written by: Ben Kuchera


It’s a little unnerving to be sitting in a room with four Nintendo representatives looking at you, along with one of the most mysterious upcoming pieces of hardware in the business. There were multiple Wii U consoles in the room, each one complete with the innovative controller that looks like the love child of a standard gaming peripheral and an iPad. I was told that Nintendo wouldn’t be showing me anything new at CES; all the game demos I would be playing were already shown at E3.


I could ask questions, of course, but I quickly realized doing so would be a waste of time.

We played through the tech demos from E3, and they remained fun. The hide-and-seek game where the player with the controller can see everyone on the field and the other four players try to hunt that player using standard Wii controllers is a good time. It’s interesting to work with the other players to try to tackle the one who is “it,” and the ability to see everyone as they close in on you when you hold the main controller is thrilling. I was again warned that this was just an example of the kind of game we could see on the system. I asked if there was a single title they could name that was in active development for the Wii U. “We’re not talking about that yet,” was the reply.


Okay, well…. How powerful is the system? They wouldn’t answer any of my specific questions about the innards of the system, but I was handed a single piece of paper with a few hints. The Wii U contains an IBM Power-based multicore microprocessor, and an AMD Radeon-based GPU. It will play proprietary 12 cm discs as well as Wii discs. When using the Wii controllers, you’ll be using the same sensor bar as the Wii. Just in case none of this is vague enough, the page says that all these details are subject to change.

We talked about a few features, such as the ability developers will have to keep the screen clear of clutter by moving information to the screen built into the controller. “Imagine a FIFA game,” one of the gentlemen says as we talk about the possibilities of the hardware, before reminding me that there is no announced FIFA game coming to the Wii U. I nodded to show my understanding. I asked if it would be okay to take a picture of the hardware, and everyone nodded solemnly. The hardware is white and shiny but surprisingly heavy. It’s an inviting console, and I didn’t feel scared to pick it up and take a look at it in detail. The aesthetics of the hardware don’t feel too far removed from the Wii.

“So is this what the hardware will look like when it launches?” I asked. That is still being worked on. “But we can expect something close to this in terms of fit and finish?” I asked. They said they’re not talking about that yet. They joked that the final design will be something you’ll be able to swallow. I began to feel like everyone was messing with me, but in a rather pleasant way. It’s hard to feel threatened, or even stonewalled, while playing a Nintendo game.

The new controller is an impressive thing to hold in your hands. It feels solid and comfortable, and nothing about it marks it as a weak link. The screen itself is bright and beautiful, much clearer than the screen on an iPad, and even small details of the games are able to be seen clearly. The controller’s speakers also do a good job of delivering information to the player via audio clues. I could easily see playing entire games without a TV, using just the screen on the controller. I asked about the possibility of playing Wii games in high definition, and was flatly told that the hardware will not be able to improve the resolution of Wii games.

The Wii U is an interesting system, but Nintendo is keeping a tight lid on almost every detail about what’s in it, what games are coming, and damn near everything else. I expect to get many more details at this year’s E3, but until then we’ll open the floor to rampant speculation.

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I dont blame Nintendo for being so Hush hush about this console, so many times I've seen Sony and Microsoft just rip their stuff off (Miis, Motion Controls, etc) They are like Sharks prowling around just waiting for new ideas to steal. So go ahead and be and not release any details I understand.

thoughts?