E3 winds down for another year

Wii U promoted but no release date given

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Wii U logo

Another year over, another year done. The 2012 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) has wrapped up and gamers the world over will be writing their letters to Santa in advance. Of the all the features showcased at E3, one of the most anticipated was Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console, which was unveiled at E3 2011. The most recent expo was a chance for Nintendo to show off how far they've come with the console in twelve months. However, they were still keeping some secrets when the Wii U conference was held on Tuesday.

Expand to see details of the upcoming Wii U

The Wii U is, naturally, the successor to the existing Wii system. As was announced last year, the Wii U's controller is a console in its own right and has been dubbed the "GamePad". It will be possible to play games without a television on the GamePad, which like the Nintendo DS series features a built-in touch screen. Up to two GamePad controllers can be supported by the Wii U simultaneously, although this may drain the console's processing power. In addition, other more traditional controllers will be made available and is compatible with the Wii Remote.

The Wii U will have the capabilities to stream media from sites such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu. Few details have been given on this feature. The image on the right shows more of the Wii U's hardware features.

While no release date (or cost) has been announced yet, the Wii U is expected to hit shops before the year is out. Nintendo executives are still bearing the scars of last year's 3DS release, which resulted in unexpected financial losses. They attribute this to a lack of strong first-party games available at release.

So what games will be available for the Wii U come its release late this year? Well, there are no Pokémon titles lined up yet. However, the system will boast the fourteenth Super Mario title, New Super Mario Bros. U. A Super Smash Bros. title, announced last year, is still in development. Confirmed games will include NintendoLand - to be marketed as the Wii Sports of the Wii U - and Ubisoft titles Assassin's Creed III, ZombiUU, and Rayman Legend. See also List of Wii U games on Wikipedia.

The 3DS did not go unnoticed, though, with some new titles released and hyped on Wednesday. 3DS owners can look forward to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, New Super Mario Brothers 2, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. among others.