Almost a year has passed since we first became acquainted with Nintendo’s next home console – the Wii U – and the gaming gadget has been undergoing a few alterations to its not-so-inspiring design since then. As the Wii U prepares to make its appearance as a finished product at this year’s E3 conference on the 5th to 7th of June, a new photo of the much-discussed HD tablet controller has surfaced revealing some of those redesigns.
The revisions appear minor, with some of the HD touchscreen tablet’s physical buttons shifting about a bit. The Start, Select, Power, + and – buttons now find their place along the right hand side of the device. These were previously found along the bottom edge but we imagine this change was to allow gamers to use these functions whilst gripping the gadget in both hands where before one hand would need to relinquish its grasp – potentially hindering play during a key point in a game.
Also noticeable are the thumb controls, once resembling the single rubberised nub found on Nintendo’s handheld, the 3DS, have now become full analogue sticks which offer better grip for greater versatility and control.
You may also spot the console’s name is present on the tablet and should prove to be confirmed after it was believed that “Wii U” was simply a codename.
Over the past year, the Wii U console’s HD tablet has been suggested to not only offer unique control but also a second screen and viewer for maps and menus and come with access to an app store as well as a platform for NFC payments. The use of the device as a panoramic view screen has also been showcased at a number of recent tech events and clearly Nintendo has taken criticisms on board reinventing the tablet to avoid the teething problems that plagued the portable 3DS when that device was launched back in March 2011.
We have a name, we have a controller. Now all we need is proof the console’s graphics and gaming line-up live up to what Nintendo has promised at the E3 event and is ready for Christmas 2012. We also await confirmation on the availability of the tablet as a “sold separately” product allowing for that much-loved multi-player Wii gaming.
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