Nintendo?s latest console has had something of a rough start. It wasn?t totally clear at the official unveiling what was actually announced, and then later on it was made clear that this was a whole new console. The Wii U is Nintendo?s grand attempt at combining the explosive popularity of the original Wii and the unique gaming experience found in the Nintendo DS in the living room. But what exactly are we getting on November 18?
Console
Nintendo is the last of the consoles to push HD gaming as a standard feature, and doing so means they need the hardware to make that happen. The Wii U is an entirely new console in a familiar looking glossy white or black shell. The console itself is only slightly larger than the original Wii, and almost always laying flat in promotional shots, partially hidden behind that tablet GamePad controller. It?s the guts Nintendo want you to hide away under your TV.
Driving the new HD Wii U experience is an Radeon GPU from AMD along with an IBM ?Broadway? tri-core processor. Nintendo hasn?t divulged specifics about either the CPU or GPU yet. The two models being offered, Basic ($299.99) and Deluxe ($349.99), are identical interally with the excpetion to the storage. The Basic package will have 8GB of onboard storage, while the Deluxe ships with 32GB. Both models will also have the ability to add removable storage through any of the four USB slots. Any USB storage device will be usable for additional storage, but only after being formatted to function with the Wii U file system.
The Wii U will be able to connect to just about any TV, be it through HDMI, S-Video, D-Terminal, Component, or AV and actually ships with a HDMI cable in the box. Onboard WiFi includes 802.11 b/g/n, but also allows for a USB to Ethernet connection for wired access to the Internet. The AV Multi-Out connector allows for analog stereo connections, while HDMI is used for audio otherwise.
Controllers
The star of the Wii U show is the all new controller. The Wii U GamePad is a huge 1.1lb controller with a 6.2-inch LCD touchscreen taking center stage. What makes this GamePad unique is how it interacts with the games on the Wii U. The new controller acts almost as a standalone gaming console when in range of the Wii U. There?s still a lot of unknowns when it comes to its features, like the resolution of the screen or the capacity of the rechargeable batteriey, but so far the GamePad feels like a great addition to the Wii U experience.
Both versions of the console will come with one of the GamePads and you can only use one at launch. During the Wii U presentation, Reggie Flls-Aime explained that since there were already over 100,000 Wii remotes in circulation, they didn?t feel the need to include one with the console for player two. They will, however, be selling Wii U branded motion controllers, but chances are you have a Wii lying around and spare controllers to make use of.
The Nintendo press release confirms the Wii U only supports one GamePad and multiple Wii motion controllers at launch, but some applications and games will possibly support multiple GamePads in the future. When I spoke to Nintendo employees at the US launch event I was told that applications like Nintendo TVii supported two GamePads, allowing the users to access separate profiles and control the television individually. There were no two GamePad demonstrations to show this off, so if it is going to become available it will be part of a future update Nintendo rolls out. Don?t be surprised if it doesn?t appear though, as there?s thought to be technical problems relating to handling communication of multiple GamePads.
Not sold with the console, but sure to be available everywhere with the Wii U is the new Pro controller. This accessory bears a striking resemblance to some of the other console controllers on the market right now, but the button layout is just different enough to set them apart when you see them side by side. The Pro controller feels incredibly familiar, and playing games on it is very comfortable.
Other Accessories
As mentioned above, if you want to play multiplayer games then you are going to need a few Wiimotes and Nunchuks. The Wii versions are compatible with the Wii U, but Nintendo is taking the opportunity to rebrand its Wii peripherals and offer them as true Wii U accessories.
Depending on which version of the console you get you may also want or need to invest in a stand for your console and controller. The other confirmed official accessory is a mic. Beyond that we are sure to get a mass of third-party accessories. GamePad screen protectors, charging cables, battery extender add-ons, and of course storage units for the games. All of which is expected to join the Wii U on its November 18 launch day.
Final Thoughts
When the Wii U is released in November, it will be the first next-gen console on the market with Microsoft and Sony expected launch new hardware within the next couple of years. The Wii U launch is timed just right to catch the holiday season, but will be the most expensive console on the market. Will that count against it? The answer to that question will ultimately come down to the games and just how good Nintendo TVii turns out to be.
What Nintendo has achieved is another unique console that has everyone wondering whether it?s any good. But Nintendo will take that as a positive because we all had the same feeling in the weeks before the Wii launched.
Source: http://www.geek.com/articles/games/dissecting-the-wii-u-hardware-20120914/
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