Nintendo revealed it’s latest console today, the Wii U (pronounced We You). They spent most of the reveal featuring the controller, not a single glimpse of the console itself - had to go to Kotaku to see it. Overall, it’s pretty much in keeping with all the rumors that have circulated these past 3 months. Here are my impressions:

The System

An HD console that can transmit a video feed to the controller with no latency. That’s quite impressive! Even if the game operated at a reduced resolution on the Wii U controller, this form of real-time local broadcasting would be a technical achievement.

The controller was the star of the E3 reveal (the console was not even shown until the press release), and it features all the bells and whistles you’d expect. Two cameras, gyroscope, microphone, touchscreen (with stylus), rumble feature, and motion sensor are the major features. Nintendo President Iwata stressed this is not for portable gaming, as the controller is tethered to the console for all of the displayed info. But you can be forgiven for confusing this for a mobile device. I think this controller is very formidable, if a little unwieldy - more on that later.

No TV no problem. A major feature of this system was the ability to transfer your game from the TV to the controller. Like when your girlfriend wants to kick you off the TV to watch reality shows, your game is then ported to the Wii U controller instantly. A handy feature for sure.

The console would be compatible with Wii games and Wii peripherals, such as the Wiimote, Classic Controller, and Balance Board to name a few. This is a smart move, as console manufacturers like to milk consumers into buying many add-ons for their consoles. Fortunately you only have to upgrade the main hardware.

The Looks

Nintendo is taking a more evolved approach to this console, opting for a curvy update to the current Wii. This is the first time Nintendo hasn’t strayed too far in appearance from the prior system when it comes to their consoles. There may be a risk of confusing some people between the two systems, but those are fringe cases.

The console is smaller than I expected it to be for an HD system. I figured it would be more in line with the 360 and PS3. It’s a sexy Apple-inspired piece of hardware, but loses marks for that ugly hatch in the front.

The controller is much bigger than I anticipated, possibly too big for prolonged use (jury is out on how heavy it is). When I look at it now, I see a lot of real estate that could be condensed, especially above and below the screen. The buttons and directional inputs could be placed closer to the screen as well. Anything to help make the overall controller a little more compact. Something like what I predicted a few months back.

The controller does look nice and sleek, despite it’s size. Unmistakeable Nintendo design, which is always a good thing in my opinion. Though I would like to see a black version personally.

Issues

You can lay the controller down on a table and play games like checkers with a friend. But the clever overhead camera angle used in the video presentation disguised the fact the controller is sitting at an angle (not lying flat on the table), as there is a protruded surface on the back of the controller where the shoulder and trigger buttons are located. An iPad it is not. You can see what I mean here.

The third-party games like Ninja Gaiden and Ghost Recon are a huge graphical improvement from the Wii. However I noticed many of the environments in the background looked sparse and simple. Does the system run in HD but have limitations that will cause a few trade-offs? Remember: the 3DS port of Street Fighter 4 has static backgrounds, due to hardware limitations (albeit it was a console port to begin with).

Seems like there will only be one Wii U controller with the screen operating in tandem with a bunch of vanilla Wiimotes. So only one Wii U controller per system? Will only one person in a group get the full Wii U gameplay experience?

They showed the Wii U controller mounted on a gun attachment, but at a rather forgiving angle (almost in a profile shot). Would the 9″ wide controller look comically huge on a gun attachment?

Likes

Enough negativity! I actually like the potential of this console. I’m already thinking up a number of ways that controller could be employed for games. And I think that speaks to the design and functionality of the Wii U.

Using the Wii U controller as a secondary screen to the TV is essentially turning the console into a giant DS, which has many proven gameplay traits. I think Advance Wars for the Wii U would be a blast.

Drawing on the Wii U controller. Being something of an artist, this looks like a great feature. They demo’d someone drawing tattoos on a game character. Looks fun.

It wasn’t really touched on in E3, but this console appears to be home to an online experience that parallels Xbox Live and Playstation Network, an area Nintendo has not been very good at.

I like the backward compatibility aspect of this console. Used to be you’d buy a ton of new peripherals when you upgrade to the next-gen console. The Wii library isn’t too bad, and I won’t have reservations picking up Zelda: Skyward Sword, a game that is being released at the end of the Wii life cycle.

Overall

A console with a lot of potential that will benefit from the very best of what the previous-gen Wii has to offer. With a year until launch, I hope Nintendo can make the controller a little more compact. Looking forward to it’s launch in fall 2012.