Nintendo: Wii U Design Is 'Near Final'

Nintendo has revealed that the current design of its upcoming Wii U console is "near final", suggesting that what we saw at E3 last week is close to how the final product will look and feel. Talking to VentureBeat, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime explained, "In terms of the form factor of the console, it is quite near final." "Similarly the form factor of the controller is quite near final," he continued. After Nintendo's E3 conference, the company admitted that it put too much emphasis on the controller for the newly revealed Wii U console, noting that it "should have made more effort" to explain the console better. While the company has not showed off the actual console as much as its new touch-screen controller, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained that "Wii U is about the controller." However, Fils-Aime noted that there was never a point when the company visualized making a separate tablet that could be taken away from the console. "What we wanted to do was in a home environment, taking advantage of this multiple screens. This was not conceptualized as an on-the-go piece of equipment," he said. The upcoming console, set to launch in 2012, will feature HD graphics and a built-in 6.2" touchscreen, and is meant to offer "a new structure for home entertainment." In addition to its touchscreen, Wii U's tablet-inspired controller features motion controls and an inward facing camera -- which was demonstrated with a FaceTime-style video chat session between two users.