I still want to know more about the controller. I want to know if you'll be able to use it as a tablet (reading e-books and such) or will Nintendo restrict what we can do with it?
as of now, i believe the controller can be used as long as it is within the reach of the WiiU console. so, as far as i know, that means it will be like a tablet, but a home-based tablet. not
that different from the core iPad model, which relies on the wifi most folks have at home.
however, as long as you're within the range, and the wiiU is on, i think the tablet can be used for anything: they've already shown casual gaming, hardcore gaming (as you would on a tv) and surfing the web, in addition to looking through pictures. i imagine there'll be an appstore-type environment where you can download other features, like a calculator or notepad.
I'm also interested in how the different screens will interact. I would love to see something like a Mario game where four people are playing on their controllers and everything is shown on the TV for other people to watch. This seems like something Nintendo would want to do to reach more players.
they've shown a few demos so far, and it's pretty varied.
the "main / hardcore" use shows the gamer holding the controller and playing most of the action on tv. the controller becomes like a subscreen for maps or inventories.
other use shows a more direct interaction, where the controller is like a shield or tennis racket, which is using it more like the wii-remotes.
then there's the more external use -- they had one demo where four gamers were using wiiremotes to control characters running around the TV (in 4-way split screen). meanwhile, the fifth person was using JUST the wiiu remote, not looking at the screen. in the game, the 4 gamers were chasing the one wiiu gamer, where the wii-u gamer had the shot of the full board, and the 4 wii gamers could only see their own perspective.
then there's the more augmented reality type stuff, which gets a little harder to explain, but seems awesome. in the one demo, the gamer was holding the wiiu controller and looking at the big screen tv. on the tv, there were pirate ships shooting arrows at the gamer. the gamer not only had to deflect the arrows, using the wiiu controller as a shield, but then if the gamer stood up and physically turned to the left and the right (e.g.; away from the tv screen) they could see additional pirate ships in the wiiu controller screen -- as if the entire room was the game, but only immediately visible via the TV. friggin awesome.
they also showed a lot of interaction with the existing wii software and attachments. for example, the wiifit balance board. right now, to weigh in, you have to turn on your wii and boot up the big screen. in the new system, you can keep the tv off, and have the balance board synced through the controller, seeing your weight and progress on the controller.
