So, where are the detailed system specs? Anywhere?

Nintendo has a page for this:

http://e3.nintendo.com/hw

But when I click "System Details" nothing happens.

I haven't seen any specs other than this from Engadget:

Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, was finally unveiled to the world today at E3 2011, and we got a glimpse of its graphical prowess at the company's keynote. Details were scarce about the IBM silicon Nintendo's new HD powerhouse was packing, but we did some digging to get a little more info. IBM tells us that within the Wii U there's a 45nm custom chip with "a lot" of embedded DRAM. It's a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn't give us the chip's clock speeds, but if it's good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it'll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.

Wired mentions a couple of other not-surprising details:
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/0...ller-hands-on/

I'm going to assume they dropped GCN compatibility? That'd be sad...

They probably dropped support for gamecube controllers, but I'd bet you can still play GameCube games.

But my statement was in reference to a claim that the casual gaming market that bought into the Wii would have no issue buying into a new system next year because people bought iPad 2s. I'm saying that market is not the same.

So what do we do with our DDR mats? Maybe they will have a Gamecube controller to USB converter.

I have to admit, I don't really get the WiiU at this point. Until I see a killer app that makes innovative use of the touchscreen, I'm not sold. I can think of interesting novelty uses for it, such as a rearview in Mario Kart, but overall it doesn't make much sense to me.

It's so they can sell DS games on the Virtual Console.

hardly any indication of what a real game would look like, but this "demo" looks pretty impressive: http://gizmodo.com/5809570/zelda-gam...-this-stunning

So is there any reason you can't do this exact same stuff that Nintendo is attempting with the PS3 and the Vita?

why would it be sad? Did the Gamecube support SNES games?

Judging by my wife's friends? Yes.

Need for Speed developer just said that the on foot stuff is less than 10% of the game. I feel a little better about that.

Purely anecdotal, but I know a lot of moms here that love the ipad and wii much in the same way. They think it is a cool toy and don't feel like they are buying things that are bad for their kids (like those murder simulators: the xbox and PS3). Will the group home run out and upgrade? probably not. But a lot more people own HD TVs now than did 5 years ago. I could easily see a lot of people dropping 200-250 to upgrade to an "HD Wii." The ipad 2 reference was pointing to the fact that a lot of people are comfortable dropping $500 for a negligible upgrade. It may sell fewer units than the gamecube did (a pretty profitable system for Nintendo), but I think it will do very well.

At the right price w/ updated graphics, that could be pretty appealing.

did Capcom have pc yet and if so any Resident Evil 6 mentions?

I'm just saying, if Wii U carries the Virtual Console over, then GCN might be the only console left out for backwards compatiblity.

Geoff Keighley of Gametrailers got an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime and he was sort of pressuring Reggie to give up some info. What I learned... The system will not use DVDs or Blu-Rays, but their own new proprietary disc. Geoff asked what the capacity of the disc was, Reggie had no answer.

BTW, did that bird demo give anyone else an Okami vibe?

Okami? That game IGN made?

My guess is that the hardware specs are not defined yet. They will wait for some feedback from developers, to see how much they can restrict it, i.e. if it will work with 512 MB of memory or if they will need more, stuff like that.

They should have named it the Wii Wii. I want to her parents and perverts in Toys R Us asking "do you have a Wii Wii?" "Mom can I get a Wii Wii?"

Oh cool, we're back in 2006 again!