We already knew that the Wii U would only support a single tablet controller at any given time–we just didn't understand why. In an interview with Japanese site Diamond Online, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata explained the reasoning behind the Wii U's single controller support. As it turns out, it's not cheap to make the controllers, and it certainly wouldn't be cheap for us as consumers to buy them.
"There's a cost issue," explained Iwata. "Technically, it is possible for the Wii U to support multiple Wii U controllers. However, this will result in a considerable price increase. We're not planning on asking our customers to buy multiple Wii U controllers."
Iwata also mentioned that Nintendo may look into multiple controller support later on. This all seems a bit strange to me. Nintendo did a good job of promoting the Wii U's controller at their presser last week at E3, and a lot of the people who were sold on the device dug it because it offered a more streamlined button layout while still doing something unique with its 6.2 inch screen. By not letting multiple players use the new controller at once, it's almost like the huge controller reveal was just a big hook to evoke a reaction.
Gamers should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to purchase additional Wii U controllers. At the very least, I would like to be able to take my tablet controller to a buddy's house and use it for multiplayer games. This move by Nintendo certainly raises the question: how much do these damn things cost to manufacture?
