[UPDATE] A rep for peripheral-maker PDP says their Afterglow headset, reviewed here, will work the Wii U. It transmits a signal to an emitter plugged into one of the Wii U's USB ports. Without the console and its games being released, we can't confirm that it works with the games mentioned in this story. Hopefully it does!

[UPDATE 2] Well, not so fast.. a second PDP rep contacted me to clarify things further: "Afterglow wireless headsets are compatible with Wii U. If the game chat utilizes the USB port of the Wii U console then the AG headset can receive the chat audio wirelessly. If the chat audio is directed through the 3.5mm audio jack on the Wii U pad then user can plug in the provided chat/game audio cable. It depends on how the game / chat audio is designed." As the story indicated above, Black Ops II does its chat through the 3.5mm jack, so it seems like that's one game that won't work wirelessly with PDP's headset but would be fine with a wired hook-up.

Perhaps the most significant change of all is the fact that Ryu is actually responsive in Razor’s Edge. Ryu’s recovery has been shortened greatly, so players can easily cancel into a dodge or block as the situation demands.

Enemies have been improved. They are more aggressive, and some have access to new moves. The basic terrorist grunts and alchemists are the most obvious examples.

Combat has been redesigned to have a more technical feel. Enemies have more stagger animations (including wall damage/stuns). Both playable characters now have a universal grab (the Guillotine throw).

Charge attacks are extremely fast. Ninja Gaiden 3 introduced a charge mechanic, whereby holding down the heavy attack resulted in a powerful combo extension. The length of time needed to charge this attack has been reduced dramatically.

There are six weapons available to Ryu in Razor’s Edge right from the get-go. Ryu now has access to the claws, scythe, dual katanas, staff, and an as-of-yet unrevealed weapon, on top of the standard katana.

Karma has been redesigned to function as both the point/ranking system, as well as currency.

Collectible items have been reintroduced. The Golden Scarabs from the original Ninja Gaiden, and Crystal Skulls from Ninja Gaiden 2 are strewn about each stage, and can be collected for an instant Karma bonus.

Players can use this Karma currency to purchase upgrades for weapons and magic (Ninpo) as well as unique combat abilities and even in-game costumes.

The new “Cicada Surge” teleportation ability has been polished greatly since its reveal back during E3. It is an incredibly handy way to get out of overwhelming situations.

A new ability, called “Four Rings” has been introduced. It is a 360º shuriken attack that stuns enemies surrounding Ryu, and can be tacked on to combos on-the-fly, much like ordinary shuriken attacks.

Ultimate Techniques can be used even when Ryu/Ayane’s weapons aren’t glowing red, simply by holding down and charging a heavy attack (much like in Ninja Gaiden 2). Ultimate Techniques have two charge levels once again.

Ninpo is still earned through combat. However, you can keep your Ninpo charge between encounters now, allowing you to cast magic or save it as you see fit.

Bosses have life gauges now. You can see their health on the bottom of the screen.

On Monday morning, the first details regarding the Nintendo Wii U’s online interface were revealed courtesy of Electronic Arts.

According to EA, the Nintendo Wii U will make use of a Nintendo account and users will have a Nintendo Network ID. Unfortunately, EA didn’t go into greater detail of these features as EA was solely describing how Origin will work on Nintendo Wii U.

Additionally, when setting up an Origin account on Wii U to play EA games, information from your Nintendo Wii U account will be sent to EA. This information includes: Mii information, email address, Nintendo Network ID, Friend List, country, language, and date of birth.

However, your credit card number and other financial information will not be sent to EA servers.

If you sign up to play EA games through a Nintendo Wii U console, your Nintendo account information will be provided to EA so that we can establish an Origin Account for you. You need an Origin Account to play EA’s titles online. By signing up to play EA’s titles, you agree that limited user account information can be transferred to EA. Information transferred to EA includes your Mii information, email address, Nintendo Network ID, friend list, country, language and date of birth but does not include credit card number or other financial account information.

Dragon Quest X has been confirmed for release on the Wii U in Japan next spring.

Nintendo announced during a Nintendo Direct video conference in Japan that the Wii U multiplayer role-playing game will first receive a beta in February for users who buy the Wii U Deluxe bundle.

The final game will then launch in spring 2013 in Japan, with players able to keep the characters they used during the beta.

Players will also be able to transfer their characters from the Wii version, which launched in Japan in August. Both Wii and Wii U versions of the game will be cross-compatible, allowing users of both to play together online.

The Wii U version will provide the same content as the Wii version, however, it will have the advantage of displaying the game in full HD. The Wii U version can also be played with the GamePad, and players can use the controller's touchscreen as a keyboard to chat with other players in the game.

Square Enix has previously announced that it plans to support Dragon Quest X with DLC every ten weeks for the next decade.

No North American or European release announcement has been made at this time.