Wii U

[Allforce]

"proprietary high-density optical discs" leads me to believe they'll be "blu-ray discs but the system won't play blu-ray films".

Same way the original Wii used DVDs but you couldn't play DVD film on the thing without applying a few hacks

[jkwest]

OMFG!

IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U
Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, was finally unveiled to the world today at E3 2011, and we got a glimpse of its graphical prowess at the company's keynote. Details were scarce about the IBM silicon Nintendo's new HD powerhouse was packing, but we did some digging to get a little more info. IBM tells us that within the Wii U there's a 45nm custom chip with "a lot" of embedded DRAM. It's a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn't give us the chip's clock speeds, but if it's good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it'll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.

:O

[Drew664]

Originally Posted by jkwest

OMFG!

[URL="http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/ibm-puts-watsons-brains-in-nintendo-wii-u/"]
:O

That's neat that it has a super computer lineage. The most I've done is just look at the pics posted here - no price point yet? I think the Ipad design is going to bring in the casual gamer. Nintendo isn't going to just drop the casual market that they've completely cornered this gen. I can't wait till this thing gets rolling with actual games and not just demos.

I'm 100% just looking at it now though, the credit card is still in the wallet!

[Bluballs31]

So is there a limit in how far you can go to use the controller to play a game??

Like could I go to my bathroom and play??

[Hatter]

Originally Posted by Allforce

No problem. Here's a pic of this thing being used so you can get a sense of scale. It's the XBox Duke Reborn!

[Show spoiler]

How excessive. Just give me a regular controller. I don't need not want this beheomth to play games especially Super Mario Bros sidescroller.

At least the Wii controller was simplistic and could be held like an NES controller for certain games.

[AeroK]

I was watching the live stream and the bird and fish video that Reggie presented looked really nice from what I could tell.

[kristoffer]

But the name?! Wii U?!

That's what they came up with? Reminds me of the episode of The Simpsons where home designs and names a car...

Very disappointing that we good no games, pricing or even specs!

[AeroK]

Originally Posted by detective392

I like the design of the system and controller and will definitely be getting one in the future. Here is what the console looks like. Didn't see much of the conference but weird they only showed the controller and not the actual console.

Not showing the system itself makes me think that the pic of the system is an early design similar to when the silver PS3s with the boomerang controllers were shown before the actual final product.

[linkgx1]

Originally Posted by Bluballs31

So is there a limit in how far you can go to use the controller to play a game??

Like could I go to my bathroom and play??

I was hoping I could carry it anywhere. Screw u 3DS!

[AeroK]

Something interesting that was mentioned was that Smash Bros. will be released on both Wii U and 3DS and will interact with each other.

[STARSCREAM]

Man what a confusing conference that turned out to be. I was waiting for them to bust out specs, pics, games, pricing, etc. We got nada. I'm really hoping this system turns out to be awesome but the name is aweful. I cannot believe that is what they came up with. Could have atleast named it Wii2 or WiiHD. Nice to see they have the 3rd party developers on board.

[Uniquely]

It seems like they may be trying to break back into the hardcore gaming market... but that controller does NOT look like it would be suitable for long sessions or rapidly moving from button to button. It's an interesting concept.... but I fear if they continue this path they will once again be relegated to the casual market. Not that the casual market failed them with the Wii... but I was REALLY hoping for a console that would better service BOTH markets.

[linkgx1]

I hope Nintendo has a disclaimer about killing people with the controller. Especially during Call Of Buty.

[Musashi]

Wii U...sounds like a sound a robot makes.

[jkwest]

Gizmodo - Nintendo Wii U Hands On: An Entirely Different Way to See Things

It looks like the product of a fevered fanboy wetdream. A 6.2-inch touchscreen, surrounded by dual analog sticks and oodles of buttons. Like the portable hardcore gamers wish Nintendo made. But it's the most incredible controller ever.
I'm completely immersed in my own tiny world with the Wii U controller, staring into the screen, moving my arms and entire body to track two tiny people, scurrying around below my hovercraft. They're a Nintendo rep and Kotaku's Stephen Totilo, whose eyes are glued to the TV next to us, trying to shoot down the enemy ship in the sky (me). My entire game takes place on the Wii U's controller, almost as if I'm playing not just an entirely different game, but an entirely different console. I move the aircraft with the twin analog sticks, forward, back, left, right. But to aim, I have to move the entire controller and my body with it, as if I'm surrounded by an entire world that can only be peeked at through the Wii U controller's screen. It's both profoundly connected and weirdly alienating. I'm not just the enemy for these players united on one screen, I'm in an entirely different space.

The controller is light. Not in a way that's like, "Oh, I'm glad it's not too heavy," but more "this feels like a plastic mockup." It's almost unbelievable there's a working touchscreen and full wireless powers inside. The lightness is what makes it work though, what makes this massive controller feel incredibly comfortable and totally natural. The ergonomics are nigh perfect.

Super Mario Brothers Mii is up on the TV. And it's on my controller. Mario jumps, on the controller and on the TV, simultaneously. It's the same game, in two different places. Watching the game on the controller, it feels like I'm playing a very large DS. Up on the TV, it's like I'm playing Nintendo's latest console release. It sounds useless, until I realized I could watch whatever really important thing is on TV while continuing to play my game on the controller. Or even turn the TV off. Gaming can come back to the bedroom.

The quality of the touchscreen, compared to nearly any reasonably high-end current-generation smartphone, is mediocre. The viewing angle's pretty narrow, for one. You need to be almost dead center to see what's happening (but maybe that's a feature, for versus mode?). It's not especially bright, either. And it's sort of glare-y. Nintendo's not talking specific screen specs like resolution, because this is technically a prototype—so a lot of things could change and get better—but the pixel density is just okay. It's standard Nintendo hardware quality, in other words. Just good enough. Like, I totally didn't mind playing Super Mario Bros. Mii using the controller as my sole display. But iPad or PS Vita, it is not. It was just like playing it on a much bigger DS screen, instead of my TV. There's a stylus, which I didn't get to use. But it's a standard piece of plastic, so there's no multitouch. Which is sort of heartbreaking, insofar as it imposes at least some limits on what this controller is capable of.

The Wii U is the first Nintendo console whose games are visually on the level with the Xbox 360 and PS3 (or at least close to it). That's important. And nice. The Legend of Zelda in full HD? Yes please. The Wii U, in just catching up to the consoles that came before it, and using a mid-quality touchscreen for the controller, showcases one of Nintendo's greatest talents: Taking "good enough" technology and packaging it in a way that's super simple but deeply impactful and innovative. (There's another technology company that's spectacular at this.)

I'm being chased, again. And again, my predators are sharing the TV, pooling their visual resources to track me. They need to catch me in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. That's it. Down on my controller, I've got an unfair advantage-a combined map/radar, that shows me where everybody is. It's kind of like top-down Pac-Man. But I've also got a screen showing a closeup of my character, so I can see my immediate surroundings. I never take my eyes off the controller. And I win.

That's something no controller's ever offered before: The possibility of entirely different viewpoint, the ability to see something in a game that no one else sees, to engage different players in completely different ways. A screen is by definition a blank canvas, a place that be inscribed with anything. Which means there's basically limitless potential in the Wii U and its controller, just waiting to be exploited. Developers can use that space for whatever they want, whether it's an alternative view or secondary action to the main game, extra info, a straight-up mirror, or anything else they can think of that'll take advantage of the fact they now have another window to show players whatever they want, completely independent of the TV. And that's not even considering the wealth of sensors onboard, like the mic and gyro, and what they'll allow the control to accomplish in concert with everything else.

We haven't even seen the beginning of what this thing is capable of, but one thing's clear today: It works, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

great intro article with a video in the link..

[GAME-FACE]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

But the name?! Wii U?!

That's what they came up with? Reminds me of the episode of The Simpsons where home designs and names a car...

Very disappointing that we good no games, pricing or even specs!

They honestly should have just called it the Wii 2. I was expecting something different then this.

I have absolutley no plans on getting this machine. Nintendo lost me as a customer after the N64.

Not sure how the hell they are going to capture back the hardcore gamers with this machine. I'm sure the next XBOX or PS4 will be a LOT more enticing to the hardcore market.

[Blufury]

Nintendo focused so much on the controller that I thought that was the actual console. I don't believe they even showed the console on the big screen.

Controller design is cool but it seems to bulky for the console player (especially shooters). To me basically Nintendo said "lets combine our Wii and NDS and pass it off as a new console".

Oh, and a silly name. If you want to keep the Wii name then call it a Super Wii.

[AeroK]

The controller is obviously not flat on the bottom, so how is it suppose to lay flat on the floor to play the golf game they showed @ the conference or the mini game of backgammon which used the gyro sensor when the board is tilted to clear it. It would need to be flat on the table would it not?

[My_Two_Cents]

ZERO ergonomics in that behemoth equals a big FAIL as far as I'm concerned. No one is going to want to hold that thing for very long.

[jkwest]

apparently, the controller is super light...almost weirdly light..