Credit: Nintendo
This is not the console. This is the controller.
  • Nintendo
  • This is not the console. This is the controller.

Nintendo has unveiled a new console, dubbed “Wii U,” and the Internet is in love.

In a gross way. With fluids.

In short, the console features HD graphics up to 1080p and controllers that sport 6-inch touchscreens and cameras.

More impressively however, is the system’s already robust games lineup. All the Nintendo classics will be getting Wii U sequels as per usual, though the third party publisher support is the real coup here. Everything from Madden to Ninja Gaiden to Street Fighter will be appearing on the Wii U, bucking the trend of Nintendo consoles relying entirely on the appeal of Super Mario Bros. and the latest Legend of Zelda sequel to draw customers.

Despite the gushing hyperbolic praise my colleagues offer across the ‘net, the best source for quality information on the device is Nintendo’s own website. It’s got videos of the console in action, screenshots from upcoming games, and an annoyingly pristine white aesthetic.

Barring delays, the Wii U will go on sale sometime next year. No pricing details have yet been offered, but I’d expect the thing to weigh in at under $300.

3 replies on “E3 2011: Nintendo Unveils New Console, Internet Collectively Orgasms”

  1. Under $300 is unrealistic. I know that’s the starting price point for the Wii when it originally launched, but the 3DS runs for $250. How are you going to keep customers from feeling ripped off when your handheld is only $50 cheaper than the full home console. I’d venture more like $350 at the lowest, perhaps more like $400 with a price drop relatively soon after release.

  2. I disagree. The goal of all new consoles is to get as many units into the homes of prospective players as possible. Combine that motivation with the relatively low-tech approach Nintendo is taking here — it looks shiny, but in truth the Wii U is just a clever lashing together of existing, well-worn technologies — and the price tag drops considerably.

    This isn’t Sony attempting to wow users with amazing graphics, it’s Nintendo attempting to maintain the huge userbase it acquired with the innovative Wii by offering a new way to play with already familiar (thus not terrifying to the elderly or small children) concepts.

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