During development of the Wii console, video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto incorporated the functionality of mobile phones, controllers, and automotive navigation systems while designing the Wii Remote, eventually producing a prototype that resembled a cell phone.

[2] Nintendo's development team had determined that the Wii's notification light did not provide enough information to be useful beyond whether it had received content or not.

On May 19, 2012, a photograph of a near-final version of the controller was leaked on Twitter by an employee of TT Games, revealing a wider build with ergonomic grips, a redesigned button layout, and analog sticks instead of circle pads.

[9] On June 3, 2012, Nintendo officially unveiled the final version of the controller, named the "Wii U GamePad", in a video presentation preceding E3 2012.

[12][13] In 2013, hackers reverse engineered the Wii U GamePad, connecting it to a computer playing an emulated version of The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

[14] The GamePad's primary feature is its 6.2 in (16 cm), FWVGA (854x480), resistive touchscreen display, which can be controlled with either fingers or an included stylus.

[4] The GamePad also supports NFC, which allows developers to create figurines (such as Nintendo's Amiibo figures) or cards that can wirelessly interact with the controller, and allowed Japanese users to pay for software on the Nintendo eShop using prepaid FeliCa-based transit cards such as Suica.

[21] However, this feature was ultimately never supported by any official software, alongside an unused accessory port at the bottom of the unit.

Stephen Totilo, from Kotaku, praised the GamePad, stating he did not find the controller "too heavy" due to the inbuilt screen.

Andrew Hayward of TechRadar stated in his review "with the [GamePad's] brightness on max which we found essential for getting the best-quality play experience, we struggled to push past that three-hour mark."