Two big shows are taking place this week: E3 2012, the trade show related to gaming and Computex 2012, the place where we’ll see a ton of new tablets launching. E3 2012 started off with an announcement from Nintendo, that finalized the Wii U console and offered the public a glimpse at the new Wii U Pro Controller and the redesigned Wii U tablet.
The black gamepad lacks a touchscreen, but the tablet controller involves one, being the center piece of the new console generation from Nintendo. Compared to previously leaked images, this tablet has been tweaked and it’s now wider, with the joysticks not resembling the 3DS low profile nubs anymore. They’re more prominent now and have been moved closer to the edges of the slate, for easier use. There’s a dedicated NFC trigger in the mix and some of the buttons from the leaked version have been shifted around as well.
You can see a comparison between the leaked prototype and the product version in the pictured above. Nintendo also showed the world the black version of the Wii U for the very first time, with a matching tablet and core console. They didn’t provide any details about launch time, price or exact hardware specs. As far the connectivity goes, NFC will allow the Wii U to interact with figures and cards, much like the 3DS uses QR code cards for augmented gameplay. More details will be available as E3 2012 progresses.
