There probably won't be many differences in the initial software releases but as time passes the differences will be apparent. Nothing groundbreaking or anything but just by looking at the specs that have been released it is a more powerful system. Not by a light-year, but it will be more capable.

Congrats on being 1%er. Do you have your Wii hooked up to an HDTV? Do you have an HDTV?

I guarantee your one of the very few that are still using the Wii. I would guess that the only people still using the Wii are people who don't have an HDTV and/or don't have a 360/PS3.

Let's see. I have a 73" Mitsu DLP HD Tv in the basement and a brand new Panasonic VT50. The Wii is a far better party gaming system, for multiplayer.

Let's see. I have a 73" Mitsu DLP HD Tv in the basement and a brand new Panasonic VT50. The Wii is a far better party gaming system, for multiplayer.

I have yet to see a game that took full advantage of HD, so until I see such games, I will continue to let my PS3 be my blu-ray player and utilize the Wii.

I'll wait for XBox Infinity, or whateverthefuck they're going to name it.

The Wii U GamePad will run 3-5 hours on a full charge and takes 2.5 hours to fully recharge.

Wii games cannot be played on the GamePad screen -- that goes for Virtual Console titles as well.

First-Party Wii U launch titles will run at 720p at launch, not 1080p.
Most-Third Party Launch titles will run in 1080p, and 60 frames per second.

My roommate's getting a Wii-U, but I'm not sure why. We are taking advantage of the Wii arcade thing at the moment, actually. He's never played Secret of Mana so we're grinding through that, and I'm finishing up a replay of Chrono Trigger. Next up is probably FFVI, which I've never beaten and will consume many hours of my life.

Does anyone know if Nintendo released the final hardware specifications?

Bad Port or Bad Hardware? We’re Already Hearing Complaints About Wii U Visuals.

As Nintendo's first high definition console, Wii U will join the neverending, nothing-really-proven debate between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 over which console's visuals for whatever multiplatform game are superior. Some people are convinced it's a bad port, others are convinced it proves inferior hardware.

It doesn't sound like Mass Effect 3 or Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge are the best candidates to show off the new console's graphical capabilities. 1Up, in its review of Mass Effect 3, said the game "seems a lot less visually stable," than the Xbox 360 version, with choppy frame rate, "rougher" animation and even worse audio in the game's spoken dialogue. (Jason Schreier, in his time with the game so far, hasn't noticed any hardware issues with the Mass Effect 3 visuals. Here's a video of him testing out the game's Wii U features.)

NeoGAF has almost unanimously judged this to be a lazy port courtesy of Electronic Arts, with some expected moaning and groaning about third party development on Nintendo hardware. There may be some question as to how well the Wii U's hardware can handle ports of something developed for another console.

1Up didn't seem to think it was a lazy job. "There was some actual thought put into this port, which is always nice to see," 1Up said in its review, although it was praising the integration of the GamePad and the unique details and features it brings to this game.

IGN says Ninja Gaiden 3 isn't going to win a beauty pageant, either. "Razor's Edge is arguably uglier than its cousins," its review says, citing "bland textures and a bad case of the 'jaggies.'" However, its framerate remains smooth. 1Up said Ninja Gaiden 3 can hang with either the 360 or PS3 "until too many things start happening at once." That reviewer noted some bad frameskip, but it wasn't predictable and its source wasn't easily identifiable.

We're not reviewing either title but we will be providing impressions, with video, of Ninja Gaiden 3 soon. And we'll keep our eyes peeled in our playthroughs. But it's not like this issue is going to be settled based reviews of launch-window ports.