Reps from company's Entertainment Analysis & Development Division reveal and detail first iterations of tablet-like controller.

Nintendo has revealed the first Wii U GamePad prototypes, giving gamers a look at what the tablet-like controller looked like in its very first iterations. These were revealed and discussed in a new Iwata Asks interview, the focus of which was actually Wii U pack-in game Nintendo Land.

The first iteration was a Wii Zapper with an LCD screen placed on its barrel. According to a representative from Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development Division (EAD), this prototype allowed the company to better understand the two-screen approach it would ultimately decide to make the focus of the Wii U.

The second prototype resembled the final iteration of the GamePad more closely. It was created using a monitor with controllers on either end attached to the device with double-sided tape. Thirty game concepts were conceived with this controller, and it ultimately led to the creation of Nintendo Land.

Additionally, Nintendo said it discovered the appeal of "asymmetrical gameplay" as a result of this Wii U GamePad prototype. This time type of gameplay is when players take on different roles in a multiplayer game, as in Nintendo Land's Chase Mario attraction.

The Wii U launched last month and has sold 425,000 units in the United States alone.

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