So is the controller the actual system or is it something that we have not seen yet? Over all it was a very nice reveal and I am very excited about the potential of the system. Although I would have prefered the system to be called Super Wii or simply Wii 2. Perhaps Wii U is just a working title similar to Revolution?

The controller is just the controller. The system itself looks like a Wii with rounded edges. There weren't any good shots of it during the presentation, thus the controller.

Stream is better then WiiU
God what a horrible Name.
Lets all just refer to it as the N Stream

I agree. NStream it is.

much better than Wiiu

I remember the same thing happened when they first came out with the name Wii.

It was either this or Wii 2. And Wii 2 would've been safe and boring.


I wonder how light or heavy the controller is. I have concerns about the balance of it when using the twin sticks and triggers.

It's like Nintendo got together and said, How can we create an even more awful name?

Well yeah and no one would of probally batted an eye at the name either.

http://kotaku.com/5809482/the-is-the-first-picture-of-nintendos-new-console-the-wii-u

Here is a pic of the console itself.

Hey, Look its the 360 Mini...  Do Nintendo Hardware designers even try anymore.

Updated the story with some of the system specs from Nintendo's press fact sheet.

Those are interesting.  I hope it stays in the resolution you say you can support unlike the PS3.  I'm curious by that  controller comment because it sounds like you can only have 1 WiiU controller.

I don't mean anything specific by the comment, just that the spec sheet says "Supports up to 4 Wii Remotes", and the demo had them in addition to the Wii U controller. No mention of # of Wii U controllers supported explicitly.

I must admit I feel nothing good about this new console.  Nintendo was right to make the Wii and it payed off.  Making a 360 with a screen in the controller makes no sense, since the 360 lost out to the Wii.

They could have called it Wuu  (pronounced WoooooOoo!!!)

Nintendo should have named it Streamcast then watch the internet implode.

Wii would like to play.  With U.

WiiU might be the worst name of anything ever but that controller looks so good. Shame Ninetdno didn't do a very good job of unveiling the console. It felt a little lackluster and there was no decent original software.

The name is not bad at all, better than PlayStation. I don't like the controller though, at least based on the pictures I have seen.

Well I'm glad it supports HD but what's the CPU and the RAM and stuff like that?  We need to know that.  We got burned last time so we need to know that.

Do you need to know that? All that technical jargon might as well be in a difference language to 95% of people buying the console. You know it's more powerful than current generation consoles. Specifics would be nice, but they're not need to know info.

Though I would argue that real time footage in action, that can be proven real time, is something that is needed.

I agree. The best we have is that WiiU is capable of running current generation software and that it was ported over because no company is going to remake the game just for WiiU, just like they weren't willing to do that on Wii for the most part.

Sounds interesting, but its too early before i can form an opinion.

IBM sent a press release about the hardware processing. You should be able to see it in press releases, and there's a news story in the pipeline about it now.


1up's Jeremy Parish has a nice Youtube vid up about the Wii U controller, as well.

Honestly I don't mind the name.  It may sound a bit odd at first, but it, at least, has some originality to it.  Doesn't that count for anything anymore? 
I'm also excited on how games will use the secondary screen on the controller (if they want to at all).  Possibly use'n it as a "pick your weapon out of your pack" or if they actually make a console version of Pokemon a certain one.  However, if someone wants to watch tv, I hope dev's keep that in mind to not make dig'n through your inventory clunky if your have to switch to your controller's screen. 
I was very stand off-ish at first, but after watching the video of all the games and some other vids on the N's website, I think this will be a big win for them.  Since it's coming out in the 2nd half of 2012, they've got a decent shot at having a launch that has more than a few games in it... that aren't all Nintendo.

This might not be the thread for it but that whole using your controller as the screen could stunt the potential of this controller.  It be like having the DS split apart so 2 people can play different games.

Ceric has a point.  If you're playing on the controller then you can't see two screens at once.  Also any touchscreen usage would have to be on the bottom screen.  But if you're not using the TV, the touchscreen would be using the TV feed which cannot have touchscreen control.

I dont like the name, the design of the controler, or the $450 price tag with
$150 controllers.
Ok, nothing confirmed, but nintendo makes a profit off their systems,
so figure they will pass the buck.
But as a Nintendo fan, i'll get it day one like the 3DS

You can't something that hasn't even been TALKED about yet.

EDIT: No personal attacks. Pointing out flaws in arguments is fine, name calling is not.

"Project Cafe" was the working title. So I hate to say it, but it looks like its going to be stuck with that name...

I never thought I'd say this, but it would have been better if they named it "Super Wii" like you wanted to call it. That isn't saying much, because almost anything would have been better than Wii-U. They could have named it Wii Turd and that would have been better.

But it does have potential to be used like a HUD kinda thing, where you would glance back and forth between that and the TV screen.

The screen seems to be auxiliary. Games are meant to be played on a television with the controller acting much in the same way the bottom screen on 3DS does. Using the controller as a screen seems to be a cool thing you can do with the controller, rather than the best way to play. I'd imagine games would have to be programed to play a slightly different when using the controller as the main screen.

Of course we were all hoping for a better name. My hope was that it would be Nintendo HD or NES HD, but I'm just going to call it The U. Wii U sounds like a fraternity. The controller looks damn big and I wonder about recharging and how heavy it feels after 30 minutes of playing. The concept is pretty cool and for a while I was confused about if the controller was the whole thing or not, but after seeing the console unit I am only wondering what's behind the slot. Maybe it's a small motion sensor for Wii remotes or another SD slot.

They really need to re-think that right analong stick, needs to be under the buttons

No need to resort to name calling, people can comment on things that haven't been talked about yet.  It's called speculating.  Kind of like what NWR was doing with the controller idea before E3 showed us how it is.
I'm still excited, I hope it's going to run below the $400 mark though.  I can understand if it doesn't... at the same time... I may not be able to convince the wife-unit to agree on purchasing it, which would make it all the more awkward when I walk into the house with one...

The good thing about how it is set up, is that for
1) the analog is in primary position on either side which allows the d-pad to substitute for the 4 face buttons for a lefty. and
2) the analog will not get in your way while you are trying to push buttons, which is exactly what will happen with them not being offset from each other (lower controls not slighty further in than the upper controls).


It has symmetry & ambidexterity.

It's a big 3DS with the 3D slider set to off.  (HDS?)
Part of the reason I liked the DS is because it offered a different experience than the home console.  Now they are bringing the same experience to a home console.

Sony won't have to copy Nintendo this time.  I'll be able to get a Vita for the same price as the Wii U and connect it to my PS3 and get a similar experience.*  And I can use it as a portable device, too!


*Yes, I realize that there won't be Nintendo games on the Vita. And the Wii pad is probably more comfortable to hold.

You should do that Shadowxaf. SonyWorldReport.com

My big concern with this system is the fact that it has no built-in hard drive.  I envision HD third-party games coming to Wii U without/with gimped DLC support because the system has nowhere to store it on-board (outside of 8GB RAM, which will get eaten up over time).  Yes, you could theoretically use an SSD card or USB drive, but not many people are actually going to do that.  On top of that, buying an external anything is an extra expense that users shouldn't have to float.

Any mention of Nintendo's approach to online gaming with Wii U is conspicuously absent as well.  Supposedly Nintendo is going to talk about this "in the next couple of days", so I'll be waiting to hear about that.

At this point I would say I'm more intrigued than interested.

To be fair, the low end Xbox 360 only has 4 GB of onboard storage (and it used to only be 512 MB, and before that there was none), and the user is expected to pay more for more storage.

I must have missed something. Where has the storage been detailed?

If by some miracle you have a launch Core system*, you've got no storage at all. I suspect the Xbox 420 will feature the same sort of restriction.

* aka "tard pack"

It's on the fact sheet on the press site, and it was posted as part of one of our articles, but I'm not sure which. 8 GB, expandable via SD or USB hard drive.

EDIT: The fact sheet doesn't specify the amount, but I think that was confirmed somewhere.

I really think sony and MS are breathing a big sigh of relief at this point.


Any word on how much WiinUs will cost?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=34617.msg678242#msg678242

Internal storage expandable by SD card and external HDD (through 1 of the 4 USB 2.0 ports would be my guess)

The fact sheet specifies that it would be through USB.

When Reggie was giving that speech about the name I was thinking "Their gonna name it Uss" and then they said Wii U. And I thought Nintendo was a creative bunch of people...

Seriously, when Reggie mentioned Wii U I thought it was something new entirely.  Like a new service or something. As in, not the name of the new console, because there's no way they would ever name a console something that awful...right?

Yeah, technically you can buy a 360 without a hard drive, but that's the exception.  The standard that developers can design to is a guaranteed 20GB of on-board storage.  With Wii U it's the other way around; developers have to assume that 8GB on-board storage is all they'll have to play with, and design accordingly.

Ditto. I thought it was some new service or peripheral for the Wii; not the name of the successor console. How could Nintendo be that dumb? I keep hoping this is just some terrible nightmare and that any moment I'll wake up and that horrible name will go away.

My first comment: The name. At first, my reaction was "Really? Wii U?". I thought it was pretty simple, perhaps even lazy even with the "it's something WE can play but there's something for YOU". A few hours later, I haven't totally accepted it, but perhaps it will grow on me by the time next year's E3 rolls around.


The controller looks pretty interesting and I'm quite intrigued at how this thing will be utilized. Of course, it was mostly revealed instead of fully detailed, which I expect will happen at large game shows within the next year.

Can't believe I already go used to the name!  :@

Remember how when Nintendo named the Wii everyone thought it was the worst name anything ever had? And how after a little while nobody really cared anymore, and now it sounds completely normal?

That's true, but Wii U? It's like you're trying to whistle and failing miserably.

I've been pronouncing it backwards ever since it was announced. UuuuuWiii /rick james

I got used to calling it Cafe. I even got used to seeing it referred to as Stream. WiiU sounds silly, but I won't lose sleep over it.

I can see why Nintendo wouldn't want to do away with the Wii brand, especially since all of its peripherals carry over. The U part is what everyone seems to have issues with. At least Wii sounds like a real word. WiiU just reminds me of that awful movie Kung Pow: Enter the Fist.

I'm not really sure why Nintendo is so attached to symbolic nomenclature. They come up with a philosophy and meaning behind the names, but you can come up with something no matter what you call it. "Stream" is a really easy name to come up with some BS meaning. If I were to keep the Wii name in tact, I would have called it "Wii Tour" and my silly philosophy would involve "touring" your house with the controller. Get it? I also have this idea for a "Jump To Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor and would have different conclusions written on it that you could jump to.

Nintendoi would also work and they could just reuse the DSi's philosophy. They wouldn't even need to come up with something new.

I didn't mind the name of Wii when it was first announced. Wii U is just stupid, though I agree that it isn't going to have an effect on its sales.

The Atari Jaguar may have been one of the worst consoles (certainly one of the worst selling anyway) of all time, but it had one of the best most badass names.

Wii-U rhymes with Pee-Yew, and that's the sort of jokes were probably going to be hearing a few years from now when Nintendo enters into its 4th consecutive mid-late generation drought. 3-4 years into the Wii-U's life cycle Nintendo will gearing up for the Wii-U2 and so the Wii-U is going to have its lineup of games cut left and right so they can be diverted to that new console... so its just going to be an endless vicious cycle.

The only way it will ever be broken is if Nintendo uses some of the resources that we all know they have to buy or create some new studios so they can be able to develop for more than one system at a time. Half the studios should still be developing for the old system while the other half works on launch titles for the new one. That seems to be how Sony and Microsoft do it, but Nintendo can only seem to manage one or the other, so that's why we have the games drought late on in each console's life. If Nintendo were in dire straits like Sega in 1999 then it would be excusable, but Nintendo has billions of dollars so why can't they do it?

ETA: Also, it would really help a lot if NOA was made more autonomous and not made up of emasculated "yes men". When Nintendo of Japan informed NOA of the name of the new console apparently no one at NOA (or any other english speaking region) had the balls to tell them how ridiculous and idiotic that "Wii-U" name sounds in the English language. Maybe in the Japanese language it has some poetic qualities or looks good in Kanji, but to those of us who read and speak English its terrible. Someone needed to tell them that. Obviously Reggie needs to be replaced. He did not kick ass or take names as he did at previous E3s. I imagine Iwata has his balls in a jar somewhere...

Their war chests go directly to R&D. Or maybe they are saving them for a rainy day that will last years.

Also, I don't recall the Wii name ever having a kanji name. I think it has been katakana or straight English. You can probably check 4gamer.net to see.
Maybe they think Wii U is cute and like cute names. Hmm, it does sound cute and fun to say. We-you!

Sure, on the one hand it sticks with the Wii brand, which is huge.  I get that.  But on the other hand, isn't it just the slightest bit confusing for consumers?  I can see it in Best Buy now..."No ma'am, that's for Wii U, not Wii.  What's the difference?  Well..."

Yeah, but it's not like the exact same confusion hasn't occured for PS2/PS3, Xbox/Xbox 360. Anyway, there is no chance in hell that Nintendo will ever change the name so I suggest everyone try to get used to it fast.

No, they're not changing the name. I'm pretty much used to it, typing it is still pretty weird because I don't know how to stylize it. Is it Wii U or WiiU or Wii-U? Gah... The only things that may change are slight changes to the controller (nothing major, I'd say something like how the original Wii remote was shorter and the Nunchuck had a larger plug) and possibly the design of the console. Unlike every other piece of hardware they've released in the past 15 years, Nintendo made a point of not emphasizing the WiiU console itself. That may suggest that it's not final. Again, nothing really major. At the same time, the original DS revealed at E3 2004 was far from final so I guess you never know.

Here in the United States its more traditional to put new Single Letters on revisions.  Perfect Example, DS -> DSi -> DSiXL(Though to be honest the XL makes it sound like it could be a different system) | 3DS->3DS for the next revision.  Something else to take into consideration is that even the gaming press is having a hard time getting a clear form of the name out and they've had to deal with some weird names. 

Since their is a young gaming presence I can see anyone under 12 having a hard time differentiating the name from Wii while speaking especially to someone who isn't into games, think Grandparents, Parents, etc..  Though as for Brand confusion on the software. 

Outside of the box the Wii and Wiiu discs will probably look the same.  I'm hoping Nintendo does not go with the White boxes used for 3DS and Wii Games.  Having distinctly different looking generic boxes from Wii will help distinguish in the store between the different games.  Sort of like a Blu-Ray disc box is a little shorter and rounded at the top to make it look different then a DVD Case.  I honestly wouldn't mind them going to a case that was just big enough to hold the 12cm disc, though that would look like a CD Case, one of the reasons DVD Cases are taller.  Another thing that will cause a bit of brand confusion is using Wii Accessories.

Its pretty easy logical leap to go from using a Wiimote as a primary controller (Which the Demos seem to be hinting you could do) and thinking this is a revision to enable the uMote.  Something it is clearly not.  Nintendo needs to make it very clear that this is a new device with everything you love about the Wii but, its not a Wii.  Its better and it is its own consoles and should be judged accordingly.  (aka The Console itself should not look like the Wii or a mini XBox 360)

According to e3.nintendo.com, it's Wii U.

I agree that there's a lot of potential for brand confusion, given the prominence of Wii remotes in all the multiplayer experiences shown thus far. I like the look of the console itself though, and see no huge reason to change it for change's sake. I just think Nintendo needs to show the unique game experiences that this console will have, and show them clearly and often.

And without the Wiimote anywhere in view.