Gearbox president says GamePad is Nintendo’s “best controller”

Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford is excited with Nintendo’s new tablet-like game controller for their upcoming Wii successor, the Wii U.

The studio CEO and co-founder expressed his delight with the large controller (now known as the Wii U GamePad), as Gearbox are currently developing a special version of their upcoming shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines for the Wii U, which will take advantage of the controller’s unique features.

“When I play with the controller, I immediately realize that for the types of games I like to play and make, this is the best controller I’ve ever had from Nintendo,” Pitchford said.

For those who may not know, Nintendo just revealed their recently redesigned GamePad, which features a 6.2-inch touchscreen, which can either replicate or supplement the game on-screen. For example: players could use the touchscreen on the controller as an inventory, map of the level, or ammo amount, while having the main television or screen completely dedicated to the main elements of the game.

Pitchford also expressed how Gearbox are using the extra controller screen to their advantage.

“For Aliens: Colonial Marines, it’s really exciting to have that screen there because I can do things that are very unique to this universe. For instance, we have a motion tracker in this universe. Now our motion tracker can literally be in our hands and we can see and hear it – and scan the room in 360 degrees, since it’s a motion device.”

Gearbox’s core focus for E3 will lie on the shoulders of the forthcoming Aliens shooter, as well as Borderlands 2, and the studio boss is excited for the week to come.

“When you see both Borderlands 2 and Aliens: Colonial Marines at E3, you can tell how much we’ve leveled up as a studio – and all of that has been enabled by the success of Borderlands,” he said. “It’s really a nice time for us.”

Check out more on Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands 2, and keep an eye on MyGaming’s E3 coverage as it unfolds.