Wii U KICKS OFF GAMING'S NEW ERA

While Xbox 720 and PS4 are keeping us waiting, the E3 expo wafted plenty of new hardware under our noses. We grabbed it with both, battle-scarred hands...

A year since T3 was flown out to LA to play a prototype and a full four years since the console was first conceived, Nintendo's follow-up to the Wii was back in the limelight at games fest E3 and we got hands-on again. The sheer number of ways to play the Wii U remains a difficult sell to Joe Public - no two games seem to act in the same way - but the potential for its many inputs is massive, and its "second screen" crux is now officially this year's gaming trend. We outline the big updates below, yet no retail price or release date had been released as we went to press. This is going to come out, right?
NINTENDO.CO.UK, OUT WINTER 2012

{ The Kit }

Nin tendo's never-ending console evolution...

The controllers
The above motion-sensing, screen-touting slab has been renamed, in a retro NES nod, the GamePad. In a hardcore turn, the circle pads have changed to analogue sticks while a no-screen, Xbox-alike pad is on its way.
The connectivity
That little square to the screen's left is a new NFC window for transferring data from Nintendo's online service, which, unlike Xbox Live, is free. The newly social Miiverse network will be available on phones.
The base station
Only ever seen hiding behind the GamePad in pics, the current console is actually really big, but it's still not final build as yet. Specs are still sketchy but while it's very much HD, the PS3 need not worry, let alone the PS4.
The games
While Activision support is noticeable by its absence, Ubisoft's London-based survival horror Zombie U is great. Yet while New Super Mario Bros U is nice and all, Nintendo needs to get more big guns blazing for release.