The main issue with the Wii U's snazzy tablet-style controller is that it's an innovation that nobody really wanted or asked for. The idea of playing games on the tablet when a family member might be using the TV is very cool, but on the whole this is a device that completely alienates and confuses those casual audiences that Nintendo depends on. Marketing never really made it clear what the controller did, and next to the straight-up simplicity of the Wiimote, it seems like a step in the wrong direction. The Wii U's controller is also notoriously expensive to produce, and accounts for a large portion of the console's cost, yet wouldn't it have made more marketing and business sense to allow the Wii U to operate without this controller, and sell it separately? Granted, then casual gamers would probably see even less of a difference between it and the Wii, but at least cost would be less of a factor (and let's face it, it's usually the key factor).