Nintendo Wii U

With the gaming console market heating up, Nintendo has introduced its new console: Nintendo Wii U. The first Nintendo Wii has sold more consoles than XBOX 360 and Playstation 3. The reason for this could be seen in that the Wii is marketed more towards a family experience, rather than an overall gaming experience. Beyond that, the Wii is less expensive than its counterparts XBOX 360 and Playstation 3. One of the major points of discussion about the Wii was the fact that it did not have HD graphics like their competitors do. Nintendo Wii U has not only answered that calling, but has brought the gaming console to a whole new level.

Audio/Video
The new Wii U will support all TV outputs including 1080p. The first Wii only came with standard definition graphics which many people questioned considering their competitors both have HD graphics. The standard graphics could be attributed to the infancy of motion gaming and the fact that Nintendo wanted a better gaming experience rather than graphics at first. The new beefed up Wii U does support 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i and p video through an HDMI connection. The Wii U also supports component, composite, and S-video connections, though for the best sound and graphics it is recommended to use an HDMI connection. Now that the Wii U has stepped up to the plate with HD graphics, an HDMI connection can be used. This is the best connection to date not only for video, but also sound to the TV. By using an HDMI output for sound, the Wii U delivers six-channel PCM linear sound. PCM linear is the form in which the sound on the disc is stored. This is one of the best formats of sound delivery available today. With six-channel formatting, the sound experience has been surely updated. The Wii U still comes with AV multi out port for connection to non-HD TVs and external audio devices that accept the red and white audio cables.

Controller
The new Wii U controller is something to behold. Measuring in at 6.2 inches with a 16:9 touchscreen in the center, the new Wii U controller is an innovative aspect to the gaming world. All the buttons associated with Nintendo controller are included: Home and power button, +Control Pad(think first Nintendo pad) A/B/X/Y front buttons, L/R bumper buttons, and ZL/ZR trigger buttons are included on the new controller along with two new analog circle pads. The new Wii U controller will help separate the need for used space on the TV by using a wide screen format touchscreen. This will create a second window into the game being played. Included on the new controller as well is a camera, microphone, a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope(for driving games like Mario Cart), stereo speakers, rumble feature, sensor strip, and a stylus writing pen. The controller is battery operated, but is rechargeable. All previous Wii controllers are usable on the new system as well. One new controller is included with the system and up to four controllers can be used at a time. The Wii U controller is almost a gaming system inside a gaming system and should prove to bring a whole new era of gaming to the industry.


Hardware/Other
The Wii U has definitely stepped up its hardware capabilities. It could almost be said that it has doubled the systems power. Updating Nintendo’s use of IBM and ATI, the Wii U uses a multi-core IBM processor with a custom built AMD/ATI HD graphics GPU(graphics processing unit) to throw their hat in the ring for HD graphics with a powerful processor to boot. Nintendo also significantly updated their storage capacity. Sticking with their internal flash drive, the Wii U has an 8GB storage capacity boost from the old 512MB Wii storage. The Wii U also boasts 4 USB 2.0 ports over the old Wii’s 2 ports. This can come in handy when adding storage capabilities when using USB memory drives along with the newly added SD memory slot. One noticeable item that Nintendo has not come out with is what the Internet capabilities of the Wii U will be. While there is sure to be an Ethernet connection along with wireless access, nobody is for certain what the Wii nation is to expect when it comes to access and capabilities for online gaming. Another item missing from the Wii U, that was on the Wii, is ports for the Gamecube. This was a widely popular add on among Nintendo aficionados as the Gamecube controllers were very popular due to their ergonomic feel.

Overall the Nintendo Wii U is definitely going to make a wave in the gaming console industry. With its amplified processing and graphics power along with a new controller that is probably going to rewrite gaming controls, the Wii U has made a great leap into its 6th generation gaming system. Though there are still some parts of the Wii U that are yet to be seen as far as Internet and gaming capabilities, Nintendo has listened to the masses as to what they want from a motion gaming unit with a unique perspective.