It seems like just yesterday when the Wii came out. But it was six years ago. Nintendo has not produced a non-portable gaming console since then. Furthermore, Nintendo hasn’t produced anything nearly as innovative as the Wii. Now, making its debut in November, the Wii U will be available to the public.

Little is known about the Wii U thus far. Nintendo likes to keep things quiet and make all of its releases a surprise. The release of the newest gaming version hasn’t received as much press as the Wii did. This secrecy has led some people to believe that the Wii U will not be as great and as ground-breaking as the previous console. What the public does not know is that the Wii U contains some very distinguished features that make it different from the Wii.

First off, the Wii U remote is a tablet, so the control mechanisms differ greatly from those of the Wii’s wireless controller. It somewhat resembles a combination of the Nintendo DS and an iPad; not only is it used for games, but it can be used to surf the web, have video chats and can be drawn on as a sketch pad. Players can still use Wii remotes for games like Wii Golf where the Wii U controller would act like a sensor bar.

Something that can be a little intimidating for players is having two screens. Gamers will have to look at their tablets and at their TVs to see what’s going on. Luckily, playing only with a Wii Remote can be possible. People will not have to fret over picking that screen to look at. Though, having two screens makes the graphics look a lot better. The tablet adds a lot more detail to the screen, leaving out some of the graphics missed out on the big television display. These aspects make the Wii U more realistic.

Another interesting feature the Wii U Tablet has is that it can become a portable gaming console. If a family member wants to watch a TV show while another is using the Wii U, one can easily switch over to the Tablet, so whatever was on the TV screen can now be played on the tablet.

The actual console itself does not look much different from the Wii U. There are slight differences. For example, the Wii had a box shape while the Wii U is rectangular with rounded edges. The Wii also used a silver placeholder to keep the console up. Due to the adapted shape, the console does not need a stand. Players will be happy to know this means not having to continuously put the Wii U back up after having it knocked down.

Some of the games coming out on the Wii U consist of well-known titles. The game that will come with every Wii U is the new Super Mario Brothers game. There will be more favorites like Super Smash Bros., Assassin’s Creed and the Legend of Zelda. Games such as Super Mario 3D, Mario Kart 3D and the new Star Fox are expected to come out by the end of the year.

This new device will make Nintendo able to compete against the Xbox and the PlayStation. With the Wii U Nintendo finally has a gaming console with high definition, just like its counterparts. It could even compete the iPad and iPhone apps since the tablet is a touch-screen device. The starting price for the Wii U is $299.