

Wii U's Second Screen Once a Separate Entity

The second screen of the Wii U wasn't always embedded in the controller.

With the Wii U, Nintendo is putting a high quality screen in our console controllers for the first time. However, while Nintendo always envisioned the Wii's successor with a second, portable screen, it wasn't always embedded in the controller.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that the Wii U's second screen was once a totally separate device and not adorned with buttons and analog sticks. It was designed to be placed on a table, and was also much smaller.

With inspiration likely coming from the Nintendo DS (or Game Boy Advance to GameCube connectivity), Iwata said that Nintendo knew it wanted to add a second screen to its next console as far back as 2007. Take that THQ [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110970-THQ-Thought-of-Wii-U-Controller-18-Months-Ago]. The big question was how and where this screen would be implemented, as LCD costs were higher 4 years ago.

There was also a discussion about whether or not the second screen device should be able to function as its own system, or if it would only work in tandem with a console. Nintendo decided that it wanted to display the sharp graphics of a console unit on the second screen, and a battery wouldn't be able to keep up.

I think it was a good decision to put the second screen into the controller rather than having it be a totally separate entity. It would have been a major pain in the neck to repeatedly look from TV to table while playing a game.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35336/Iwata_Wii_U_Planning_Started_Immediately_After_Wii_Release.php]

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[gunner1905]

I think it was a good decision to put the second screen into the controller rather than having it be a totally separate entity. It would have been a major pain in the neck to repeatedly look from TV to table while playing a game.

Well, I don't play while looking at the controller. So...

 

[Catchy Slogan]

It's pain in the neck to look at 2 seperate screens that aren't right next to each other anyway.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

It's pain in the neck to look at 2 seperate screens that aren't right next to each other anyway.

Dreamcast did it!

I forgot about till yesterday

 

[Electrogecko]

It's pain in the neck to look at 2 seperate screens that aren't right next to each other anyway.

They are as next to each other as you hold your controller. Hell, they can even be on top of each other!

 

[JediMB]

This sounds a lot like an article that said the Wii U controller was originally going to be a self-contained system.

I wonder who made the correct interpretation of the original message.

 

[sephiroth1991]

If it was on a table it just sounds like its been moved closer and lower. Not much of a change but enough for it to be called innervation.

I think its strange to have screen in a controller, when I thought the point about playing a games was to forget you have the controller and simple perform the actions on screen without thinking to much.

 

[JediMB]

I think its strange to have screen in a controller, when I thought the point about playing a games was to forget you have the controller and simple perform the actions on screen without thinking to much.

Far from all games are about immersion, and plenty of games are all about thinking a lot.

 

[BrotherRool]

I'm still wondering if its going to be a pain now. No-one ever looks at their controller or even holds it anywhere near anything but peripheral vision. They've got a screen to watch.

But Nintendo aren't idiots, I trust them, they must have play tested this and seen that it works

 

[Shy_Guy]

I think we can get used to switching between screens. What I'm more concerned about is how painful that controller seems like it will be. I can't imagine playing on that for more than 10 minutes without my hands cramping up. Add some curves in there, Nintendo!

 

[Echo136]

The thing looks pretty stupid. But I said the same thing about the motion controllers and that did amazingly well