Nintendo was on hand at CES 2012 with the Wii U. Holding the Wii U controller is your hand is… unusual. I caught glimpses of ghosting when switching camera angles during a Zelda demo scene, but as the Nintendo reps in the room kept repeating, none of this was final hardware so we’ll see if that little issue persists after launch.

The Nintendo representatives in the room repeatedly referred to the Wii U as providing a second window for gaming as opposed to offering just a second screen. The controller and TV screens can work independently of each other, and that really sunk in during a demo in which a camera navigated some Japanese streets. I played a few short demo games with the reps in the room, the first of which was Chase Mii. Essentially a Mario-themed game of tag, one player held the Wii U remote and got both a top-down and a third-person view of themselves on the map while players wielding Wii remotes tried to catch him. Battle Mii on the other hand pitted Wiimote-toting players again a UFO piloted by the player with the Wii U controller, who had to use the screen as a viewfinder and physically move in order to aim.

I’ve always gotten the vibe from Nintendo that the style or glamor of their hardware is secondary to their gaming experiences, and it almost feels like the Wii U was designed to blend into the background while players do their thing.

As much as I like the Wii U, it isn’t as though Nintendo doesn’t have some obstacles to surmount. At this stage, the Wii U is a blank canvas. There’s incredible potential here for developers to create truly novel and engaging gameplay experiences, but will they? Next time you’re in a big box electronics store, check out the discount games bin. I’ll bet you five internet dollars that cheap, lousy Wii games outnumber all the others. One of Nintendo’s biggest hurdles will be in keeping the crap-to-cool game ratio from skewing toward the former; hardly an easy task, but one that could make the entire Wii U-owning experience one to covet.

Specifications

• 1.8×6.8×10.5″
• 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i
• IBM Power®-based multi-core microprocessor
• Video over HDMI, Component, Composite, S-Video
• 4 USB 2.0 slots
• Internal Flash memory, expandable via SD card slot or USB drive
• Supports all Wii controllers and input devices (i.e. balance board, nunchuk)
• Backward compatible with all Wii games

Nintendo Wii U Hands On

Wii U Zelda – HD Gameplay Demo (E3 2011)

E3 2011: Wii U Chase Mii HD Demo

Wii U Battle Mii – E3 2011: Hands On Demo

Source [Tech Crunch]