Nintendo's Wii U

Nintendo has finally launched the successor to the Wii, none other then the appropriately named Wii U. The console revolutionizes not just video gaming but home entertainment as well. The system itself is very sleek and well built. Wii owners will feel right at home upon booting up their new console and seeing the old “TV screen wall” menu of the Wii. Miis are back, and Nintendo seems to want them to play a more central role in the console, rather than serving as a peripheral sideshow as they did in the Wii. Speaking of which, the Wii U comes with a much larger eye to online play and community than any of its predecessors ever did. You are encouraged, right from the get-go, to register an online account on the Wii U so that you can access a variety of features it has packed in. It seems like Nintendo put a dual operating system in the Wii U to accomplish the backwards compatibility.

Only one tablet is used per console (technical limitations apparently preclude the use of more), so any multiplayer games use Wiimotes for all other players. This actually opens up some pretty interesting options for multiplayer games. Having one player with access to a different controller and their own private screen hidden from their peers actually makes for some pretty interesting game play. The Wii U Gamepad is decent quality. But it's a good size, the display is nice, and for simple casual games like Nintendo Land or the New Super Mario Bros. U, it's great. the overall experience is rewarding.

Including placeholders for various third party services – specifically, Youtube, Hulu, and Amazon. At time of writing these services are not online, but bulletins on the console state that they will be activated at a later date. Now don’t get me wrong, Nintendo consoles are just that, video game consoles – not media centers, not supercomputers, just video game consoles. And that’s the whole point, that's part of the reason why the original Wii was successful – instead of bogging itself down in details or trying to do everything, as Microsoft and particularly Sony attempted to do with their respective consoles, Nintendo set out to make a machine that played video games and, in doing so, made a simple, easy-to-use piece of technology that was convenient. And if you're the type that enjoys streaming movies onto your Xbox 360 or setting up a music library on the PS3, you may be pleased to hear that Nintendo is taking its first tepid steps in that same direction. The additions of the above services certainly don't take away from Nintendo’s new gaming system.

So in summary, the new Wii U is fun, works well (especially for a new product on launch day!), has great graphics and is a must have, especially for any fans of Nintendo.