Handheld gaming is just about to get better. After a lot of rumors surrounding the Wii U kept on emerging throughout last summer new details have surfaced from the reports that Nintendo is going to unveil its new gaming console the Wii U. According to the latest news from my sources the Wii U is definitely going to be launched in the third week of november. Some salient features of the Wii U are given below.

• A screen size of 6 inches with some insiders claiming that it looks like a mini LED tv.

  
  




• Will feature analog sticks with an addition to standard d-pads and trigger buttons and will have a tablet like design.

  
  




• It will be supplemented by a full blown appstore that Nintendo is building.

  
  




• The player will actually be able to stream game content to the controller screen from the console and will include full desktop level games and applications from the app store.

  
  

Some Tech Specs

Media- 12 cm 25 GB Wii U Optical Disc

CPU- IBM Power Architecture-based multi-core processor

Storage - Internal flash memory, SD card, SDHC Card ,USB storage device

GraphicS - AMD Radeon-based GPU[

Controller input - Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, Wii Remote Plus, Wii Nunchuk, Wii Balance Board

Connectivity- Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n

It was a difficult year for the company although the 3DS is now doing well. Will this device make a difference. It has to. Nintendo cannot afford for the Wii U to fail, literally.

Now can Microsoft be anywhere behind,. After a series of releases with the Windows phone 8 and the Surface tablets the Redmond giant is now working on the Xbox surface which is a dedicated gaming tablet. They had just released the Xbox 720. This is about the device I read on the verge.

[Excerpt from the Verge starts here]

Multiple sources familiar with plans within Redmond have confirmed to The Verge that initial hardware planning for an Xbox Surface is underway. Specifications for an Xbox Surface 7-inch tablet computing device leaked back in June ahead of Microsoft's Surface RT and Surface Pro announcement. We're told that the initial specs were accurate and that the final implementation is being worked on.

The Xbox Surface will likely include a custom ARM processor and high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks. We're told these specifications could be altered to accommodate an unannounced Intel SoC and that the Xbox Surface is being developed independent of specific hardware architecture. Microsoft's Xbox Surface won't run a full version of Windows, rather this 7-inch tablet will run a custom Windows kernel. Messaging and other tablet functions may be supported, but the focus is on gaming.

Microsoft has developed a secret hardware production process for its Surface tablets that is separated from partners that traditionally manufacturer the company's Xbox console. We're told that the Xbox Surface will likely be manufactured in the same factory, but that any future "Xbox 720" console will be manufactured in mass quantities by companies like Pegatron or Foxconn.

We've learned that part of the Xbox Surface is being developed at Microsoft's offices in Silicon Valley. The software giant recently locked down several Xbox-related buildings, limiting employee access to the company's Interactive Entertainment Business division. The lock down is likely related to Microsoft's increased testing of the tablet, providing a way for other parts of the Xbox team to build games and software for the device. Providing the project doesn't get killed in favor of a full 7-inch Windows tablet, in the same way Microsoft axed Courier, expect to see the Xbox Surface debut ahead of Microsoft's future Xbox console.

[excerpt ends]

Expect a full fledged review after the release of the device :)

Regards,

SlighlyDrunk