Iwata suggests Wii U controllers will not be sold separately.
Saturo Iwata has suggested that players will only need one controller per system, and that Nintendo would need to "carefully consider" supplying additional controllers to buy separately.
The Nintendo CEO spoke to executives at E3, confirming that, for the time being at least Nintendo:
will focus on what we can do with a single controller new controller with the system.
Nintendo may look at multi-controller games in the future, but Iwata said the company would need to "carefully consider" if and how second controllers would be purchases, adding:
What I can say is that we are also thinking, as you imagined, that with one console you would get one of the new controllers as a complete set. As I am sure you can imagine, the cost of the new controller will exceed the cost of a standard controller up until now.
Regardless of the technical question as to whether or not we could do that [use two of the new controllers], for the time being, we will focus on what we can do with a single new controller with the system.
In the future, we may look at what other opportunities there are for gameplay and, how having two of those controllers might create fun or interesting new styles of play, but of course in doing that, it would require a consumer to purchase an additional controller.
Therefore, we would need to carefully consider how we could create such an experience and, potentially, how we could ensure that there would be enough value within that experience for the consumer to accept that cost and make that purchase.
Iwatas words echo those of Nintendo geniusm Shigeru Miyamoto, last week, when he revealed that Ninendo's basic premise was to use one controller per system.
If we got to an idea of having multiple [controllers] it might be just more convenient for people to use their Nintendo 3DS and have a way to connect that.
Seems odd that Nintendo is focusing on a single controller game system, with the Wii being a misnomer for "family fun" in recent years and getting everyone involved. However, a single controller doesn't necessarily mean no local multiplayer and I'm sure Nintendo will come up with some controller sharing ideas.
