Nintendo's New Wii U

 Nintendo is releasing its next-generation Wii U platform console with introduction of a new remote Wii handheld controller that introduces "asymmetric game play."

Nintendo has decided to get a head start on the holiday season by unveiling its second next-generation Wii U platform that it hopes will make new inroads into console gaming market with a new touchscreen controller. Although it will not really be on the market until early December, the next gen Wii platform is already eagerly awaited by Nintendo fans as shown by the game retailer Gamestop’s ability to completely sell out all of its advance orders for the new console, and it already has a waiting list of some 500,000 people who want to get in on the action too despite the projected $300 price tag.

As the second next-generation platform product from Nintendo, the Wii U is obviously similar to the original Wii. What's new about the Wii U console is the introduction of dual-screen play. The dual screen introduces "asymmetric game play" with introduction of a new remote Wii handheld controller that resembles a tablet with buttons and analog panels attached to the front.

The new Wii U is aimed at a much broader audience and will allow gamers to employ a number of different avenues to experience motion-based gaming that are somewhat similar to play on the old Wii and the original Wii remotes are still compatible with the new system too. The new Wii U remote is also a gaming system in itself that gives players the opportunity to sit down and play games, and to also take their games mobile so they're not always tied to the console inside their homes. Unlike the Mario and Donkey Kong Nintendo of old, the new Wii U will also appeal to older hardcore gamers with the inclusion of some M-rated games in the new incarnation and titles like Assassin's Creed," "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" and "Batman: Arkam City" are all compatible games being sold for use with the new console. Online game features are upgraded too with the additions of features like Miiverse and TVii. Miiverse serves as a social networking site for online users of the Wii U, and the TVii system will help connect gamers to live TV via an Internet connection when it becomes available early in 2013.

Initial sales projections for the new Wii U console system are expected to be good thanks to the upcoming holiday season when holiday shoppers will give it a boost, however how the console will fare after the New Year is unknown as some observers think there might be a lag between the early holiday season adopters and the rest of the gaming community. Although the original Wii introduced a lot of people into the world of gaming, the market competition has gotten a lost stronger in the last few years and the new console might take a while to find its place in the mix. The $300 price tag might slow it down a bit too, but if it meets customer expectations, there is no reason the new Wii U can’t be just as successful as the original.