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snowkatt: since this has not been awnsered
the wii U NEEDS the gamepad

there is no way aroudn this it expect the gamepad to be there and you will need it to set the machine up or the navigate its menu's
you can switch to the pro controller or the cube controller once in game but for everything else you NEED the gamepad controller

also you can NOT buy the gamepad controller seperate from nintendo
you might be able to buy a used gamepad but you might as well buy a complete set and get it over with
Are there plans for a firmware update for the Wii U so it is fully usable without the gamepad?
You'll need a Gamepad because Nintendo never bothered to patch in other control options for menu functions and setup.
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snowkatt: since this has not been awnsered
the wii U NEEDS the gamepad

there is no way aroudn this it expect the gamepad to be there and you will need it to set the machine up or the navigate its menu's
you can switch to the pro controller or the cube controller once in game but for everything else you NEED the gamepad controller

also you can NOT buy the gamepad controller seperate from nintendo
you might be able to buy a used gamepad but you might as well buy a complete set and get it over with
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kassj0peja: Are there plans for a firmware update for the Wii U so it is fully usable without the gamepad?
As much as there are plans to further patch the Wii Firmware or DSi.
Post edited March 04, 2017 by Darvond
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kassj0peja: Are there plans for a firmware update for the Wii U so it is fully usable without the gamepad?
No.

It's not even possible to make it 'fully usable without the gamepad' without also patching all the games that don't fully work without the gamepad. They also stopped production already, so don't expect any major developments.
Make sure you get a working gamepad. Some games need the gamepad. It is usually the earlier games that make it a requirement, but you will need it for some of the best games on the system.

As rtcvb32 said about getting a Wii U and making sure it has five great games you will want to play, as an owner the system actually has a bunch of exclusive games that are excellent IMO across many genres.

My picks of the WiiU exclusives that are good to great.
Captain Toads Treasure Tracker
Bayonetta 2 (includes Bayonetta 1 also in the box)
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Super Mario Maker (requires gamepad)
Mario Kart 8
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (forces use of gamepad)
Super Smash Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii U
Super Luigi Wii U
Super Mario 3D World
Pikmin 3
Wonderful 101
Splatoon (requires gamepad)
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Yoshi's Wholly World
Lego City Undercover (requires gamepad)
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (requires gamepad)

I can't remember on some of the others. I know I play tropical freeze with the pro controller, but I use the gamepad a lot for the extra stuff/
I have a WiiU and even though it failed on sales it was a great experience i think it will have some cult following in the future.
I loved Mario 3D world, Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros U (some people doesn't like it, I on the contrary, think it 's great, it reminds me to Super Mario world somehow, best New Super Mario Bros by far), Pikmin 3, Yoshi's Woolly World (the artstyle is amazing) and Super Mario Maker
I also liked (but less) Smash Bros, Captain Toad (this game was great but had two main flaws, too short and too easy), Donkey Kong, Fast Racing Neo, the Wonderful 101 and both Bayonetta games

Not as great as the Dreamcast experience but I still don't regret buying it

I guess the new Zelda will be my last game for the console.
Post edited March 05, 2017 by tejozaszaszas
Just go with the WiiU emulator for PC called "CemU" its actually able to upscale the WiiU games to 4K making a WiiU purchase a stupid financial move. This option is off the table though if you have a toaster for a computer but if not a WiiU (easy to hack btw) is still a worth buying for the moment.

Edit: if your still unsure about getting a WiiU or not look here at the WiiU emulator from this guy (maybe check out his other vids)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKAEd0d0C2o

and a graphics comparison of Zelda Breath of the Wild on WiiU and the Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se-NEt1rxBc

Right now Zelda Breath of the Wild doesn't run on the WiiU emulator but it will, the team behind it are making improvements constantly so I'm sure it'll be running great AND at 4k resolution... which is something you can't get on the WiiU itself, oh and your able to get past the region locks for games as well
Post edited March 05, 2017 by Ogdin
IF you are looking for hardware emulation of wii/gamecube/wiiu games, you want to pickup a used 32 GB console with at least a 64 GB SD card and grab one of a handful of DS titles for haxchi (homebrew launcher from SD card). Then, spend money on the amiibos for BOTW. With the wiiu, if you got a gamecube controller & 2nd HDD (assume you got 1 for wiiu titles-if self powered, get a y-cable; same with 2nd HDD for wii titles; 2nd HDD must be FAT 32 format). for some games, the gamepad is a requirement.
I actually have 3 of the titles on majic's list in disc format. Others are installed to HDD. BOTW is the FINAL physcial release from Nintendo for the console. The problem with running BOTW emulated is you need a v17 patch just to play and v33 fixes problems with performance. Region locks are removed with mocha (or other) CFW which (unless you bought the DLC for BOTW, you need to keep game patched-although patches can be downloaded to PC via methods) should be applied to a console with updating blocked via a proxy.
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tejozaszaszas: I have a WiiU and even though it failed on sales it was a great experience i think it will have some cult following in the future.
I loved Mario 3D world, Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros U (some people doesn't like it, I on the contrary, think it 's great, it reminds me to Super Mario world somehow, best New Super Mario Bros by far), Pikmin 3, Yoshi's Woolly World (the artstyle is amazing) and Super Mario Maker
I also liked (but less) Smash Bros, Captain Toad (this game was great but had two main flaws, too short and too easy), Donkey Kong, Fast Racing Neo, the Wonderful 101 and both Bayonetta games

Not as great as the Dreamcast experience but I still don't regret buying it

I guess the new Zelda will be my last game for the console.
Pretty much this. I bought a Wii U close to launch - my first Nintendo home console (various handhelds obviously notwithstanding) - and despite the dearth of third-party support, I've never regretted buying it. Out of the entire stable of first-party titles, there were probably two or three turkeys - Super Mario Maker arguably being among them, but that's more due to creators overwhelmingly trying to be silly and game the system as opposed to creating levels that normal people would play. Beyond that, the only clear turkeys are Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Star Fox Zero.

If you don't yet have or don't at all plan to buy a Nintendo Switch, Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an absolutely sublime game. Based on my first 8-9 hours of gameplay, it does lean towards recent open world adventures such as Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy 15 in the way it approaches freedom, and is remarkably simplistic in terms of how it handles equipment and combat, but it makes up for it by being surprisingly hardcore in the underlying gameplay with very little handholding. The tutorial is fairly barebones, consisting essentially of briefly explaining stuff to you in text boxes, keeping you within the confines of the first region until you've collected all of the runes you need and gently teaching you how to use these runes. Once you've unlocked the rest of the world though, the world is literally your oyster, which includes having your ass handed to you on a plate if you get too adventurous in moving around. It's a wonderful swansong for the system and is something to play from Nintendo while I wait for some decent games to actually come out for the Switch.

As far as eliminating the use of the GamePad is concerned, well, as the system currently is designed, I find that it can largely be used using the Pro Controller and Classic Controller just fine. That being said, there are certain things that do inexplicably need the GamePad's screen, such as system settings. But as it stands, I can use the Pro Controller to switch on the console, launch a game and play it (provided that the game supports the Pro Controller) without ever taking the GamePad out of its dock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORJ40YhPww

so after a few days of release, Zelda Breath of the Wild can now be played on the lastest update for the WiiU emulator (CemU) visually with no flaws. The experience from what they said in the video and you can see how it plays via emulator footage that its not perfect but if your still holding out on getting a WiiU and wondering if you should get one consider that the WiiU is dead and there is only one game to get (guess which one) and its working on a emulator, question is if your computer can handle it is all.

but if you don't take my word for it then listen to this guy who is popular to make a judgement for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA8xrgLqQZ8