Hasta La Gadget!

Coming in 2012, Nintendo’s next home console will deliver “deeper game experiences” that aim to offer “something for everyone.” And it’ll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you’ll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action — the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won’t have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don’t want too — the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We’ve also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U’s graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes! EA’s John Riccitiello just said the Wii U will deliver “brilliant HD graphics.” Finally, the Wii is going HD!

Speaking of HD, the fact sheet from Nintendo informs us that the Wii U can pump out 1080p video over HDMI. It’ll also be compatible with component, S-video and composite cables. There’ll be “internal flash memory” of unspecified quantity, which will be expandable via either an SD card or external USB HDD. IBM is, as with the original Wii, once again responsible for providing the processor inside. Four USB 2.0 slots are made available, while game media will be served up on “proprietary high-density optical discs.” There’s also another, worthwhile, reminder that the Wii U will play Wii games and their optical discs without a problem.

Update: We just got word from the folks at Kotaku that Nintendo game designer Katsuya Eguchi has revealed the Wii U’s proprietary disc format will hold up to 25GB of data.

Update 2: And now we have the final piece of the puzzle: the Wii U’s graphics will be handled by a “custom AMD Radeon HD GPU.”

Continue reading The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video)

The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nintendo (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote!

Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Ah Sony, your S1 and S2 tablet secrets are safe with trusty ol’ Engadget. Take these new SGPT113JP/S and SGPT114JP/S tablets that just passed through the FCC. We won’t tell anyone that they’re actually variants of your S1 tablet, that 9.4-inch jobbie with Android 3.x Honeycomb and custom-made “Quick and Smooth” UI and “Swift” web browser. And mum’s the word on the 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi and WCDMA bands II and V radios — the latter making an introduction on AT&T (or perhaps Rogers in Canada) highly likely. And you won’t hear us making a peep about the Ericsson F5521gw HSPA+ capable modem that’s mentioned, the same module spotted in the S2’s FCC filing. Really, we won’t say a word until this PlayStation Certified tablet hits retail later in the fall.

Update: We’re also seeing some WiFi-only models in the SGPT112US/S, SGPT112CA/S, SGPT111US/S, and SGPT111CA/S.

Sony S1 Honeycomb tablet slips through the FCC with AT&T frequencies and HSPA+ broadband module originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink @davezatz (Twitter)  |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

The PlayBook isn’t even two months old yet and it’s already scored a second update to its QNX-based OS. First up from BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 is an upgraded Facebook app, which is now a preloaded part of the system software and can do some really neat things… like delete unwanted messages. Devs will be happy to hear that they can include in-app payments, while our European friends should be excited about the expanded language support. There are a few other welcome changes, including some enterprise-friendly tweaks to video chat, a new pop-up power menu (pictured above), and the ability to charge even when the device is turned off — a constraint we’re sure had at least a few owners pulling a Picard-like facepalm. The update is available now and, while you wait for it download, check out the source link for more details.

BlackBerry PlayBook gets updated with new power menu, better Facebook app, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Digital Trends  |  BlackBerry Blog  | Email this | Comments

His views rile up plenty of people, but the free-software movement founder raises real concerns about e-book restrictions. Taxing ISPs isn’t the solution, though.

Originally posted at Deep Tech