These very interesting posts come from a recent Iwata asks’. I am sure we are all counting our blessing that these were just prototypes.

 

Eguchi

This was the start of two-screen gameplay.

IwataYes. I did that, too. An experiment using the Wii Zapper4 controller was what inspired us to put a gyro sensor5 in the Nintendo 3DS system, which was in the final phases of development. 4. Wii Zapper: A controller for the Wii console that is shaped like a gun. It is used as a set with the Wii Remote controller and Nunchuk.5. Gyro sensor: A device that detects angle and rotation speed. The term “gyro” refers to a “ring” or “rotation.”

ShimamuraYes. After development of Wii Sports Resort, Yamashita-san and I were thinking about something new that would draw upon the knowhow for Wii MotionPlus.6 We tested gameplay that involved moving the Wii Zapper and having images from the Wii move in sync on a monitor in your hands. It was fairly well received… 6. Wii MotionPlus: An accessory with a gyro sensor for connection to the Wii Remote controller. The Wii Remote Plus controller, which adds the functionality of Wii MotionPlus to the Wii Remote controller, is now on sale. The Wii Remote packaged with the Wii console has also been replaced by the Wii Remote Plus controller.
IwataWhen (Shigeru) Miyamoto-san saw that experiment, he said that he definitely wanted to put a gyro sensor in Nintendo 3DS, so even though the ship was headed out of the harbor, he called it back.7 This happened after the people in the hardware department had already been declared that “all features are now set!” (laughs) 7. Even though the ship was headed out of the harbor, he called it back: For more about how the gyro sensor was included in the Nintendo 3DS system, see the session of “Iwata Asks” about the Nintendo 3DS hardware concept.
YamashitaYeah. (laughs) We intended to present it as a Wii U project, so when it was snatched away for the Nintendo 3DS, we were sad, but also pleased.
ShimamuraBut thanks to this prototype, however, we were able to explain the structure of Wii U—having a screen in your hands—and it became more compelling.
IwataThe way that Nintendo makes hardware is to take an idea that has arisen and make something makeshift and actually try it out.
Shimamura: Right. The next makeshift thing we made for Wii U GamePad concept—a second prototype—is this.
 

IwataBehold the original form of the Wii U GamePad! (laughs)
ShimamuraIt’s very high-tech—a monitor and controllers stuck together by double-sided tape. (laughs)
IwataI remember that you made a lot of prototype software with this.
ShimamuraYeah. If we made a list, I think there’d be about 30.
EguchiWe used this prototype and two Wii consoles to run simulations for Wii U. EAD isn’t a hardware department, but a “handicraft team” knowledgeable about hardware makes stuff like this.
IwataMaking this prototype led to Nintendo Land, so the development period for Nintendo Land was quite long.
ShimamuraYes, it was.
IwataHowever, rather early on, you discovered the “asymmetrical gameplay”8 structure for Nintendo Land that we announced at E39this year (2012)—in other words, the fun of having one person play a different role in a multiplayer game, was discovered at a fairly early stage in development thanks to this attempt.

You can check out the full Nintendo Land Ask HERE