It looks like the product of a fevered fanboy wetdream. A 6.2-inch touchscreen, surrounded by dual analog sticks and oodles of buttons. Like the portable hardcore gamers wish Nintendo made. But it’s the most incredible controller ever. More »
Nintendo’s new console, the Wii U, was finally unveiled to the world today at E3 2011, and we got a glimpse of its graphical prowess at the company’s keynote. Details were scarce about the IBM silicon Nintendo’s new HD powerhouse was packing, but we did some digging to get a little more info. IBM tells us that within the Wii U there’s a 45nm custom chip with “a lot” of embedded DRAM (shown above). It’s a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn’t give us the chip’s clock speeds, but if it’s good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it’ll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.
[Thanks, Sonny]
Continue reading IBM puts Watson’s brains in Nintendo Wii U
IBM puts Watson’s brains in Nintendo Wii U originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just elbowed our way through the crowds and managed to get our first hands-on time with Nintendo’s revolutionary new controller, the Wii U. As you can see in the images, it’s a rather different thing than even the company’s typically unusually styled contraptions. The dominant feature is the center-mounted 6.2-inch touchscreen, which actually looks really good. We’d expected Nintendo would cheap out to keep costs low, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least not in our first impressions. Join us after the break for more details.
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Hands-On
Continue reading Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video)
Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo’s new console is called Wii U, and it’s got a full touchscreen controller that looks almost like a stretched out, tabletized DS with twin analog sticks and full motion controls. It is insane. Updating live. More »
Whoa! The rumors turned out to be true: a 6.2-inch screen will be built into the controller for Nintendo’s next-generation Wii U console. It’ll also feature a microphone, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, dual analog controls, two shoulder buttons and two triggers, a front-facing camera, a stylus, and yes, it’s a touchscreen, too! Satoru Iwata was careful to forewarn that the Wii U’s controller was “not designed to be a portable game machine,” even if it shares some characteristics with handhelds. You will, however, be able to game and video chat even without a TV. Screen resolution isn’t given yet, but the display ratio is stated as 16:9, matching every other widescreen in your living room. Check the video after the break while we go try to hunt down some hands-on time with this multifunctional new beast of a controller.
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Controller
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U press images
Continue reading The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)
The Wii U controller, revealed! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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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.”
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U press images
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.
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06:00AM – Hawaii
09:00AM – Pacific
10:00AM – Mountain
11:00AM – Central
12:00PM – Eastern
05:00PM – London
06:00PM – Paris
08:00PM – Moscow
01:00AM – Tokyo (June 8th)
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.
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True to its word, Nintendo has released a system update for anxious 3DS owners. The free update over WiFi delivers an internet browser and the eShop digital store to your multidimensional handheld. As a bonus, Ninty’s offering the 3D-remastered NES game, Excitebike, for free until Tuesday with additional cash-money content coming to the store on Thursdays. We’ll be hearing more from Nintendo, much more we hope, on Tuesday morning where we’ll be bringing you live coverage of its next generation console announcements from E3. Join us, won’t you?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nintendo 3DS system update is live, grab your free copy of Excitebike now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gallery: Nyko Accessories at E3 2011
Nyko cures Kinect’s farsightedness, brings bountiful battery life and alarm clock capability to the 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re a few days out from E3, that magical place where dreams are made and fanboys and girls from all walks of life are simultaneously appeased and slightly disappointed. Surprises are expected from all of the big three this year — particularly Nintendo. How will the gaming giant top last year’s 3DS debut? All signs point to the announcement of a Wii followup, which we’ve heard alternately referred to as the “Wii HD” and “Project Cafe.” Rumors, leaks, and the occasional bit of confirmed information have been rampant in the months and weeks leading up to the event. We’ve weaved it all together into one handy guidebook, to make sure that we’re all on the same page, come Tuesday morning.
Let’s start with a genuine bit of information: back in April, the company’s CEO, Satoru Iwata, confirmed that Nintendo is, in fact, working on an HD followup to the Wii that is most likely due out in 2012. A few days prior to that revelation, the requisite blurry images of console concepts surfaced, detailing controllers with embedded touchscreens that display the system’s 1080p gameplay via a technology called Stream Screen. These certainly weren’t the first concepts of the console we’ve seen — and they were apparently first brought to light by the folks at 4Chan.
Nintendo Wii HD / Project Cafe rumor roundup: What will E3 hold for the gaming giant? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GameDynamo, The Escapist, Joystiq, AfterDawn, Kotaku | GI, CVG, IGN (1), (2), Andriasang | Email this | Comments
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