Nintendo Wii U June 2011

When Nintendo revealed the Wii U at the E3 gaming convention there was a lot of initial confusion. It wasn't clear whether the new device was a standalone games console or just a new controller for the existing Nintendo Wii - it turned out to be a bit of both.

The Nintendo Wii U looks just like an existing Wii, but comes with a revolutionary controller that has its own screen. Nintendo claims that the new Wii U will work with regular Wii games, but the new controller won't be compatible with the existing Wii.

The new Nintendo Wii U console will work with existing Wii games

HD games on Nintendo Wii U

So what's new? Well, the Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support HD graphics, ranging from 480i right up to Full HD 1080p, and it therefore has an HDMI output for HDTVs. It also has a disc drive, four USB slots and accepts SD cards and external USB drives.

But the headline-grabbing feature of the new Wii U is the fascinating controller. We got hands on with it at the E3 games conference and were surprised at how light yet large it was. It’s a bit like a plastic iPad that has its own speakers, standard array of control buttons, and a mass of other features - including rumble pack, accelerometer, camera, microphone, stylus and gyroscope.

The internal gyroscope meant that as we moved the pad around, it changed the image shown on the screen depending on its orientation – it took a little getting used to, but it's a completely unique input system for a games machine.

What else was unveiled at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles? See our hands on Sony PlayStation Vita first look

6.2-inch touchscreen on Nintendo Wii U

The built-in 6.2-inch touchscreen means that elements of games, or even complete mini-games, can be played on it without always the need for a connected TV or monitor. In single-player, we saw it used as a tee for a golf game, with a Wiimote acting as a club; in multiplayer, it allows for asymmetric gameplay, where one player uses the screen and other players use Wiimotes.

The Nintendo Wii U controller in hand

We tried the multiplayer mode in a prototype battle game, where the Wii U pad controlled a flying saucer battling two Wiimote equipped friends firing at it from the ground. The directional control definitely takes some getting used to, but we can see it being highly effective in alternate-reality games utilising real surrounding locations.

New games in the pipeline

At the Nintendo conference announcing the Wii U, and more impressive than the new console itself, was the line-up of developers and games luminaries who were praising the new design. As the console is likely to be made from older, standard components (Nintendo never loses money on its hardware, unlike its competitors), it's expected to be relatively easy to create games for it.

Moreover, with its HD support and the array of features, the third party publishers (such as Electronic Arts, Activision and 2K Games) who have struggled to succeed on the low-powered family-oriented Wii are expected to return and publish their cross-platform games again.

First impressions

The Nintendo Wii U looks like a fun device, but is it more than just a quirky gadget? The original Nintendo Wii opened up gaming to old and young users alike with its accessible and intuitive design. The Wii U might not appeal to those gamers if it's just too difficult to grasp.

The Wii U is expected to arrive in late 2012 and the retail price has yet to be confirmed. Of course, with Microsoft and Sony expected to release new hardware themselves in the next few years, this parity of power will only last so long. That said, the release of such an innovative if over-functional device will definitely shake up the console games market yet again.

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