pwoodse: Nintendo Wii U GamePad vs. tablets / game controllers: fight!

The Nintendo Wii U GamePad -- aka "that tablet-looking controller from Nintendo" -- is a strange beast. Perhaps that 6.2-inch resistive screen out front made you think it's a tablet? It's not a tablet. Perhaps those dual analog sticks and slurry of buttons made you think it's a game controller? It's certainly not just a game controller. Of course, that's not stopping us from making both comparisons. Below you'll find a hybrid of our usual "fight!" structure, with one gallery dedicated to comparing the Wii U GamePad against its distant tablet-based cousins, and another comparing the GamePad to its controller side of the family. Wondering just what we think of the GamePad and Nintendo's new console? We'll have a full review of the Wii U -- and its bizarre hybrid controller -- early next week. We've got some early impressions of what's already impressed us, and an extra close look at the Wii U game discs as well, if you just can't wait.

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U GamePad vs iPad Mini / Kindle Fire HD: fight!