Nintendo unveils Wii U, a 6.2" Wii Tablet

Nintendo debuted its newest piece of gaming hardware, Wii U, a touchscreen tablet and game controller that takes the dual-screen gaming concept of the DS and applies it to the television.

Wii U includes a 6.2" touchscreen tablet with dual analog circle pads, a D-pad and buttons, rumble support, a microphone and speaker, accelerometer, gyroscope, and forward-facing camera which are all used to communicate with a 1080p HD set top box that stylistically looks like an update to the current Wii console.

Nintendo did not say if Wii U will be available only as a whole new console, or as a standalone upgrade to the original Wii. The company did say it will be "backward compatible" with all of the Wii's peripherals and games, and that it will be compatible with the 3DS. The company was explicitly clear that Wii U will not be a standalone mobile/portable gaming console when it is released next year.

Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata referred to it as the "new Nintendo platform," saying it will provide both a deeper gaming experience and a broader appeal to all gamers. Iwata said the new platform will have an appeal even wider than Wii, which will "let everyone see games in a different way."

The Wii U platform, Iwata said, represents a major step toward Nintendo's goal of serving every player's needs.

Nintendo will release more information on Wii U later today.