Leaked image reveals Wii U controller redesign

Nintendo’s ongoing revisions to its upcoming Wii U hardware have been informally disclosed by a QA tester at UK development group Traveller’s Tales.

The image, which was posted on Twitter on Saturday and promptly deleted, shows several amendments made to the Wii U’s tablet-like controller.

In what appears to be in response to industry and market feedback, Nintendo has replaced the coin-shaped circle-pads with a more traditional and pronounced twin set of analogue sticks.

Other controller furniture has undergone a rearrangement, as shown in the comparison pictures below.

Press shot, June 2011

Leaked shot, May 2012

Traveller’s Tales, owned by Warner Bros Interactive, is believed to be building new content for Nintendo’s upcoming console. Developers and publishers have signed particularly thorough non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Nintendo, which the leaked image is thought to be in breach of.

The leaked image may not represent the final, commercial design of the pad.