E3 2012: Nintendo to have pre-E3 video-stream all about the Wii U

When the Wii U was shown last year at E3 2011, confusion was the most common feeling among viewers and attendees. Was the Wii U a new system? Was it just a tablet add-on for the current Wii? And why did Nintendo’s next hardware product have a ridiculous name? While we never got an answer to that last question besides Reggie Fils-Aime being Reggie Fils-Aime, through the investigative powers of the gaming press we learned that the Wii U was, in fact, an entirely new console. However, beyond that point we have been given no concrete facts as to anything else about the Wii U. Beyond a few developers saying that they were either impressed (Gearbox) or unimpressed (Peter Molyneux) by Nintendo’s new console, the press and public have been kept in the dark for a long time. It was assumed that we would finally get a solid idea of what the Wii U is and of its capabilities during Nintendo’s 2012 E3 press conference, but it seems Nintendo would like to get the boring details out of the way before then.

In a surprise announcement made yesterday on Nintendo’s Twitter feed, Nintendo head Satoru Iwata will be presenting new Wii U information today (3/6/2012). This news is going to take the form of a video-stream on Nintendo Direct, which is Nintendo’s dedicated E3 video-streaming channel. The presentation is planned to start at 11:00PM BST and 3:00PM PST.

While it is unknown what will be discussed during this presentation, I heavily suspect that no new games will be announced for the system. I am assuming Nintendo wants to save the big surprises for its actual E3 conference because the company wants to end the “Big Three” conferences on its own high note. If that is the case, then the video-stream will most likely contain some information and demos of how the Wii U will function when it is released. If anything interesting about Nintendo’s digital strategy is mentioned, Digitally Downloaded will be sure to report it.