Whether or not you’re a Nintendo fan, you can’t fault this gaming company for a lack of innovation. Nintendo has always gone against the norm, and nothing proved this more than the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii. When other gaming consoles were providing serious gamers a serious platform, Nintendo saw an opportunity to create a console for “everyone else.” This gamble paid off, and the Nintendo Wii sold like hotcakes during the first few months of its inception.

As you may already know, Nintendo has been working on a new Wii system (called the Wii U) for some time now. In June of 2011, the technorati first began speculations about the new console, and Nintendo made some interesting announcements. Now, almost eight months later, Nintendo has unveiled a Wii U prototype at the CES conference in Las Vegas. What Nintendo showed the public was somewhat shocking: a Wii console that came with a touchscreen controller.

The Touchscreen Choice

The main reason why critics aren’t so sure about the new Wii controller is that it kind of goes against what the Wii currently stands for. If you’ve played with a Wii console before, you know that the small “Wiimotes” are more than half of the fun. No other console on the market includes small joysticks that can be waved through the air in the hopes of controlling an onscreen player. After all, what would Wii Tennis be without using a Wiimote? Now, it seems, Nintendo is doing away with the popular controllers for a type of device that seems to reflect the smartphone world.
Reports from the CES conference state that the current Wii U touchscreen remote is as large as the actual Wii U console.

For Nintendo, the point of the large controller is to allow many people to use the controller at once, and touchscreen always responds faster than other remotes. Yet, some Wii gamers aren’t thrilled about this choice (granted, Wii fans will have to try the new touchscreen option before criticizing Nintendo’s new remotes). On the positive (depend on how you look at it) side of things, Nintendo has stated that the old Wiimotes will be available for use with the console as well. However, the touchscreen controller is what you’ll get when you buy the console for the first time.

Availability and Wait Time

I know, and Nintendo knows, that you are anxious to see what the Wii U can do – after all, this console has been talked about for a very long time now! Sadly, Nintendo is just testing out the console at the CES conference. Nintendo has told press that the console will not be available for consumer sale until June of 2012. Sorry, Wii fans, you’ll have to wait another six months to test out the new Nintendo offering.

Even if you don’t have high hopes for the Wii U touchscreen remote, this console will be worth testing once it arrives. Think of it this way: when has Nintendo ever let its fans down? Chances are, the Wii U will rock just as much as the Wii did (even with a touchscreen remote).