I'm not gonna go into enormous detail just yet (have a ton to type up by the end of the night, and lots of footage to process) but here's the sparknotes version:
Wii U is great. It's exactly what fans have been wanting for two years now, which is a Wii HD. First and foremost, the controller is nothing spectacular, but it's completely functional, and absolutely adds to the experience. The screen itself it vibrant, with a pretty high pixel density. (If I had to guess, I'd say around 200dpi... (Somewhere above a PSP, but well below an iPhone 4.) I'd say that the screen resolution is a "faux" HD screen, but technically 480p. More on that later.
It's light as hell. About as light as an original DS, or PSP. But it's sturdy. I was really concerned that a huge screen would make it more delicate... I would have no issues with tossing this controller across the room onto a bed or something. It's standard Nintendo-quality hardware.
The demos playable at E3 were pretty much ****, though. Granted, they were all attempting to showcase some "unique feature" or another. That being said, what people have to remember is this controller is far from being a "gimmicky" controller, like the Wiimote. Developers will not have to develop with motion in mind... The most standard thing devs will add will likely be a few virtual buttons, and maybe an off-screen HUD. Think about it this way: Every Wii U game will be designed to be played entirely via the controller, so there's really nothing that will absolutely require a second screen. In fact, if I had to make a blunt assumption, I'd say that every Wii U game might be playable with a Classic Controller, alone.
That brings me to the visuals. They're absolutely out of this world. Without question, the "bird" demo is on par with current PC software. The blurring and lighting were stunning, but the water effects were unreal. (Which is to say, they were absolutely realistic.) The "bird" HD Experience demo was, by and large, the most visually impressive thing I've seen at E3 so far. Furthermore, there were two camera views available simultaneously, one on the TV, one on the controller. Both looked fantastic, albeit the controller had just a BIT of compression artifacting, if you were specifically looking for it. Also, it seemed like the TV was at 60 fps while the controller was at 30 fps. Regardless, it was outstanding on both.
The Zelda HD Experience demo (which is not indicative of any future Zelda title, at all) was also extremely pretty. The player could control the lighting effects (changing it from day to night) and also change camera angles. If I recall correctly, you could shift around the analog slider to shake the camera around a bit. The Zelda demo (like all of the other demos, besides the "bird" one) had noticeable aliasing, and could very well have been running at 720p. (They wouldn't tell me.) It's not a stretch to assume that most of the demos were running at 720p, perhaps with the exception of the "bird" one. However, the sheer amount of geometry, soft shadows, and blurring effects really showed off what the console is capable of doing.
It is, without question, more powerful than the 360 and PS3. Noticeably.
Finally, let's talk about the controller, itself. The analog sliders are not traditional analog sticks. They're more like the 3DS slider, only with a wider range of motion, and a much more solid feel. I was really iffy about these at first, but after about an hour of playing around with them, I've got no more worries. I could easily play an FPS with those things. The buttons and d-pad are in marginally awkward places, but like any new controller, you'll get used to it. L1/L2 and R1/R2 were positioned properly, and the whole thing was very ergonomic. Overall, a pretty solid design.
But it is pretty ****ing big. Almost as big as an iPad. (But, again, not nearly as heavy.)
Without question, this is what a vocal majority has been asking for. It's a Nintendo console that's not solely focused on motion-y gimmicks. Sure, that's what they showcased here, but the thing to take away from all of this is that the core controller functions just like the 360 and PS3 controllers, only it has a big ****ing screen. In my opinion, that's kind of a plus. It'll make pooping far more enjoyable.
Ask me anything else you might want to know.
