E3 2012: Nintendo Wii U – Pre E3 Nintendo Direct – Recap

While Nintendo’s E3 presentation may not be until Tuesday, Nintendo went ahead and held another Nintendo Direct for us all to view today. Today’s edition featured the update Wii U controller and some features of the Wii U itself.

The controller, which is now called the Wii U GamePad, has has it’s appearance changed since last year’s E3 viewing. For example, the circle pads have been replaced with fully click-able analog sticks. This happens to be the first time a Nintendo controller happens to have click-able sticks as well. Button layout has now been changed to allow for maximum comfort. The small square button under the d-pad has been confirmed to be the system’s controller NFC Reader / Writer. The controller will also feature support for both motion and gyro sensors.

Wish to change the channel with the Wii U Gamepad? Well, Nintendo designed the controller with that in mind. By just pushing the TV button located on the bottom will bring up a special screen to change the channel or even turn on / off the TV.

The Wii U system will of course support all past Wii controller and accessories. This includes, but is no limited to, the Wiimote, Nunchuk, and the Balance Board. The Wii U will also support the Wii U Pro Controller. This controller has all the features of the Wii U but without a touchscreen. Nintendo has stated that this can be bought separately from the system at launch.

Nintendo has teased us a little bit about what the home operating system will look and feel like. The main menu system will be called Mii Wara Wara, a plaza full of Miis saying all sorts of things. This will include not only your Mii and friend Miis, but Miis all around the world. This hub world, called the Miiverse, will show you what your friends are doing, even if you don’t have the same games. The system was designed to allow you to pull up the Miiverse during gameplay at any time. This allows you to talk to your friends through chat or video chat. At any time, you can take a screenshot of your game and post it online. All of these Miiverse interactions will be browser-based, this means you can access the Miiverse on your PC, 3DS, and even your phone.

One interesting note, is that the Miiverse can be used with games even if they don’t feature online interactions. This allows developers to integrate messages from your friends and others into the game at different points. One example was at a “gameover” screen showing others who died as well.

And this concludes the Pre E3 presentation. Be sure to stay tuned to FanBolt all this week for interesting E3 news.

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