Wii U

The Wii U is Nintendo's latest upcoming console and the successor to the Wii. It was announced during Nintendo's conference at E3 2011. The main feature of the Wii U is the GamePad, which a 6.2 inch touch screen in the center with the traditional to the left of the screen and the, , , and  buttons to the right. The GamePad has two, one on each side of the screen and over the traditional buttons. The and  buttons are located behind the GamePad, as are the  and  buttons. Below the screen is the button, situated between the  select button and  start button. The button is directly below the screen. It can be used with a stylus and features a frontal camera, a microphone, a stereo speaker, sensor strip, rumble system, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, rechargeable battery and built-in flash memory to store data. Using the controller, one can browse the internet, send videos, and flip channels. Games for this console can be played on the TV screen, the controller screen, or a combination of both.

The game console is similar in appearance to the Wii, except with rounder sides and a slot to insert 12-centimetre proprietary high-density optical discs as well as the Wii's DVD optical discs. The console can play high-definition games at 1080p, the first of Nintendo's consoles to manufacture. The console itself is approximately 1.8 inches tall, 6.8 inches wide, and 10.5 inches long. The Wii U supports all of the controllers (and respective peripherals) used with the Wii: the Wii Remote, the Nunchuk controller, the Wii Remote Plus, the Classic Controller, the Classic Controller Pro, and the Wii Balance Board. However, it is not compatible with the Nintendo GameCube hardware or software, unlike the Wii. Currently, the Wii U has support for only two controllers, thus leading to the possibility of six-player games if four players using the Wii Remote control are included. Like Nintendo's previous home consoles, it will not play DVDs or Blu-ray discs. The console will have internal flash memory, as well as the option to expand its memory using either an SD memory card or an external USB hard disk drive. Games will also be digitally downloaded from the console.

The final format of the Wii U will be unveiled at E3 2012.

There was a Nintendo Direct on 6/3/12 showing off new capabilities of the Wii U. Such as the ability of the Wii U gamepad to be used as a TV remote, the Wii U Controller Pro, Miiverse & An improved browser. 

Mario Games Confirmed

 * Super Smash Bros. (tentative title)
 * Untitled Super Mario Bros. game

Trivia

 * This is the first Nintendo home console since the SNES to share a portion of its name with its predecessor.
 * According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, the Wii U was never shown to Nintendo's software development team prior to its unveiling at E3 2011.
 * While players might have the option of downloading Nintendo GameCube games on the Wii U, it is not known if other consoles will be represented.