As the iPad rapidly becomes the second screen of choice for television, Nintendo has unveiled its own second screen for gaming (and potentially TV viewing) called the Wii U. The controller features a 6.2 inch touchscreen, an accelerometer, a microphone and two built-in cameras, and it’s designed to extend games beyond the TV set. “It’s like having two different windows in the game world around you,” explains Nintendo’s JC Rodrigo.
For example, with the demonstration game Wii Shield (video), a player can pan the controller screen around the room and see the game world wrapped around her. In the game Wii Chase, one player with the remote can see an aerial view of a maze, navigating to avoid the other players, who can only see first-person views on the TV set.
Beyond gaming, the controller also uses touch controls to navigate a browser on the TV screen. You can use it to place video calls. And you can imagine that Nintendo is thinking about social TV applications, as well. Like the new Xbox Kinect features, the Wii U will likely blur the lines between TV, video and gaming by making them accessible and immersive.
But you’ll have to wait a bit — the new Wii may not hit stores until next year.
