Dude the WiiU without a gamepad is WORTHLESS (actual electronics-junk if you wanna call it like that xD), why is it so hard to understand that?
I'll explain why, ok? So you ever heard of "firmware-update"? Yeah, sure you have. Every electronic device today has to be updated. This is a chip usually located in the smartphone/tablet/mainboard or in the console itself.
Well: NOT the case in WiiU ! The WiiU console-mainboard itself doesn't contain the firmware-chip, the hell the WiiU's motherboard doesn't even contain a "chipset" (North/Southbridge), it just contains a 3-core ppc-cpu, a double gpu, a sound-chip (bc to wii/gc) & ram & some flash for both Wii & WiiU-mode & another flas for WiiU's OS. It's a console, where the controller itself contains a big part of the security & thus it acts more like a "hub". This hub enables you to directly talk with the console's processor, which then activates the security-processor on the mainboard (on Gpu-Die of WiiU's Mcm). This hub on WiiU's gamepad contains 3 cpus itself!
So this means: A WiiU without the gamepad cannot be updated! Why? Well, you can't update a firmware, which doesn't exist!
The WiiU's firmware is very, very complex, since it doesn't just contain regular typical flash-routines. It's all stored in this 32 mbytes giant- gamepad's chip. This chip e.g. also contains the "tv-models" which you can use the infrared-communication for (tv-remote).
You cannot update a WiiU or access it's settings without a gamepad. There's a work-around that lets you allow accessing settings, but you still cannot update the WiiU.
And like allways: a non-updated device is useless in today's complex world. Everything today relies on updates. Outdated browsers can't work correctly. And non-updated firmware can produce problems too.
The WiiU's gamepad contains 3 small cpus. One is for flashing firmware (8-bit, something like 12 mhz i heard xD), one is for gamepad's communication & security (cortex m3) & another one controls bluetooth, NFC-chip & other stuff of gamepad's functions!
So in the end if you buy a WiiU-console without buying the absolutely necessary gamepad, is like buying a smartphone without a charger. Or a Nintendo Switch without necessary for many games Joyconns.lol
Since lots of security is running in the gamepad, you can't access the shop via pro-controller/Wiimote etc.
Only the gamepad contains the necessary security/hardware to be capable of talking with the security hardware of WiiU-console. So it's just understandable you can't buy games with no security active.
Since the Main-cpu of WiiU isn't that complex to handle all security (it's an old design after all, no AES or no other 2010's stuff is embedded here). The latest i found out, is the main-cpu of WiiU handles filesystem-encryption. However i reckon the PowerPC just communicates with some encryption-chip.
But when you buy something in the shop, it's a lot more security necessary, than just encrypting the filesystem. Thus the WiiU gamepad itself is some kind of OTP/security-system itself. This allows the user to operate on a secure level to aquire games, buy dlc, or buy even time-based licences or do other security-related stuff such as using some apps which need security.
So yeah, it's guessed whenever you access the eshop, the gamepad's cpu is talking with the PowerPc of the console. The PowerPC downloads the data. But the gamepads sends the signal to the PowerPC for the "OK" & it makes sure the user is allowed to download
.
So when you start the eshop, the PowerPC constantly talks with the gamepad's cpu. This is how token-security works on WiiU. Whenever you buy something you get a licence, remember? Well, the WiiU's main-cpu isn't modern, the PPC "G3" is from ~2003. So OF COURSE part of security has to run on modern Arm Cortex-stuff. Since you can be sure it's not the 8bit-cpu of the gamepad which talks with the fast cpu in the WiiU-console itself.
