Think of it as a testament to your skill as a player, your ability to adapt to an *ever-so-slightly* different control scheme.
I have more respect for folks who can maintain their performance even in light of a little bit of un-comfort-ability (and only temporarily), as opposed to people whom will quite figuratively fall apart without their beloved control of choice.
People who use mote + nunchuck may have less to worry about but I honestly wouldn't be too confident on that front either...but there is much precedent for wii motes being utilized on the Wii U so it isn't all dark for mote + chuk users.
Can anyone who already has and has used a pro Controller say what they think about moving the ABXY buttons below the analog stick? I always preferred the Xbox/Gamecube style and hate that they've gone away from that now. I'm worried it will ruin Smash 4 for me and I won't buy a 3rd party controller.
I have my Wii U Pro controller synced to Bluetooth so I can use it on my PC, and I have Project M, Brawl, & Melee on Dolphin, to which I've been using the Wii U Pro with lately to prepare myself. That and countless hours of MH3U, I'd say I have a good amount of experience with the controller.
Let me first get out of the way that this is one of the most comfortable and beautiful controls made in recent times. It's shape is
near perfection, and its battery life is holyshizinfinite. It has a glossy front but the whole backside is matte finish, making it easier on your grip and less prone to sweat giving you a hard time.
Gripes over the right stick are
much exaggerated. First of all, it's the first pad (that I'm aware of within the past several generations) to place the right side stick above the buttons, so you can mostly equate it all to folks being opposed to change. A controller is an extension of you in games, and especially in smash where it's used to arguably do the most important functions (control your character), when a controller changes from the usual route, it's almost as if someone is changing
you. I bought the circle pad pro a while ago for MH3U on 3DS before getting it on Wii U, and similarly although a bit lower, the stick location presents a certain similarity in its placement. You'll likely want to be using the Circle Pad Pro if you want a smash stick for 3DS Smash so I'd maybe pick that up and use it a bit with a game that utilizes it a lot, that really helped me.
The thing is however, let's assume the right stick gets stuck as the smash stick like in previous iterations. That being the case, it's position on the pad (as long as it's somewhere on the right side) isn't
truly as important as you might think it is. It literally takes a game or two to get used to flicking a stick a bit higher on the pad, than flicking it where it was on the GC controller or where it might be on a traditional 360 pad format. The position of the right stick is honestly a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. What people should be
way more concerned about getting accustomed to is the lack of "fun-sized" buttons.
The most staggering difference between the GC controller and that of using the newer Nintendo controls are the ABXY buttons. The GC pad was special because each button was sized different from the other. It looked fantastically weird and ridiculous but in practice, it made things
so perfect. Each button had its own defined shape, which allowed your hands to easily distinguish between them, and as you mastered its use, you became just that much more accurate with your inputs. There's really something to be said for the kind of familiarity that sort thing creates at a much quicker pace than say a fight stick where all the buttons are the same size and feeling. Even the triggers are so unique in how they work, and are complimented by the Z button which is utterly different in how it works.
It's incredibly awkward, learning how to jump with Y, X, B, or A. Which button will you map to attack? Special? Shielding with R and grabbing will be simple enough to get acquainted with but the sheer difference in both positioning and size of the right face buttons from the GCC to the modern Nintendo format is what I find to be the most unsettling part of the process. Practicing with a Classic or Classic Pro with Brawl/Project M are your best bets right now for reaching the most familiarity that you can before SSB4 releases for Wii U. That's what I'm doing and what I'd recommend, anyway.
In any case, you will get used to it. You're human. You got used to the GCC, which is testament enough to your ability to grow accustomed to the most wacky and ridiculous looking control scheme (on the surface) known to man. If you don't remember, when the GCC released it was harshly criticized for being one of the most ridiculous looking and feeling controls of the generation (or of the past several). The Wii U Pro is
anything but that in this generation, with the exception of a slight placement difference of the right stick which isn't super significant to your overall performance. You will get used to it. You will be fine.
If that doesn't work then I'll be forced to drop 50 bucks on that pro controller (Only Smash Bros. would make me do that)
