Pikmin 3 2.0.0 update adds GamePad and stylus control option

It's always been somewhat baffling that Pikmin 3 couldn't use their stylus and the GamePad touch screen to control their little helpers. That appears to have changed, thanks to a new 2.0.0 update that is now live, giving players the option to control their Pikmin with the Wii U GamePad and stylus.

9

It's always been somewhat baffling that Pikmin 3 couldn't use their stylus and the GamePad touch screen to control their little helpers. That appears to have changed, thanks to a new 2.0.0 update that is now live, giving players the option to control their Pikmin with the Wii U GamePad and stylus.

The change was first spotted by a Twitter user named James Scott (via NintendoEverything). The option allows players to control their Pikmin similar to the manner in which they do in the Nintendo Land Pikmin mini-game, dismissing followers and calling up characters at-will. Pikmin purists also have the option to retain their classic control style, if they so desire.

Conveniently, the update arrives in the wake of the recent Mario Kart 8 promotion that allows users to register their copy of the racer for a free downloadable game, with Pikmin 3 among the available selections.

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

From The Chatty
  • reply
    May 31, 2014 2:00 PM

    Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, Pikmin 3 2.0.0 update adds GamePad and stylus control option.

    It's always been somewhat baffling that Pikmin 3 couldn't use their stylus and the GamePad touch screen to control their little helpers. That appears to have changed, thanks to a new 2.0.0 update that is now live, giving players the option to control their Pikmin with the Wii U GamePad and stylus.

    • reply
      May 31, 2014 2:08 PM

      This sounds good. I've been meaning to pick up the game and this might just push me over the edge.

    • reply
      May 31, 2014 2:17 PM

      Good news. So Nintendo is definitely more open to patching now.

      Hopefully this means they might patch the 59fps issue with Mario Kart 8 at some point. That was a slight bummer after the flawless 60fps experience of 3D World

      • reply
        May 31, 2014 3:32 PM

        I can't even see the difference. It looks 60 to me.

        • reply
          May 31, 2014 3:35 PM

          Furthermore, it's 60 fps. This 59ish crap every few seconds, I think the one who claimed that had video recorded incorrectly. I see it in his video, but don't ever see that happening while actually playing it when my eyes are even more glued to the screen.

          • reply
            May 31, 2014 3:46 PM

            In an era of next gen games running at 30 FPS, I find a dip of a whopping one frame from 60 to be a bit petty.

          • reply
            May 31, 2014 4:18 PM

            I noticed it playing in a Gamestop. Digital Foundry confirmed it a few days ago.

            It's not a big deal though, just a minor annoyance to people like me who tweak the shit out of their PC settings to get a consistent framerate at the best settings. Like, .ini files and console commands and all that shit.

      • reply
        May 31, 2014 4:59 PM

        Are you for real?

        • reply
          May 31, 2014 5:16 PM

          Do you understand the difference between FPS and refresh rate?

          All game consoles output a 60hz video signal, so there are always 60 frames. Your FPS determines how many of those 60 frames are actually different images.

          So if you have a game running at 59 fps, that means one frame is displayed twice every second while 59 frames are displayed once. This creates what seems like a momentary freeze, also known as stuttering/hitching/judder.

          Like I said, not big deal coming from the PS3/360 era where games just had nasty framerates. That said, it's not as smooth as that rare game that IS consistently 60fps. And it seems to me that there is no reason the game couldn't be 60fps

          • reply
            May 31, 2014 5:28 PM

            I've never noticed any freeze, the game is smooth as butter and that's in global multiplayer. No lag whatsoever.

          • reply
            June 1, 2014 3:28 PM

            You must have incredible vision, no one that I know that has played it has ever mentioned stuttering. Those that knew about the 59fps thing said they couldn't tell despite looking for it. These people are definitely PC enthusiasts as well and are from the era of the Q3 max-fps days.

    • reply
      May 31, 2014 2:46 PM

      What a great game. One of my tops from last year. I enjoyed every minute of it.

    • reply
      May 31, 2014 3:52 PM

      This is awesome. Just tried it. Works and is just as fun as the wiimote. Definitely more accurate. Adds more value to the gamepad. Hope they add gamepad value by making Lego City Undercover playable on just the gamepad screen. It'd be cool if The Cave and ZombiU would be playable on just the gamepad screen too.

      • reply
        May 31, 2014 5:02 PM

        Nah, when it comes to Zombi U the whole point is that you have to look at the Gamepad to handle your inventory while game time continues. You need to be able to see if zombies are approaching.

    • reply
      June 1, 2014 3:45 AM

      Neat, gotta try it again!

Hello, Meet Lola