The Wii U

The Wii U

I thought I would kick things off with a few words about the new Nintendo Wii U.

This is a hugely underrated console, with much to offer if only pure horsepower of a new device is overlooked. It is the innovation of the device, its peripherals and the quality of the games that take advantage of those innovations.

I have to admit the biggest weakness of the Wii U has been the lack of games, not lack of innovation. However Nintendo appear to be addressing this at last, and there are some good titles out now, and some good ones on the horizon.

We are also waiting for the "TVii" option to be activated, so hard to say what this will bring, but Nintendo really need to pull their finger out and get these services activated.

But the concept works very well. Having kids, it is great to be able to play games, or watch films and TV shows on both the TV screen and the Wii U screen. The screen itself is a decent size and is quite acceptable for both gameplay and TV viewing. It is just a shame that the range is so small between the console and and handset. It would be great to be able to take the controller to another room to play games or watch TV or a film.

For kids below a certain age this console is ideal, and unlike the other next generation of consoles, will support 7 years' worth of original Wii games and the peripherals. So few people will need to invest in too much more hardware such as controllers, if they already own an original Wii. For older kids I understand the fervour towards the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Both will deliver a truly next-generation experience though how much better than the current consoles remains to be seen. But for these older kids and current console fans, I'm sure these consoles will deliver. But this is a different market, one which Nintendo are not targeting.

So good luck to all, and I do hope the Wii U manages to claw back some decent support from both you and I as players and the software houses pushing through new games.