Nintendo jumps and stomps! First to start major announcements for E3

Nintendo filled the lull of the Sunday before E3 -- typically slow with rehashed quick posts of news for most video game journalism. Rather than wait until its Tuesday keynote, Nintendo decided to jump the gun last minute, with details about new Wii U console, including several finalized product specs of the Wii U controllers. The news beat Microsoft and Sony as the first to wow with their console news, coming today.

Now simply called the "Wii U Gamepad", it has been polished down and made thinner, placing joy pads and buttons inward in off-set locations as to help with the ergonomics, adding handgrips on the bottom, making it slightly wider. But all these also make it similar to that of a traditional modern game controller / joy pad. The thumbsliders similar to what was on the Sony PlayStation Portable have been switched for analog thumbsticks, providing support L3 and R3 button presses as well, similar to Playstation and Xbox 360 joypad sticks. There has also been an update with more sensitive motion and gyroscope sensors rounding out the typical video game controller specs.

But most interestingly, Nintendo will add a Near Field Communications reader and writer, typically only seen just now entering in the mobile phone market with Android phones. Lastly the new Wii U Gamepad will have a fully-independent infrared TV remote functionality, making it a smart universal remote for your home theater.

Additionally, Nintendo will provide a new Pro Controller for games that they say might not take full advantage of the new "Wii U Gamepad"

Also announced is the new Wii universe service that will allow you to use webapp mobile sites on your phone to chat with your friends on the go and those in front of the TV playing the new Wii. Part of this new social connect platform will include a Nintendo video chat service as well, using the Wii gamepad's built in camera to run it.

There will be more info to come Tuesday.