Nintendo seeks to shake up gaming again with Wii U
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - It can scan zombies, replace a TV remote, open a window into virtual worlds and shoot ninja stars across a living room.
It's the Wii U GamePad, the 10-by-5-inch touchscreen controller for the successor to the Wii out on Sunday in the United States, and if you ask the brains behind the Super Mario Bros about it, they say it's going to change the way video games are made and played.
"You can't manufacture buzz," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. "You can't manufacture word of mouth. All we can do is to provide the product and the games to foster some sparks that hopefully enable that to happen. We think we have that with Wii U."
Much like the iPad, the curve GamePad features a touchscreen that can be manipulated with the simple tap or swipe of a finger, but it's surrounded by the kinds of buttons, bumpers, thumbsticks and triggers that are traditionally found on a modern-day game controller. There's also a camera, stylus, microphone, headphone jack and speakers.
