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Nintendo’s pre-E3 Wii U special wrapped up about an hour ago now. Did you see it? Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to my PC in time to watch the live-stream from the beginning, but I did catch the last half. If you didn’t catch all of it either, Nintendo has uploaded the complete presentation to YouTube, which I have embedded here for easy viewing (after watching what I missed first, naturally).<\/p>\n
If you don’t care to watch — it is a bit slow and dull, I have to say — here are the highlights:<\/p>\n
– The Wii U tablet controller has been redesigned slightly from the prototype and is now officially called the Wii U GamePad, harkening back to the old NES gamepad. What’s different about the final design? Well, it has full, in-clicking analog sticks rather than Nintendo 3DS-style circle pad sliders. That’s a smart upgrade for sure. The button layout has been shifted a bit to offset the D-pad from the left analog stick and the face buttons from the right analog stick for added comfort. The handgrips are now said to be easier to hold as well. Finally, there’s an NFC reader\/writer space underneath the D-pad which will allow for scanning certain cards and figures. On the downside, the GamePad does look like it’s a tad bulkier than the prototype. I still have concerns about holding that sucker for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n
– The Wii U GamePad will function as a universal remote, meaning it can double as a TV remote control even when the Wii U itself is not in use. Now that’s pretty neat, Nintendo!<\/p>\n
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– For more core-style games, a Wii U Pro Controller will be available, much like the Wii’s Classic Controller. Its build looks virtually identical to an Xbox 360 controller, only the analog sticks are not offset. This should come in handy when you’re not in the mood to lug around that GamePad for long sessions.<\/p>\n
There’s also quite a bit of discussion centered around the Wii U’s online social networking features, but honestly, none of that stuff interests me in the slightest. It’s cool if you’re into that sort of thing (which most people are), but I’m just not high on social networking in general.<\/p>\n
Watch the full video to see some of these new Wii U features in action.<\/p>\n