Nintendo decided to get a head start on the competition by unveiling its newest platform, Wii U, on Sunday, Nov. 18.
In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, people demonstrate the Nintendo's Wii U GamePad and console in New York. Nintendo seeks to shake up gaming again with the Wii U touchscreen controller. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Nintendo decided to get a head start on the competition by unveiling its newest platform, Wii U, on Sunday, Nov. 18. GameStop has said its advance orders for consoles already sold out and it has a wait list of 500,000 people, according to The Associated Press. But is it really worth the buy this holiday season?
To help sort through the hype behind the Wii U, here's what we know so far:
What does it do?
Being the second next-gen platform product from Nintendo, the Wii U shares similar qualities with the original Wii. What's new about this console is the introduction of dual-screen play. Nintendo first implemented this idea of so-called "asymmetric game play" with their handheld device the DS. The dual screen comes into play with introduction of a new remote, a Wii controller that resembles a tablet with buttons and analog sticks attached to the front.
Gamers will have a number of different avenues to experience the Wii U. Just like the original Wii, this new console allows for motion-based gaming (original Wii remotes are still compatible with the new system). It also gives players the opportunity to sit down and play games. Similar to Sony's PS Vita, the Wii U remote is also a gaming system in itself. Gamers will be able to take their games on the go so they're not always stuck in their living rooms.
What are people saying about it?
Most gaming analysts are projecting the console to do well in the first few months of its release, the AP reports. After that, a lot of what the future holds for Nintendo and the Wii U is unknown. What we do know is Nintendo is going after a much broader audience with this platform.
Unlike the Nintendo of old, the gaming company has started to cater to the hardcore gamer community by bringing in some M-rated games to the market. It's not just going to be Mario and Donkey Kong that gamers will be using on the Wii U. Titles such as "Assassin's Creed," "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" and "Batman: Arkam City" are all compatible games being sold for with the console, The Associated Press reports.
Nintendo is trying to step-up its game in the online department with the additions of more features like Miiverse and TVii, Time reports. The Miiverse acts like a social networking site for online users of the Wii U. TVii, although unavailable now, is going to help connect gamers to live TV via an Internet connection.
Matt Peckham at Time talks more about the good, the bad and the ugly about the Wii U here.
Will it be a big product for holiday shoppers to go after?
With GameStop's wait list already at 500,000 people just to get their hands on the Wii U, holiday shopping for this new console is going to be challenge. It might be best to sit back and wait to see what people who do make the purchase say about it. Why rush into something that Time writes is still missing some features with its hurried release?
Yes, the Wii U will do exceptionally well this holiday season in terms of its sales, but the industry gurus aren't quite sure how it will fare after we ring in the New Year.
"After the initial wave of enthusiasm, I'm not sure we won't see a chasm between the early adopters and the mainstream," said Michael Cai, VP-games and technology at Interpret. "I certainly don't think it will be a smooth curve like it was for the original Wii. ... Wii really introduced a lot of people into gaming who weren't into gaming, but it just doesn't feel like those people are going to latch onto Wii U."
At $300, the console is a little pricey, and it's possible for the Wii U to head in either direction of success or failure.