E3 2012: Mad Catz Reveals First Nintendo Wii U Accessories

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The Electronic Entertainment Expo runs between the 5th and 7th of June and Gadget Helpline will be following all the major hardware and software announcements from big industry names such as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony – as well as offering a Daily Recap on many areas of this year’s show!

 

Nintendo has stolen most of the limelight at this year’s E3 event, partly due to the fact that it’s the only big name to reveal a new console, partly because of how innovative the console is, and partly because of the sheer amount of new content it has showed off.

Third parties have already jumped on the Wii U bandwagon, with a host of new games announced already. Big time accessory maker Mad Catz has taken the opportunity to reveal some of the very first Wii U accessories, and they look pretty interesting.

Power Up Charge Dock

We revealed earlier today that the GamePad controller had a less than optimal battery life of around 3 to 5 hours. Of course, you could game with it constantly plugged in to the console for charge, or you could plump for a neat charging dock and stand combo.

The Power Up Charge Dock allows you to plant your GamePad down and juice up the battery with ease, and it looks pretty stylish while doing it too. The stand can be tilted to allow you to gain a better viewing angle if you want to play or watch while charging.

FlipStand Protective Cover

The GamePad has a pretty impressive 6.2-inch touchscreen that is capable of displaying a HD picture. We’re not sure you’re likely to damage the screen as you would with a tablet, but either way Mad Catz has both the clumsy and overprotective gamers out there covered with a protective cover.

The FlipStand, as its name may suggest, has several segments, which allow the cover to fold up and act as a stand to prop up your controller, just like Apple’s Smart Cover does for the iPad.

Wiimote Charging Station

Asides from the intriguing GamePad, the Wii U also supports the original Wiimote controller from the current Wii console. These normally charge via a cable to the console itself, but Mad Catz has come up with another stand charging solution.

This dock allows two Wiimotes to be docked at once to charge up those batteries, and is designed in a similar vein to the Power Up Charge Dock.

Tritton Kunai Stereo Headset

Nintendo is trying to target the hardcore gamer as well as your Nan, as it has shown with the very Xbox 360-like Pro controller. To compliment that, the Tritton Kunai headset should provide premium stereo sound with a microphone for barking commands and chatting to your gamer buddies.

The Kunai headset will even work on your 3DS if you’re a big Nintendo fan, or if Sony’s more your thing, it’ll also work on the PS Vita.

With a host of accessories and some very exciting games already revealed, the Wii U is already looking like an attractive prospect. We can’t wait to get our hands on one, can you?

Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.

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