The Wii U

The Wii U is an upcoming video game console from Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. The system was unveiled during Nintendo's press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7, 2011, and is scheduled for released on November 18, 2012 in North America, November 30, 2012 in Europe and Australia, and December 8, 2012 in Japan. It will be the first entry in the eighth generation of video game consoles.

Nintendo stated that the Wii U supports 1080p graphics and has 2 GB of memory; 1 GB as system memory and the same for game memory. This is more than 20 times the memory of the Wii. The console will be released in two versions; a basic white version with 8 GB of internal storage, and a premium black version with 32 GB of internal storage, which includes stand and docks. An HDMI cable will be included with both versions. The Wii U features a new controller, called the Wii U GamePad, with an embedded touchscreen. The controller allows a player to continue playing games by displaying the game even when the television is off.

The system will be backward compatible with Wii, and Wii U games can support compatibility with Wii peripherals, such as the Wii Remote Plus and the Nunchuk. It will not be backward compatible with Nintendo GameCube discs or peripherals, although games will become available for purchase and downloaded from Nintendo's Virtual Console service.

The console was first conceived in 2008, after Nintendo recognised several limitations and challenges with the Wii, such as the general public perception that the system catered primarily for a "casual" audience. With Wii U, Nintendo explicitly wishes to lure "core" gamers back. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto admitted that the lack of HD and limited network infrastructure for the Wii also contributed to the system being regarded in a separate class to its competitors' systems, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Nintendo is working with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and YouTube to bring streaming digital movie and television content to the Wii U. Nintendo has demonstrated that simple gestures can be used on the Wii U GamePad to transfer video content from the GamePad to the television screen. Users will also have the ability to switch from the television screen to the Wii U GamePad when watching videos.

The Wii U GamePad can also be used as a universal television remote with a built in guide, even when the Wii U is off. Nintendo also announced a free television based service called Nintendo TVii. Nintendo TVii will allow users to find programs on Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and on their cable network; users will then be able select the source of the program they wish to watch and watch that program on their television or on the Wii U Gamepad. Users can also use the Gamepad screen to get information on the show they are watching, this information is recevied from Wikipedia, IMDb, as well as individual source services. The information provided on the Gamepad for each show can range from reviews, screenshots, player positions updated in realtime (in sports broadcasts), cast lists, trailers, and general information about the show. Users can then interact with the information as well as share and comment on the information on social networks such as Miiverse, Facebook, and Twitter through the Gamepad while they watch their show on the TV screen.

Games like ZombiU, a first-person shooter survival horror video game from Ubisoft Montpellier, are to be released exclusively for the new Nintendo's Wii U console. In ZombiU the player can assume the roles of various survivors during the game. The game is a reboot of Ubisoft's first commercial game, Zombi. This seems to imply that Nintendo are aiming for a new audience - an older audience that Nintendo has failed to attract so far. The Wii is associated with a younger audience, with more family orientated games. However, after the reconsideration of the challenges of the first wii console, Nintendo have decided to try to win over older gamers that would be more used to playing platforms like xbox and PlayStation.