Unfortunately they’re region locked
Way back in 2012 when the Wii U was initially announced, Nintendo stated that down the line players would be able to buy a second GamePad separately for dual-GamePad games on the system. This dual support never actually came to the console during its lifetime.
One of the big problems caused by us never getting dual-GamePad support was the inability to buy an additional controller, for use in the future as a replacement if your original ever broke down.
Thankfully, you can now buy replacement Wii U GamePads from the official Nintendo online store, so long as you live in Japan and own a Japanese Wii U.
Replacement GamePads cost 12,800 yen, which works out to around $115 USD or £75 GBP.
So, fingers crossed these replacement GamePads start also being sold in Europe and North America. I would certainly pick one up for the future, as I really like the Wii U as a piece of hardware. Damn GamePads being region locked.
