Gaming Misc Turn on Wii U without turning on the Gamepad ?

[CrazySquid]

The gamepad is always on. The best thing to do is add a hardware power switch, as it will drain in a short amount of time even when the Wii U is not used. Which will damage the battery over time. Leaving it on the charger 24/7 will also damage the battery over time. Basically Nintendo designed this to have the battery self destruct no matter what you do. A hardware power switch is almost mandatory.

While is theoretically correct that it's not healthy for the battery to stay at 4.2v constantly, the Switch suffers from a similar fate while being in the dock all the time, yet, Nintendo confirms that it doesn't really harm the battery.

My Wii U GamePad battery took around seven years of heavy use to die (the 1500mAh one), and I'm still waiting for my Switch battery (after other seven years of being mainly docked) to lose enough capacity to call for a replacement. Even if not the most optimal conditions for the battery, it's nothing to be really concerned.

However, it's still recommended to store batteries at 40% (≈3.7v) if storing for long periods of time.

 

[Sowden]

Unplug the Gamepad battery by taking off the cover

You know, this guy isn't too far off. Going in a bit if a different direction. But I bought this mod from this etsy page.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107689...how_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

It replaces the back battery plate and gives it some more space. It takes a battery that you usually get for e-cigarettes. It charges using a USB-C cable, and it has a physical switch on the bottom that physically disconnects the power to the Gamepad. So if you switch it off, it won't turn on when you power up the Wii U. Also if you switch it off when your not using it, it doesn't drain the battery power sitting there doing nothing. It's pretty great, I bought a battery a few years ago and haven't replaces it since. Great mod, thought I'd share.