Nintendo Wii U

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• High definition display, up to 1080p resolution via HDMI output
• 6.2" touchscreen on New Controller, running in non-HD resolution
• Internal flash-based media storage, upgradeable via USB and SD carts
• Games ship on proprietary iDensity discs of unspecified, but "large capacity"
• Games will also be available as downloadable content
• Console compatible with Wii games and devices
• Release date between April 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012; or after the end of Nintendo's fiscal year

Δελτίο Τύπου:

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2011 – At the E3
Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.

Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E3 Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:

• In single-player games:
o The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.
o The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.

• In multiplayer games:
o The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller™ button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.

Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.

“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. “The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”
(Rest of PR covers 3DS and Zelda stuff at the conference)

AMD and Nintendo Join Forces To Create A New Way To Enjoy Console Gaming Entertainment

AMD’s custom HD graphics processor enables immersive HD multimedia gaming entertainment for Nintendo’s new Wii U™ console

IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U

IBM tells us that within the Wii U there's a 45nm custom chip with "a lot" of embedded DRAM (shown above). It's a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn't give us the chip's clock speeds, but if it's good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it'll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.

Previews:
http://kotaku.com/5808706/weve-playe...motion-control
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...-games-console
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/117/1173582p1.html
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/n...irst-hands-on/

Trailers:
http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/nint...ii-u-tech-demo

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