Nintendo Wii U announced

The Nintendo Wii was launched just under five years ago but its deliberately affordable hardware looks dated compared to rival systems. A HD version of the Wii was reported to be in development earlier in the year and Nintendo has just pulled back the curtains on the second iteration of one of its most popular gaming consoles to date.

The Nintendo Wii U packs significantly more punch than its predecessor when it comes to graphical grunt and it is set to offer full HD 1080p support, giving it a maximum resolution which with match that achievable on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. An HDMI output will let it interface with modern HDTVs, just like its rivals, although a component and composite output is also expected for older screens.

The shape of the Wii U mirrors that of the original Wii, albeit with curvier edges and apparently no housing stand to keep it vertical. It will feature the same sensor bar setup as its predecessor so that it is backwards compatible with the Wii Remote control scheme, while compatibility with first generation Wii games is also confirmed.

The first Wii`s motion control capabilities were revolutionary at the time, but Nintendo is not one to rest on its laurels. As such the Wii U`s controller is taking things forward thanks to its inclusion of a large six inch secondary display designed to supplement and enhance the big screen thrills presented to the player. It has built in buttons and control sticks, but the screen can stream video from the console and will allow for advanced interactions with innovative titles that have not been seen before.

Another advantage of sticking a screen in the controller is that the player will be able to quickly switch the gameplay away from the TV and plonk the whole thing in their hands. This will free up the living room for others to enjoy while the gamer gets on with their playtime without being interrupted.

It is expected that a number of classic Nintendo franchises will be making an appearance in HD on the Wii U. Early demos show that the New Super Mario Brothers franchise will be coming to the console, while it would not be premature to suggest that at least one Zelda game will make an appearance. Online play and widespread support from third party game developers will help the Wii U blossom, particularly if it can finally go back to the hardcore gaming audience which was pushed out by the family-friendliness of the Wii and migrated to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Bagging a Call of Duty game will go some way to achieving this.

The Wii U is not perfect, as many have criticised it for the lack of playback for DVD or Blu Ray movies. Of course Nintendo is convinced that most people have a wall mounted DVD player or other compatible device in their living rooms already, thus making the inclusion of such a feature in the Wii U surplus to requirements.

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Category: Gaming, Reviews