Nintendo debuted the Wii U, the company’s newest video game console and a follow-up to the blockbuster Nintendo Wii, which has sold more than 86 million units worldwide.
The Wii U is the latest member of Nintendo’s gaming hardware and was unveiled this afternoon at E3.
Here’s what Forbes blogger David Dewalt had to say about the device after he spent some time with it last week:
Before I get into detail, allow me a short disclaimer: The hardware I played with was a prototype, not a finished production model, and the games I played with were essentially proof of concept demos, not necessarily software under development. Nintendo says the console’s actual release date will fall sometime between April 1 and December 31, 2012, so lots may change before it hits stores. That said, I believe I got a good feel for the console and what it will eventually look like.
The first thing to note about the new console is that it offers full 1080p high definition video — a feature sorely lacking in the Wii. The graphics on this system look great, as good as anything you’ve seen on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, even in this early prototype stage.
The big idea that sets the Wii U apart from its predecessors and competitors is a new kind of controller.
Instead of a hand-sized game pad studded with joysticks and buttons, or the motion sensitive wand used on the Wii, the Wii U is controlled essentially by a tablet computer. It looks and feels a lot like an Amazon Kindle – just with a few more buttons and a color screen.
Read more here and check out more images after the break!
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The Wii U controller.
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Nintendo Wii U controller.
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Video of Wii U in motion.
