With 167 mockups in our Project Cafe Controller Mock-up Archive, we were able to see a lot of different ideas on how Nintendo could implement a 6-odd-inch screen in a modern-style controller.  We went back and sifted through the mock-ups to come up with the Top 3 that ended up being the closest to what Nintendo revealed as the Wii U controller today and you can see them after the jump:

#3

With the very same button and camera configuration as the actual Wii U controller, but missing out on some of the bulk, colour, and styling, this Striim controller by bass6 creative (that was the 166th added to the archive) comes in third place (thanks to IGN for having the contest that spawned this controller):

#2

A clever amalgamation of 3DS and DSiXL aesthetics brought about our second place winner.  Coming most likely from the original NeoGAF thread of Wii 2 controller mockups this mockup (the 54th added to the archive) nails most of the button/circle pad placements, general form factor, and the inclusion of a built-in speaker while missing out on aspect ratio and the inclusion of a camera.  Looks-wise, this is the second closest mockup in the archive:

#1

The most accurate mockup of the Wii U controller was funnily enough one of the very first added to the archive (at #34) and also the one that was confirmed by many inside sources before the press conference to be the most similar to the final design of the controller.  Nailing general size, form factor, colour, and button/circle pad/camera placement, this mockup basically showed us all what the Wii U controller would look like before we even knew it ourselves:

 

 

The nearest mock-up from 4cr’s Wii controller mockup archive 5 years ago was this guy, and even then it only moderately looks like a nunchuck:

 

So, as a whole, the gaming community has become a lot better at predicting what controllers will likely look like, even when they’re out there like Nintendo’s ones, so we should all give ourselves a pat on the back and begin the arduous process of waiting for the Wii U to actually come out now.

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at 11:40 pm and is filed under E3, Wii U. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.