Wii U controller has a DS-style touch screen

by JC Fletcher on Jun 7th 2011 8:05PM

While earlier dalliances with the Wii U's "WiiPad" controller didn't include touchscreen interaction, a hands-on session with the "Measure Up" tech demo told me all I needed to know about the touchscreen technology behind the device.

It has a stylus. A recess in the upper left of the unit hides a small, white, roughly DS Lite-size stylus. Interacting with it brings up the familiar feeling of poking at a DS screen. Much like the handheld's bottom screen, the Wii U touchscreen doesn't respond perfectly to tracing with a finger. And multitouch is right out. Touching two spots caused the line I was drawing to jump to a point between them, much like the DS.

That suggests that Nintendo opted for a cheaper resistive touchscreen, instead of a capacitive touchscreen like the iPhone uses.

Tags: e3-2011, nintendo, resistive-touchscreen, stylus, touchscreen, wii, wii-u

Reader Comments (122)

oh no nightmares of resistive touchscreen era is coming back. no more!

@DokiDokiBawanga

By the looks of that pictures, seems real functional and comfortable...

@_@

"instead of a capacitive touchscreen like the iPhone uses."

And pretty much every other touchscreen device available now...

@liquidsoap89
For better or worse? Just because Apple does it doesn't mean it works best for gaming. Writing/Typing is FAR superior on a resistive screen. Capacitive requires complex algorithms just to make it accurate enough to be usable.

@Emperor Monkey

Well I'm pretty sure "complex algorithms" are the norm nowadays for technology... It's definitely something Nintendo should have jumped on board for.

@Emperor Monkey

Cause writing and typing sure are things I play video games for.

@liquidsoap89 Thing is, if they put a multiouch on this thing, the price of a controller would be a lot higher than I assume it is already going to be.

@Emperor Monkey

I echo the sentiment that typing works amazingly well on iPhone. Typing this from an iPhone.

@The Cole Train

You're saying that to a guy that bought a launch 60 gig PS3... :D

The price isn't something that I (obviously speaking for myself here) will normally concern myself with.

@The Cole Train
It's already gonna be expensive, what'd be the hypothetical difference between a multitouch capacitive and a resistive screened Wii U controller?

@bonkbonks Multitouch costs more I assume.

@liquidsoap89

"complex algorithms"

LOL try telling that to SWIPE.

@The Cole Train
Yeah but would it be like, 10 bucks or something as high as 100 ?
I'm guessing it might have been enough that Nintendo decided that it wasn't such a good idea and that's why they went with resistive.
They'd surely have a reason.
But you never know, Nintendo does strange things sometimes.

@bonkbonks

You could look it up.

I doubt you have easy access to manufacturing cost comparisons of the two devices, so it may be tough. I'm not going to do your research for you, so I'm sorry I don't have a source here.

@liquidsoap89
Though it's cheaper than putting a capacitive stylus in every wiiu. Writing asian characters with your fingers is just not fun.

@liquidsoap89

i dont know why you got rated down for that.... i agree with you... price really doesnt matter, at least for me either.

Man some multitouch capacitive would have been really useful, I was already thinking up the possibilities.
What a disappointment.

no multi-touch? scratch what I said earlier about this being a Tablet.....smh.....they really know how to blow ones mind then piece it back together with staples laced with lemon juice and salt

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi

What the... how did you even begin to think of that?

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi

Dude don't worry, the Wii U+ will have multi-touch.

Well price is likely an issue with something like this, so this was expected for me. But it was nice to dream...

@DBuckEye

Price? The console uses 6 year old technology for its graphics, and they're scared of spending a little more for the touchscreen? Come on.
Its not like Nintendo is anywhere near bankruptcy after all.

@DjiegoMoz

You don't know what it uses for its graphics, kid.

@A Sandwich
Man that "kid" part really showed him!

@A Sandwich
While I agree with the intent of your statement. I felt the "kid' part at the end wasn't needed and made you come off rather rude.

@The Aquacharger

You're probably right. I apologize.

@A Sandwich
I understand reading all these posts everyone seems to be jumping around trying to slander Nintendo.

While I'm very much so excited for the console aswell I know people will sh!t on it because it's Nintendo.
However you say crap about the PS Vita and they'll attack you back pretty hard.

I say we should go enjoy our 3D trailers and Zelda DX.

@The Aquacharger

I don't slander Nintendo just because their Nintendo. I love Ninty, and I plan on buying a 3DS soon enough.

But you can't deny they have been pretty greedy ever since the Wii came rolling in. They now overprice every piece of hardware and justify it with overrated gimmicks.
A capacitive touchscreen would have been greatly welcomed, and it wouldn't pose much of a financial dificulty for them.
And as much as I love the 3DS, $250 is a joke. They slap that price tag using the 3D as an excuse.
Sorry Ninty, but screw you.
I love their games, but they are just getting too full of themselves with their hardware.

@DjiegoMoz Nintendo is "greedy" if you consider a company out to make a profit on a product instead of a loss as "greedy".

Pretty much every other piece of hardware out there for gaming is sold at a loss, with expectations to make it up from game and accessory sales.

A pretty clear example of this is the 3DS vs the Vita. Both devices cost consumers $249.99, however Nintendo is making a profit on their device, and Sony takes a loss, and it shows. The 3DS uses a small resistive screen (and a stylus) with a slightly larger regular display, while the PSV has both a huge capacitive multitouch and a capacitive touchpanel along the back.

Even if that weren't the case, the graphics capabilities of the devices shouldn't even be called into question. The 3DS is incapable of running something that looks like that Uncharted Vita title, even with the lower resolution display. Sony spent money there as well.

Not saying Nintendo doesn't make the most of what it has, but it should be pretty clear what the story is with the "Wii U" components.

@DjiegoMoz
Totally agreed. Ever since the Wii's success, Nintendo's hardware kept getting both more expensive and more shitty.

Who honestly expected an iphone style touchscreen? This is Nintendo we're dealing with.

Resistive definitely has its advantages, too.

For gaming especially, it's far more precise than the rough approximation of capacitive screens.

Stylus control means writing/drawing, where as capacitive is hopeless when it comes to doing that sort of activity well.

I think that resistive works better for gaming in those two ways, even if it's not as "sleek and sexy" as we've come to expect from our touchscreen devices.

@Emperor Monkey - There are capacitive stylus...'s (stilii?) that work pretty much as well as resistive ever did. There are plenty of videos on youtube of people painting/drawing/etc incredible works of art using only a stylus and an iPad.

There is no reason (other than cost) for them to go resistive.

@Emperor Monkey

Yeah, I would prefer resistive to capacitive. Much more precision. Multi-touch doesn't have what it takes for games. Plus, this will keep the cost lower.

@Emperor Monkey
It also means that people with prosthetic limbs could use it. Capacitive doesn't work for that.

@Emperor Monkey

I think optical would have been cheaper. But I would have preferred capacitive with an active digitizer, best of both worlds.

@Emperor Monkey Not trying to be rude but no way is resistive better for gaming. My iPad has been my primary gaming device for a few months and in no way could a resistive screen (like the one on my wife's dsi) do any of the gaming I've been doing.

Wii U will be great for odd Ninty games and core console games and such but it's touch being resistive is a huge fail as it can't get any games from the mobile space now. It would be embarrassing to try playing them on a res touchscreen.

@Emperor Monkey

I can see why they went for resistive. It's more durable than capacitive touchscreens in the long run, it's more accurate, and of course it's less hard on the budget.

@yomachaser
You don't need precision to shoot birds out of a sling shot. When your finger taps near a bird, the screen assumes you meant to tap the bird.

If I'm playing Starcraft, or any PC-style mouse-controlled game, however, being able to select individual units out of a group or change a lot of small settings (ala Diablo), there's no way I'd prefer capacitive. That's why iPhone games have HUGE buttons, and auto-correct functions for the keyboard, it's simply not precise enough for most real hardcore games, which is what Nintendo is trying to get back into, it would seem. Not to mention, as an artist, resistive beats capacitive for drawing any day of the week. Those are my thoughts, anyway. I think that people who like capacitive screens should just invest in an iPad.

@Timerider

Looks like Nintendo is going to corner the pirate demographic.

@yomachaser

"My iPad has been my primary gaming device for a few months...."

BLASPHEMY!!!

Lack of tactile feedback makes any touch screen less precise. Accuracy is another matter all together, although do you want to control a FPS or Mario with iPad controls? The Wii U's (resistive) touch screen is used to compliment the experience and by no means take over as the primary means of control (judging from the games mentioned).

Cheap...

@MLC When you want to buy 3 extras for playing at home, I would want it to be cheap. I'm not paying $800 for a system that solves the biggest problem of split-screen multiplayer.

@MowDownJoe

Hell to the no! They'd be lucky if I actually buy the system. We'll see how it turns out next year. Until then, I'm very content w/ what I currently own.

@MowDownJoe

You may end up paying that much anyway. Remember they didn't announce any pricing.

@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell

Oh man, this is exactly the kind of fear-mongering I employed with the PSV. Boy is my face red. I hope yours becomes equally red over this.

Here at Wii University, or Wii U, we've realized the DS is too mainstream. We removed the more useful screen, supersized the remaining screen and intergrated connectivity to the gooder system. All for the low low price of ¥XXX.XX ($XX.XX)

@PSN StaticShock
They didn't remove it... it's now your TV! This news reinforces what I already thought. They have taken the DS and essentially enlarged it. Obviously this will have more potential and possibilities though.

@PSN StaticShock And by X, we mean 9999. Grand total price: $99999999.99. Have fun with your Battlefield 3!

@evilName

Yeah, here's hoping we get some DS only sequels on the Wii U. I would love to play a larger and more expansive Canvas Curse on the TV.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Wii U controller has a DS-style touch screen

Reader Comments (122)

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:10PM DokiDokiBawanga said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:47PM SaltCube64 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:10PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:15PM Emperor Monkey said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:22PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:28PM Xcrucio said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:31PM The Cole Train said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:35PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:36PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:41PM bonkbonks said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:55PM The Cole Train said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:09PM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:16PM bonkbonks said

Posted: Jun 8th 2011 12:48AM RageOverdose said

Posted: Jun 8th 2011 1:49AM Einlander said

Posted: Jun 8th 2011 2:15AM KiraXD said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:11PM bonkbonks said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:12PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:28PM PSN StaticShock said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:40PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:12PM DBuckEye said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:29PM DjiegoMoz said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:31PM A Sandwich said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:45PM MrGreen said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:46PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:49PM A Sandwich said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:54PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:07PM DjiegoMoz said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 10:33PM onan said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 11:15PM Ericss said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:13PM pigon toucher said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:13PM Emperor Monkey said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:21PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:21PM ItsameMatt03 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:22PM Timerider said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:33PM Mr Hett said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:42PM yomachaser said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 9:45PM ColorblindMonk said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 10:10PM Emperor Monkey said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 11:14PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jun 8th 2011 5:15AM dragunrising said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:14PM MLC said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:18PM MowDownJoe said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:31PM MLC said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:37PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:52PM A Sandwich said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:14PM PSN StaticShock said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 8:18PM evilName said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 10:43PM Jetleo1 said

Posted: Jun 7th 2011 10:44PM Blackbird said

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