Thoughts on the Wii U

With E3 dwindling down, a lot of attention will be focused on Nintendo's new console entry, the Wii U. Codenamed Project Café, the system has been in development for a little more than two years. With no major announcement from either Sony or Microsoft, it's no great stretch to say Nintendo stole the show. But, gamers being gamers, this has been met with no shortage of criticism.

The main target of this censure is the controller. With it's large, 6.2 inch touch screen, it's like no other controller we've used, at least on a home console. Naturally, this has drawn a lot of comments that it's an "iPad with buttons". Honestly, I trust Nintendo with this thing. When the Wii was announced, it's motion controller drew a lot of the same criticism. six years later, the relatively simple step forward has revolutionized the industry. Sony and Microsoft have thrown their support behind motion control with their Move and Kinect controllers, and there are numerous cheap systems lining drug store shelves that use the same type of controller. Nintendo has been making money hand over fist. Needless to say, they know what they're doing.

Other features of the system are what we've been clamoring for ever since the Wii's release. HD output up to 1080p, high-density discs for bigger games, HDMI output, and more processing power for graphically-intensive games. It seems the main problem gamers are focusing on is the controller, to which I say, you haven't played it yet. Give it time. Try it out first. I completely understand being critical of it, but not to the point where you outright say it's bad.



I trust Nintendo. They're completely aware of what they do, and they aren't going to put out a product that isn't good. After the gaming revolution that was the Wii, I'm sure they had trouble coming up with the next big thing, but I think they hit the nail on the head. The new controller offers an exciting new direction in how we control our games, from something as simple as a personal menu in your hand, to a secret screen where you can plot your attacks hidden from the view of your friends. Depending on the price, I'll likely be lining up, day one, to get this new system. Hopefully, gamers can put prejudices aside and see this system for what it really is; a game-changer.