Regardless if you bought a Wii U or not, chances are you've already seen the GamePad controller the console comes with. While it's easy to dismiss that Nintendo just copied the iPad with the inclusion of its touch-screen interface, that doesn't seem to be the case…if Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata is to be believed.
In an interview with Japanes business publication Nikkei Shimbun, Iwata comments on accusations that Nintendo copied Apple's multi-million selling tablet. He even reveals that they've been talking about a second screen back in 2008.
We began talking about having another screen being a good idea around 2008. We thought thoroughly about our other options, but in the end, this was the idea which was the most logical for us. So, in 2009, just as we began to press forward with this idea, sure that we were on the right track, this thing called an 'Ipad' came into the world.
So, 2.5 years after the debut of the Ipad, when we were announcing the Wii U, it was the start of the tablet boom, the reaction was, 'Nintendo's just added a tablet to a game console, and there'll be no revolution this time.' Even though we'd been working on dual screens prior to the release of tablets, it looked like we were just following a trend.
While it's easy to think that Iwata is covering his company's tracks, you have to factor in that Nintendo is know for implementing ingenious ways to interact with videogames. From the N64's analog stick, to the Wii's motion-controls, they always seem to be one-step ahead of everyone else when it comes to videogame hardware ingenuity. So, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they indeed have an idea for a second screen well before the iPad struck gold.
Do you believe Iwata that they thought of something like this before the iPad was revealed or are they just trying to ride on the tablet's popularity?
Thanks, NeoGAF
