Nintendo’s E3 ‘Media Presentation’ began very different than Microsoft’s or Sony’s yesterday, with an live orchestra-backed video of the 25 year history of The Legend of Zelda. This was quickly followed by the news that the next generation console from Nintendo won’t be out till ‘next year’, yep 2012 release date.
While Nintendo had committed to showing off a playable version at E3, it’s clear there is still a lot of work to go. Essentially they’re just showing the controller at E3. Developers like EA are getting on-board and will support WiiU, clearly going HD is inviting.
The WiiU controller contains a 6” touchscreen display, camera, gyroscope, stereo speakers. Along with a touchscreen (which can be used for standalone gaming), the WiiU controller also offers the standard controller joysticks, plus pad and rear triggers. The controller can integrate with your existing Wii peripherals. The introduction video showcased users browsing the web by scrolling the controller and having that reflected on the HDTV.
Gamers on the WiiU will be able to play against gamers on the 3DS. 
Amazingly Nintendo are NOT showing off the WiiU hardware. Thanks to EA Games’ we have at least had it confirmed that it will run HD graphics. To what level we don’t yet know. It’s clearly very, very early days if Nintendo aren’t showing hardware other than the controller.
After the media presentation, there was a video showcasing just how the WiiU controller would work. From the video, it looks like the expectation is that WiiU owners will only have one WiiU controller, while other players still use WiiMotes. Could this be a cost-related issue ?
When viewed from the side it did look alarming bulky, but its important to note there is a stand at the back, so the controller isn’t as thick as it seems, remember thin costs money people. It’ll be interesting to see how developers make use of the dual-screen setup of controller vs big screen, but the inclusion of physical buttons is an important one.
Expect more information regarding the WiiU to be released over the coming days and months.
Check out the video of the WiiU announcement below.
