Nintendo 
fortified its position in the family videogame market Tuesday, showing off the launch version of the Wii U, out this holiday.
Oddly, the Japanese gamemaker was light on details of what’s inside its next-generation console or how it will let users access apps from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video; instead its hourlong presser at the Nokia Theater was laser focused on the games that will appear on the new console.
Nintendo
is coming late to the world of high definition gaming, but it’s hoping its often-unique take on the industry will be enough to turn heads.
The videogame company on Tuesday rolled out a string of top franchises that will support the launch of Wii U, its next generation home console system and gave fans a better idea of what will make that system unique.
While 
Microsoft cast a wide net at its E3 press conference Monday, covering entertainment and gaming options, Nintendo came to talk games — and nothing else.
As part of its ongoing rollout of the new Wii U system, the company showcased a variety of first party titles and gave a peek at some of the third party titles in the works for the system. It did not, however, give a launch date or price for the system, which is expected to be available later this year.
In 
the first 15 minutes of its annual pre-E3 press conference, Ubisoft had a surprise performance by Flo Rida, dancing girls and in-game footage of a topless woman being fondled.
The message was clear: Ubisoft is not fooling around with its latest crop of titles — clearly targeted at men.
Nintendo 
just couldn’t wait for E3 to share some big news about the Wii U.
Scooping itself two days before its scheduled pre-show press conference, the company released a 30-minute YouTube video Sunday unveiling a revamped Wii U controller and divulging new details about its forthcoming game system.
As 
Nintendo prepares to launch the Wii U later this year and Microsoft andSony gear up for expected 2013 launches for their next generation consoles, there’s a sense of excitement building in the videogame industry — but there’s also a sense of fear.
The market has changed considerably since the launch of the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 — and while new console launches used to be a surefire way to reinvigorate both core and casual gamers, nobody’s certain if that will happen this time.
The Wii, 
Xbox 360 and PS3 have done well for themselves, as over half of all U.S. households own a modern video game console. That also means, however, that a good chunk of the country still isn’t playing along.
With whispers of next-generation systems swirling — and one confirmed to launch later this year — deciding whether to buy a current generation system isn’t an easy one. Should you spend the money now, or should you wait and be a part of the cutting-edge in the months to come? Systems have typically hit the sweet spot in pricing, and there’s a tremendous catalog of games to choose from (many at discount prices, thanks to “Platinum editions” of top-selling games).
Nintendo 
usually likes to keep things pretty close to its vest, so you’d expect details about the Wii U, the company’s next generation console, to be pretty scant right now.
Nope. With the system’s big coming out party planned during the E3 video game expo just over a month from now, we’re learning plenty about what the company has in store, though far from everything.
Last 
year’s decision to slash the price of the 3DS helped the handheld gaming system from falling on its face, but it sure took a toll on Nintendo’s bottom line.
For the first time in its history as a publicly traded company, the game maker has reported an annual net loss, today posting figures that were $533 million in the red. That follows a $960 million profit for the previous fiscal year.
It might seem that there aren’t a lot of mysteries remaining about the Wii U, Nintendo’s first step into the high definition marketplace and the kickoff of the next generation console wars. But initial appearances can be deceiving.
While we’ll likely learn everything there is to know at E3, there’s still time for the company to tweak its new system to get the most out of it when it comes to retail. Just as we did with the next generation Xbox and the PlayStation 4, we’ve got a few humble suggestions about what Nintendo should – and shouldn’t – do with its next console.
Chris Morris: Journalist 