Wii U GamePad ‘Nintendo’s best ever controller’

Nintendo’s rebranded Wii U GamePad is the best controller the company has ever designed, the CEO of Gearbox has claimed.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Randy Pitchford said the pad was perfectly suited to the types of games he wanted to make, and opened up a stream of new possibilities.

He added that it was also well-suited to the studio’s upcoming title Aliens: Colonial Marines, and can act as a motion tracker whilst users walk around the game world.

"When I play with the controller, I immediately realise that for the types of games I like to play and make, this is the best controller I’ve ever had from Nintendo," said Pitchford.

"For Aliens: Colonial Marines, it’s really exciting to have that screen there because I can do things that are very unique to this universe. For instance, we have a motion tracker in this universe. Now our motion tracker can literally be in our hands and we can see and hear it –and scan the room in 360 degrees, since it’s a motion device."

Last night the console giant unveiled a tweaked version of its Wii U controller at pre-announcement conference at E3, renaming it the GamePad in an attempt to lessen the confusion over the console’s capabilities and the pad’s functions.

The controller now consists of two analogue sticks, rather than circular pads, which are also now clickable to add extra functionality, whilst it includes on-board infrared sensors and a touch screen.