This year at E3, Nintendo officially announced their upcoming 2012 console, the Wii U. Knowing they don’t have to play catch up while still trying to push the innovative limit, their selling point for the console is the tablet-controller. It can transfer a game that is currently in play to the touch screen on the controller in case someone wants to use the TV. The tablet can be used for illustration and hopefully for football plays so your buddy won’t know what play you’re choosing before the snap. It’s another clever idea and the Wiimote works with it. But there’s more to this article than the Wii U’s features.

When Nintendo focused more on the casual and family-friendly crowd, the hardcore gamers were left behind because the third-party companies making the killer-apps didn’t want to downgrade to the Wii. However, Nintendo did release some mature and serious titles such as Manhunt 2, Conduit and Red Steel. But it wasn’t enough to compete with Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Killzone or Gears of War. Nintendo’s alternative audience made the Wii a hands-down success but how long will Nintendo overlook the hardcore gamers?

A lot of people were curious about that before E3. Would Nintendo’s console cater to the hardcore gamers, or to the casual gamer, or to  everyone? Actually, the verdict is still out until the console releases but Nintendo did drop some hints during the Wii U montage of which games are currently in development.

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Assassin’s Creed
Batman: Arkham City
Darksiders 2
DiRT 3
Ghost Recon Online
Lego City Stories
Metro: Last Light
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
Tekken

The video montage was powered on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC because development for the Wii U games is in the early stages. Okay, that makes sense but was Nintendo ever going to admit where the footage came from or try to bamboozle everyone? Reggie Fils-Aime – of Nintendo – was asked a similar question during an interview from Game Trailers. He said, “The Wii U will absolutely look as good as current platforms, as well as make Nintendo more attractive to third parties.” Nintendo should’ve admitted to that earlier rather than trying to pull a bait-and-switch on everyone at E3.

According to Reggie Fils-Aime, the Wii U will catch up with the Xbox 360 and PS3. But if history proves itself, Sony and Microsoft will reveal their next-generation consoles next year, which will push the graphics capability higher in an attempt to leave Nintendo in the dust.

This might sound skeptical, but some people did have their doubts about the Wii. Instead, it did the opposite and opened a door to a new form of gaming. Hopefully, the Wii U will get the third party support to win back the hardcore gamers.