Many liked the innovation embodied by the separate device, larger than Apple Inc's iPhone, but smaller than the iPad. It has a touchscreen, camera and video-call capability, plus an array of buttons and functions that might entice gamers who play longer and more intensely.
Nintendo retains the lead in gaming hardware, but is struggling to win users from Microsoft and Sony after the disappointing introduction of its 3DS handheld device. Gaming executives now hope a new Wii can jumpstart a $65 billion video games industry -- surpassing Hollywood in size -- still struggling to rebound from the recession.
The entire console is still under development, but expected to go on sale between April and December 2012. No price has been set, but some speculate it could move for $299, or about the same as an Xbox twinned with a Kinect motion-sensing system.
"The controller is a breakthrough," said Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia. "Overall, Wii U looks good, but I have to say I wasn't blown away."
That is a far cry from how the Wii took the industry by storm after its November 2006 launch, bringing motion control to gamers accustomed to joysticks and mice. Whether its latest gadget can win over a notoriously fickle market remains to be seen.
But the device will exert pressure on rivals such as Microsoft and Sony Corp to come up with new systems.
"It's smart for a number of reasons. There are two levels of interface, the touchscreen for casual gamers and the buttons for more core types," said Ricardo Torres, editor-in-chief for popular games site gamespot.com. "They have a lot of games core gamers care about.
"It's like a sandbox for developers. It's up to them to decide the experience that works best."
