Ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) which kicks off with Microsoft’s keynote address this afternoon, Nintendo has preemptively released a ton of information about its new console, the Wii U. The full announcement video is embedded below — or read on for the highlights.
Hardware-wise, there are only two significant changes since the Wii U’s unveiling last year: the Wii U controller (now dubbed the Wii U “GamePad” or the Second Screen) now has a built-in NFC/RFID reader. This will be used to read RFID-implanted cards, though the exact extent of this functionality will no doubt be detailed tomorrow during Nintendo’s E3 keynote. Presumably, though, these cards (such as Pokemon cards) will be used to add new monsters/levels/loot to games.
The other big change is the addition of a universal infrared remote control to the Wii U Gamepad (pictured above), and the ability to pull up a TV guide. Nintendo isn’t yet sharing info on how it will obtain TV guides from various cable, satellite, and free-to-air broadcasts, but presumably it has found a way.
The Wii U Gamepad is slightly wider, too, and its flat thumbpads have flowered into full-grown analogue thumbsticks. The screen is the same size and resolution — 6.2 inches, 854×480 — and we assume it’s still a resistive touchscreen (though some rumors suggest it could become capacitive before release). The console itself and the gamepad will continue to work in unison, providing what Nintendo president Satoru Iwata calls “asymmetric diversity” (what you see on the gamepad can be wildly different from what’s on the TV). Again, to see whether this is as awesome as it sounds, we’ll have to wait for Nintendo’s E3 keynote.