Over the last decade and a half, console manufacturers have realized the value in having a controller that feels natural to hold. The SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis controllers were easy enough to use, but when compared with something like the Dreamcast controller, or the 360 controller, there just wasn't a huge amount of comfort in there.
So it's understandable that some people see the Wii U gamepad as a step back. Sure, there's grips on the back with which to steady the controller, but that big screen on the front hardly seems like something that's going to allow the controller to match the shape of your hands. The easiest thing to do is to ask somebody that's actually held it, and Madden NFL 13 producer Yuri Bialoskursky got asked that very question this week.
“There’s definitely going to be a period of adjustment there. That’s all out of our control, but when we’ve been playing it all throughout development, it’s not uncomfortable at all. The way that it’s laid out, the final controller, is actually very comfortable, and the way that it’s all laid out with our features, is all done in a way that isn’t intrusive to the game.
"It’s all done in the flow and the context of how the plays are supposed to game and the game really flows. It works really well.”