Project Cafe Becomes Wii U.

After months of speculation, the new console from Nintendo has been revealed to be the Wii U.  Showcasing the ability to use the controller as a new way to extend the game with its 6.1 inch display was a theme throughout the press conference.  Unfortunately, with a 6.1 inch display and a large border to hold onto, this thing is absolutely gigantic looking in a normal person's hands.  The scale reminds me if you shrunk the screen of an iPad a bit and added some physical buttons to each side.  Interesting as well was the noticeable absence of the actual console.  Apart from some looks from a distance in some of the trailers, it was completely MIA.  What little there was to see resembled the existing Wii, although this could very well just be a prop made for the video.  The only thing we heard about the console itself is that it would be backward compatible with the original Wii and its peripherals, and that it would be an HD console.

Back to the controller though.  Unlike the console, the specs on the controller were laid out pretty nicely.  It's the first Nintendo controller ever to have a standard dual analog layout.  This is coupled with 8 input buttons, featuring four face buttons, two triggers, and two bumpers.  It also has a front and rear facing camera, and of course, the ginormous 6.1 inch touch screen in the center.  It was not revealed if this was a multitouch capable screen, and I would venture to say that it likely isn't since it wasn't mentioned.  Is the Wii U Controller Plus in our future?

It was shown in a few unique ways that certainly gives developers some things to think about.  It's main thrust was that in much the same way the DS line of handhelds allowed you to have one thing on the main screen and another on the lower screen, this allowed you to do the same.  From using an interesting AR technique in pointing the flat side toward the screen and using the rear camera to display a piece of the big screen on the controller, to actually laying the controller on the floor to show your lie for a golf shot and swinging with the Wii Remote.  Another big feature showcased was the ability to play the game on either the big screen or the controller itself via the system's streaming capability.  The first shot in the demo reel showed a kid stopping his game so his dad could watch a baseball game while he picked the controller back up and played some Mario.  There was a lot to digest in the conference that I'm sure someone would find interesting that I missed, but I hope I hit the high points.

The big thing that Nintendo fans get to take away is the myriad of hardcore titles announced for the system.  Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman Arkham City, Metro Last Light, Ninja Gaiden 3, Assassin's Creed Revelations, and more were announced to be in development for the console.  In addition, John Riccitello, CEO of Electronic Arts took the stage and pondered what it would be like to play Madden, Battlefield 3, and many other EA games on the console and confirmed EA's support of it.  It appears that Nintendo finally has the third party support it has lacked since the Super Nintendo days.

For all the positive things and all the announcements made, many question still linger.  What does the console actually look like?  How much storage will it have?  How will it connect to the Internet?  How will you link up with friends?  Surely all of this couldn't be mentioned today, but at least some things related to the console itself could have been announced.  In true Nintendo secretive fashion, I suppose we'll have to wait for another day to learn about the console.