You Can Use Your Old Nintendo Wii U GamePad With Your PC - Here's How

While the Switch 2 shows that Nintendo learned its lesson with the Wii U, the Wii U itself was a failure. 13.56 million Wii U units were sold throughout the console's lifetime. While that sounds like a lot, it's not. For context, the highest-selling Nintendo console — the Nintendo DS — sold over 154 million units. Although the Wii U didn't sell very well, it introduced an interesting concept that eventually led to the Switch, one of Nintendo's best-selling consoles and everything the Wii U should have been. 

The Wii U GamePad could be used as a regular controller, but it also displayed additional information, such as maps and inventory. So long as the console was powered on, you could play some games on the GamePad itself, allowing you to game without a TV. But with Wii U servers being shut down last year, it's likely many GamePads have simply been converted into expensive paperweights. If you have an old Wii U lying around and want to get some use out of it, there is a way to use it with a PC.

Getting the Wii U GamePad to work with your PC isn't hard. Here's how to do it:

1. Download the GamePad to PC Controller software and extract it to a directory on a local web server, such as XAMPP.
2. Open the file named index.html in a text editor. 
3. Change the IP address to your computer's IP address, which you can find by opening the command prompt, running the ipconfig command, and looking for the number beside the IPv4 Address. For example, it should look like this http://192.168.2.1:8080/nowjs/now.js — just replace the IP address with your computer's.
4. Open the file named regplugin.bat to finish installing the software. 
5. To use GamePad to PC, open the file named simpleserver.bat, visit the web server by typing http://192.168.2.1/wiiu/ in the Wii U's internet browser — again, replace that IP address with your computer's. 
6. On your PC's web browser, go to http://localhost/wiiu/pc.html to configure the buttons on the controller. You can also follow the instructions in this video to get a better idea of how to configure the GamePad.

Now, you should be able to use the controller when playing games.

Unfortunately, converting your GamePad to a PC controller doesn't make use of the motion controls, camera, NFC touchpoint, or any of the other unique Wii U features. All you get is a basic controller to use on your PC. That's still better than having a dead console that doesn't do anything. You can use the Wii U GamePad to play emulated games and PC titles like "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive."

The Wii U GamePad is probably not the best controller for PC gaming. However, there's something about using such a quirky controller. Whether it's the nostalgia factor or just the fact that you can resurrect a dead console, configuring the Wii U GamePad for PC is a fun and relatively easy project. With so many electronic gadgets becoming obsolete after the manufacturer stops pushing updates, it's always great when you can extend a device's life and save it from ending up in a landfill. It's also nice that you can utilize controllers from other consoles for multiple purposes. For instance, if you have a PlayStation 5, you can also use the PS5 controller with your Windows PC.