Game Pad

Nintendo's E3 audience 's new Wii console-U is an overwhelming response

Nintendo has the name of its new Wii console U. The machine, set to launch next year and previously known under the working title is Project Caf? is - as expected - complete with a controller function 6.2in ??touch-screen controls and motion sensors, as well as the usual number of buttons and analog sticks.

No pricing information was during the company 's packed pre-E3 press conference announced, but the architecture is a much more powerful than the Wii, supports HD video in 1080p and is therefore in the same performance bracket as the Xbox 360 and PS3. It is also compatible with previous Wii controller and the Wii Fit Balance Board, although peripheral with a new "Zapper ', which is like a Wiimote coming acts.

Explanation of the meaning of the name, said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, it was a continuation of word games that launched with Wii, which designed to act like "we", ie including social and sound. The U stands for "You", highlighting the fact that the players in a position to games either on TV or on the controller 's very own screen. "Can it stand for a unique, coherent or utopian? The answer is yes, all these" he claimed.

Large screens showed videos of several players with the technology. One was someone playing a golf game in which the touch screen controller located on the ground in order to represent the down position. A ball on the screen, and the player is more than it did with a Wii Remote like a club, they then perform a swinging action belt the virtual ball on the fairway. In another demo, the touch pad acts as the sights on a weapon with the player moves the controller into different target areas of the screen. Some games will also employ the controller like a shield, it moved to attack to block.

But it 's the fact that the game experience from TV to the small screen in an instant, that is the most obvious suggestion can be turned on. "The new controller for Wii underground with its built-screen means that you have to give up don 't your game, if someone else comes into the room and wants to see a TV program," said Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata.

The presence of a forward-facing camera on the controller also allows for video chats appear with a friend in a small window on the TV while the game plays the biggest part of the screen. "We want a strong bond between the games, TV and Internet and create in a similar way between you and your friends your family," said Iwata. "This includes using the TV-screen videos that you enjoy \ found online or enjoy video chat, even if you re 'in front of the television."

Several games were for the new console, including a new version of the popular multiplayer fighting game Super Smash Brothers, the owners, it is the 3DS and Wii versions of the game U play against each other announced. Wii is also the U exlcusive Lego City Stories game of Lego Star Wars creator TT Games - an open world filled with adventure custiomisable vehicles.

Nintendo showed a lot of support from third-party publisher. Key titles like Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman: Arkham City and Assassin 's Creed is coming to the console. There was a definite attempt to show that, unlike the casual gamer-friendly Wii, Wii U will also be geared towards the hardcore gamer audience. "This system was designed to appeal to all people \ especially experienced players," Iwata said. It is an interesting move for Nintendo, a return to earlier machines such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the N64, which attracted a loyal user base "core" player.

The E3 audience gave the panel an overwhelming response, and with enormous support from industry, this is another potential revolution of the company that has always renewed by ideas rather than technical specifications. "U Wii will change the way you play the game," Fils-Aime promised. It is a boast in the past, Nintendo has often made, most recently with its console, Nintendo 3DS, and it's a swagger of veteran producer is more than capable of delivering on.