Topic: Wii U Pro Controller Impressions

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

The new Wii U controller bears a very strong resemblance to the Classic Controller Pro.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/30454

Just prior to Ubisoft’s press conference, I had the opportunity to briefly get a close look at the Wii U Pro controller. In my hands, the controller felt almost exactly like a Classic Controller Pro. It had its predecessor's smooth plastic contours, along with a comfortable, light weight. The four trigger buttons on the controller’s rear appeared to have the same button placement as those on the Classic Controller Pro, and are still digital as opposed to analog.

One other interesting thing to note about the controller is the small battery indicator on its top. It certainly appears you will not have to be tethered to a Wii Remote and will be able to play games with complete wireless freedom. I’m looking forward to trying the controller with some actual games on the E3 show floor.

[supergtt]

no analog triggers? lame.

[Crimm]

BUT CLICK STICKS!

[tonoxtono]

With the analog sticks being up on the top of the controller did that make it uncomfortable having to reach down to get to the buttons below it?

[ShyGuy]

with the usb port, I can use this on my PC, right?

[broodwars]

Well, with no analog clicks I guess we can probably forget about having Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 - Rogue Leader on the Wii U Virtual Console, as it's one of the few GameCube titles that used the feature.

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

With the analog sticks being up on the top of the controller did that make it uncomfortable having to reach down to get to the buttons below it?

Without playing a game, I can't say if it will be a problem. We should have a better answer to your question tomorrow.

Also didn't check if connector is USB. If it is then I am sure someone will make drivers.

[Adrock]

Nintendo probably requested and received countless feedback on both the GamePad and Pro Controller. Judging by the changes made to the analog sticks, button placement (namely the offset buttons/D-Pad and relocated Start/Select), and grips, they've most likely listened to that feedback. Nintendo probably asked each and every one of those companies, "Do you really need analog shoulder buttons?" I'm not completely defending their absence. Parity is the obvious counterpoint (and even the Gamecube had them). Potential future use is another thus it's better to have than have not. However, it's not hard to see why analog shoulder buttons/triggers were deemed unnecessary. Just out of curiosity, were any games affected when Nintendo removed analog from L/R in the Classic Controller Pro?

I always liked the feel of the digital click and felt it went severely underused. Oh well. I'll miss it.

[Ignoramus]

The controller looks neat. I wonder if some games will allow the use of the controller and some won't like the Wii does with the Classic Controller.

[Kytim89]

Any chance of this being backwards compatible with Wii games? Could I use it on an actual Wii, or is it just locked to the Wii U? It is not a bad looking controller and I look forward to using one in the future.

[Adrock]

The controller looks neat. I wonder if some games will allow the use of the controller and some won't like the Wii does with the Classic Controller.

Probably depends on the developer and the game. The vast majority of games ported from PS3/360 will likely use the GamePad for sure because that's the console's bread and butter and the Pro Controller is a simple matter of mapping buttons so I'd think that would be supported as well.

[Sarail]

Well, with no analog clicks I guess we can probably forget about having Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 - Rogue Leader on the Wii U Virtual Console, as it's one of the few GameCube titles that used the feature.

Nah. You could just map the digital clicks of the 'Cube's L and R triggers to the digital click of the analog sticks on the Wii U.

[Oblivion]

I like digital clickers better than analog anyway.

[ThomasO]

I wonder how the lack of analog triggers will impact potential VC GCN games, such as Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine, that use them.

[Sarail]

Well, with no analog clicks I guess we can probably forget about having Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 - Rogue Leader on the Wii U Virtual Console, as it's one of the few GameCube titles that used the feature.

Nah. You could just map the digital clicks of the 'Cube's L and R triggers to the digital click of the analog sticks on the Wii U.

Holy... Does no one read my replies? o_O

[Pixelated Pixies]

I'm dissappointed to hear that it doesn't have analogue triggers. I'm also kind of dissappointed that it's apparantly as lightweight as the CCP, as I'd prefer a bit of heft to my controller. I'll withhold judgement though until I'm able to try it for myself.
 
One thing I'm still worried about (both for this controller and the Wii U Gamepad itself) is that there seems to be quite a distance between the left-hand edge of the controller and where the D-Pad is located. Just looking at where I might expect to place my hand on this controller and thinking about reaching for the D-Pad seems like it might be awkward. Can you confirm that this is not the case?

[Chozo Ghost]

I like digital clickers better than analog anyway.

That's what she said.

[S-U-P-E-R]

I need analog shoulder buttons for racing games!

[Adrock]

Nah. You could just map the digital clicks of the 'Cube's L and R triggers to the digital click of the analog sticks on the Wii U.

Holy... Does no one read my replies? o_O

I don't think it's that easy. They're auxiliary fictions of two different things. I found the digital click to be far more comfortable and intuitive to press than the analog stick click. The digital click wasn't used terribly often in games I owned on GameCube. However, for the purposes of this discussion, moving a function from something I find comfortable to something I find considerably less comfortable is a major step back.