Nintendo Wii U

The big draw of the Wii U, like the Wii before it, is the controller. Instead of a motion-sensing Wiimote (which the Wii U can still use), the Wii U uses an ambitious gamepad that's more like a tablet than a traditional game controller.

The gamepad turns the Wii U from a long-awaited step in Nintendo's console evolution into a curious and bold twist on gaming conventions. The Wii U is full of potential, but it will take some time before we'll know if that potential will be fulfilled.

The gamepad features a 6.2-inch, 854-by-480-pixel resistive touch screen that serves as the primary method of information input and menu navigation.

The front of the system houses a slot-loading optical drive, Power and Eject buttons, a syncing button for the game controller, and a plastic door that flips open to reveal an SD card slot and a USB port.

An infrared transmitter on the top of the gamepad lets you use it as an HDTV and cable box remote.

The Wii U gamepad charges through a cable that plugs into the wall with the bundled adapter, but Deluxe owners can charge the gamepad with an included cradle, which easily connects through two contacts in the bottom of the controller.

On a single charge, the gamepad lasted between 3 to 5 hours in my tests. But if you run out of juice, you can use it as a wired controller with the power cable plugged in. Also, the gamepad battery is removable, so expect extended batteries from third-party companies in the coming months.

While the Wii U looks as slender and compact as the original Wii, it's much heftier (but still over a pound lighter than the most recent slimmed-down Sony PlayStation 3).

The back of the Wii U has an HDMI port, a power port, a sensor bar port, two USB ports, and an A/V port that uses the same component or composite video cables the Wii uses.