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Wii U Officially Revealed


Nintendo has officially revealed their new console at their E3 press conference. Well, they only really focused on the controller side of things, but that's more than enough to give players a taste of what's possible.

Here's the first shots, and details of the Nintendo Wii U.



Size
Approximately 1.8 inches tall, 6.8 inches wide and 10.5 inches long.

Controller
The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analog Circle Pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world.

The rechargeable controller includes a Power button, Home button, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. It includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.

Other Controls
Up to four Wii Remoteâ„¢ (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers can be connected at once. The new console supports all Wiiâ„¢ controllers and input devices, including the Nunchukâ„¢ controller, Classic Controllerâ„¢, Classic Controller Proâ„¢ and Wii Balance Boardâ„¢.

Media
A single self-loading media bay will play 12-centimeter proprietary high-density optical discs for the new console, as well as 12-centimeter Wii optical discs.

Video Output
Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, component, S-video and composite.

Audio Output
Uses AV Multi Out connector. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI.

Storage
The console will have internal flash memory, as well as the option to expand its memory using either an SD memory card or an external USB hard disk drive.

CPU
IBM Power®-based multi-core microprocessor.

Other
Four USB 2.0 connector slots are included.



The touchscreen on the new controller can be used to complement the game running on your main tv, or if you don't have the tv available you can play the game solely on the controller's touchscreen, with the main console transmitting video to the controller.

Not much was mentioned by Nintendo about the specifications of the console itself, but it's worth noting that EA boss John Ricitello teased Battlefield, so it must be powerful enough to run the Frostbite engine.

During the presentation of the Wii U, there was a realistic styled Zelda video. While it's not clear whether this is merely a tech demo or from a title in development, it shows us the graphical capabilities that the console can deliver.

EDIT: This is a tech demo simply called HD Experience, and demonstrates the console's graphical capabilities at handling a Zelda game using the Twilight Princes art style.

The Nintendo Wii U is set for a 2012 release.
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