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Wii U's road to reality has been long and baffling, with mixed messaging and occasionally bizarre press conferences. At times we've wondered whether even Nintendo knows who its next-generation games console is aimed at.

The machine is the firm's long overdue debut in the HD era - but that's not its main selling point. Wii U's tablet-esque touch screen controller is said to allow for innovative "asymmetrical gameplay" and portable Mass Effect 3 sessions from the solitary comfort of your toilet.

By focusing its console around the GamePad, Nintendo's gambling that it can form a new market position, half way between the casual world of iPad gaming and established core titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, FIFA 13 and Assassin's Creed 3 - all of which are available for Wii U at launch.

Crucially however, Wii U isn't all about games: for the first time Nintendo's presenting a dedicated online offering with its new console, with features surrounding entertainment services such as Netflix and LoveFilm.

The Wii's legacy is how it succeeded in expanding the audience that plays games. By striving to maintain a deep relationship with this casual market while reengaging with the core, Wii U faces a unique and puzzling challenge.

Can Nintendo revolutionise gaming twice in a decade? Here's our launch verdict.

Wii U boxed contents

Basics:

• 1 x Wii U console
• 1 x Wii U GamePad
• 1 x AC adapter
• 1 x GamePad charging AC adapter
• 1 x HDMI cable
• 1 x Wii sensor bar (Europe and US only)

Premium model extras:

• 1 x Wii U GamePad charger
• 1 x Wii U GamePad stand
• 1 x Wii U console stand feet
• 1 x Free copy of Nintendo Land (Europe and US only)

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Wii U is available in two models; the £250 ($300 USD / $350 AUS) Basic version and the £300 ($350 USD / $430 AUS) Premium model. The Basic console comes in white and carries 8GB of storage, of which about 3GB is reserved for the player.

Meanwhile the Premium version carries 32GB of storage, comes in black, and bundles in a GamePad charger, a GamePad stand, as well as console stand feet. Europe and US versions of the Premium model also come with a free copy of Nintendo Land, as well as an original Wii sensor bar.

The minimalist design of the console itself feels like a continuation of the original Wii, with a glossy finish, large disc slot and extra ports hidden behind a discrete chamber on the face of the console.

As is the norm for most Nintendo consoles, the Wii U's plastic finish feels cheaper than it looks and is prone to fingerprint smudges, although the system itself is sturdy.

Wii U games run on new 25GB optical discs and while original Wii titles are supported (and can upscale to HD), GameCube discs will not run on the new console.

Given the real lack of memory space in the Basic version - the 3GB available to the player isn't even enough to download NintendoLand - it's difficult to recommend anything other than the Premium model, even though it can look as smudgy as a toddler's iPad.

Up to 2 terabytes of data is supported via external USB hard drives, however the drive must be specifically formatted for Wii U and games cannot run from them.

Even if you're not interested in the bundled game, NintendoLand acts as an excellent demonstration of the console and its GamePad features. Read our full NintendoLand review for more on that.

Hardware unit spec

Unit size:

1.8 inches high, 6.75 inches wide, 10.6 inches deep

Unit weight:

3.5 pounds

USB 2.0 ports:

Four (two hidden at the front, two at the back)

SD card slot:

One hidden at front. Supports AD up to 2GB, and SDHD up to 32GB

Ports:

HDMI 1.4 out, Wii Sensor bar out (compatible with old Wii version), AV Multi Out (compatible with old Wii version), power out.

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Internal hardware spec

GPU:

AMD Radeon GPU Clock speed not disclosed but rumoured to be 550 MHz

CPU:

Clock speed not disclosed but thought to be 1.24 GHz - less than half the speed of the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Memory:

2GB, half for the operating system, the other half for games or apps

Video output:

Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i.

Audio output:

Six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI, or analogue out via AV Multi Out port

Network capabilities:

Supports wireless connection (IEEE 802.11b/g/n), USB port can add LAN connector (sold separately)

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At the center of the Wii U experience is the GamePad, a wireless tablet-controller hybrid with a plethora of inputs including analogue sticks, motion sensors, shoulder buttons and of course, a touch screen.

At 10.2 inches wide, 5.3 inches tall and 0.9 inches deep, the GamePad is much larger than a traditional controller and feels more akin to a portable console, albeit one that's more concerned with functionality than convenience.

Even though its 6.2-inch, 16:9 screen is larger than anything we're used to, the Wii U GamePad feels comfortable and light, weighing just over a pound.

Your hands wrap perfectly around two nicely-shaped bulges at the far ends of the controller, giving you defined points of grip and allowing your thumbs to rest naturally over the face buttons and analogue sticks.

Like the console itself, the Wii U GamePad feels cheaper than it looks, a necessary trade-off for its sturdy build quality and light weight. It's also begging for your fingerprints (especially the black model), although thankfully the back of the unit adopts a different matte plastic finish.

Wii U ships with a single GamePad - although future Wii U titles will support two GamePads - and they're not currently sold separately.

The main feature of the GamePad is the 854 x 480 (158 ppi) touch screen which, although not quite HD, displays an image comparable to that of most modern televisions, with only the odd pixelation when viewed up close. Anyone who's used a Retina Display iPad will notice the drop in quality, but otherwise Nintendo's done an excellent job with its display.

GamePad unit spec

Unit size:

5.3 inches high, 10.2 inches wide, 0.9 inches deep

Unit weight:

Approximately 500g

Touch-screen size:

6.2 inches (diagonal measurement)

Touch-screen aspect ratio:

16x9

Touch-screen resolution:

854 x 480

Touch-screen stylus:

Housed within pad

Audio:

Two stereo speakers, and 3.5mm headphone jack

Power input:

Two separate proprietary charging ports (at top and bottom)

Wii U GamePad Battery life:

Lithium Ion battery lasts about 3-5 hours (depending on brightness etc)

Wii U GamePad Battery recharge time:

Full recharge in about 2.5 hours

Battery lifespan:

After 500 uses, battery capacity may reduce by about 30%

Wii U GamePad Battery accessibility:

Can recharge when docked in Wii U charger stand, or can be recharged while being used via an AC cable

The touch screen technology is less impressive. Like the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U's GamePad touch screen is based on resistive and not capacitive tech, which means it's less sensitive to touch compared to Apple's devices - and multi-touch isn't supported at all.

This means that while the screen responds fine to the odd jab of a finger, it will require a stylus for any actions requiring more fidelity such as scrolling down a menu or drawing routes on a map. This can be annoying when you're trying to leisurely browse through the console's interface, but the upside is an online service stuffed full of stylus doodles.

Most of the launch games use the GamePad screen to supplement the big-screen action, such as for displaying maps or HUD items, while other games support a duplicate of the on-screen action for portable play.

Other launch games that make more creative use of the GamePad controller such as NintendoLand or ZombiU have you planning strategy on the controller before carrying out gameplay on the big screen, frequently glancing between the two.

Fundamentally, no launch game achieves the ultimate goal of delivering compelling "asymmetrical gameplay" in a single-player experience - not in a innovative, game-changing sense anyway. Among the launch titles there's far too much confusion over where you should be looking and not enough actual innovation, which is probably to be expected for such a disruptive concept at this early stage.

In solo play NintendoLand is full of instructions telling you where to look, while one screen is often left as a glamorised notice board. Even ZombiU - a game designed from the ground up for dual screens - doesn't have the concept engrained far enough into its gameplay that it wouldn't be possible to create a 360 port. Much of its charm and suspense would be killed off, but it'd be totally possible to play on PS3.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, multiplayer games make the best use of asymmetrical gameplay at launch. By utilising the second GamePad screen to give one player a different role or perspective - with the on-board camera amusingly displaying their face on screen - Wii U really does offer a unique experience, and both NintendoLand and Tank! Tank! Tank! Are brilliant fun with friends.

This is one area where Wii U does succeed in engaging the casual audience this Christmas - if they can stomach the price - because even the biggest controller-phobes can keep hold of their old Wii Remotes while a more experience player mans the 'scary' GamePad.

Controls

Directions:

D-Pad, left and right analogue sticks

Action buttons:

ABXY diamond, L+R shoulder buttons, L+R triggers (digital and not spring-mounted), two analogue stick push-in buttons, Start + Select

System buttons:

Home, Power, TV, Sync, Volume slider

Motion control:

Built in accelerometer and gyroscope for motion sensing

One thing Wii U does have over its rivals on day one is the ability to take proper HD games on the go. Well, almost.

For games that support the feature (Mass Effect 3, New Super Mario Bros. U and more) big-screen gameplay can be pushed down to the GamePad, allowing you to stroll around the house.

The feature is hampered only by how the GamePad itself operates; The controller features no internal horsepower and images are instead streamed from the console to the GamePad screen with absolutely no lag.

Nintendo says the controller will operate up to 25ft away from the console, though in our tests we found this to be largely dependent on the size and shape of your house, how much furniture you've got and whether your walls are made of MDF or solid steel.

In CVG's open office the GamePad can be read from as far as fourteen metres away. However as soon as walls become involved the distance at which you can play drops. It's also possible for the controller to work in rooms above the Wii U console, though again this didn't work in every house we tested.

When it does work the experience is seamless, and you're introduced to a new world where Mass Effect 3 in bed is a tantalising, brilliant reality.

Extra features

Camera:

A front-facing 1.3mp camera for video and photos

Sensor strip:

Spread behind the camera is a small sensor strip that works in a similar way to the Wii's sensor bar which can read the infrared signals from a Wii Remote. No games or applications have yet been used for it.

Near Field Communication tech.

Other features:

Microphone, vibration, stereo speakers, battery LED, Infrared transceiver

But there's another catch. As well as requiring a healthy proximity to the game console, portable Wii U gaming has another condition - and it's undoubtedly the biggest negative of the GamePad itself.

Nintendo claims the controller's rechargeable (and replaceable) Lithium Ion battery will last around 3-5 hours on full charge (which takes around 2 hours), but we found that it struggles to last much longer than three with the best quality brightness settings.

We don't have to tell you that that's a big inconvenience for those who don't want to play whilst tethered to a power socket. Which is most of us. We imagine Nintendo's decision was one based on balancing price and weight, but it's still very disappointing.

The Wii U's interface is, at launch, a mixed bag, with crisp touch-friendly menus proving simple to use, if occasionally a bit confusing and sluggish.

Loading up the console displays an interface that will be familiar to any owner of the original Wii or Nintendo 3DS; on the GamePad three rows of five icons are displayed, from which you can load applications or boot up whichever game is in the disc dive.

Four further screens of icons can be filled with content and navigated using either touch screen or physical controls. It's clean, simple and works well with the GamePad's smaller screen.

Below the main icon list are five smaller online app buttons; Miiverse, eShop, the web browser and notifications, with Friends List and Wii Chat accessible via the GamePad. The whole online suite of applications is nicely integrated into the OS and each is easily accessible at any time via the GamePad's home menu, much like the Xbox 360's Guide.

At launch some of the Wii U menus can be a bit confusing to navigate - it took us 15 minutes to work out how to send a friend request - and sluggish loading is a problem, but it's still a delight to see Nintendo attempting something encompassing an integrated online platform.

Even at launch Wii U's online offering is a significant improvement over its predecessor - but we all know that isn't saying much.

The first bit of good news is the death of friend codes; instead of messing around with annoying digits, on Wii U players can register their own Nintendo Network ID and track down friends' Miis that way. It's miles better than the restrictive and confusing system offered by the original Wii, and should finally see some truly excellent online offerings on a Nintendo platform (Black Ops 2 is already available).

Miiverse

The Miiverse is an expanded online hub for Mii avatars. Players can make friends, follow others, post drawings and messages, and publish screen shots. In the near future, the Miiverse can also be accessed via browsers on PCs, smartphones and - in theory - other console browsers.

Miiverse is the most unique proposition of Nintendo's online offering, which is a sort of built-in message board for Wii U owners to discuss games and leave stylus drawings. 'Topics' are separated in to different Wii U titles and you can also sort posts by region.

At launch Nintendo's doing a remarkable job of moderating the Miiverse; since the EU online patch went live this Thursday we genuinely haven't seen a single penis doodle, and anyone trying to post game spoilers will have their message swiftly blocked from those who choose not to see that content.

In the long term this could result in a more restrictive and censored service than even Xbox Live, but for the time being it's a delightful social hub that should please the core audience.

Miiverse can be accessed in-game via the GamePad and can be fully integrated into titles that support it. New Super Mario Bros. U for example allows players to leave messages on the world map after they've either failed several times on a level, or completely nailed it.

In this particular title you can choose to display global Miiverse posts or just your friends' messages. Combined with the established Mii system the latter is a welcome method of transforming a single player experience into a really great social one.

TVii

Only available in the US in 2012, this custom service for the Wii U provides access to a comprehensive level of TV services. Users can access Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon TV streams, as well as live TV, and even access their Tivo player.

Perhaps just as surprising as Nintendo's online u-turn is Wii U's positioning as an entertainment hub. The Nintendo TVii service has been confirmed for Europe - but it won't launch until next year. In the meantime users can get their video fix from individual service apps such as Netflix and eventually LoveFilm.

The former can display video content on either the television of the GamePad. The interface feels excellent on the touch screen, while the ability to watch content on the GamePad while the television is used for something else is another big plus point - if the battery lasts long enough.

With the 'TV' button on the GamePad able to change the channel and source of your TV or satellite receiver, Nintendo certainly sees Wii U as the new center of living room entertainment.

Until the TVii service eventually launches launches in the UK, we're not yet convinced that dream will become a reality, as its current entertainment offerings are a bit flat and not up to par with that of Xbox Live and PSN.

Launch Verdict

Who - if anyone - should you buy a Wii U for this Christmas? Yourself, or your family?

As we've come to expect from every Nintendo console, the Wii U delivers something different. The GamePad might not be as revolutionary as the Wii Remote, but it's still a fascinating peripheral with a chance to again disrupt the gaming landscape.

The controller has at its disposal an embarrassment of tools with the potential to, we're sure, deliver incredible gaming experiences. The NFS reader for example is still totally unused, and no launch title truly masters "asymmetrical gameplay" outside of multiplayer.

On day-one those incredible experiences aren't quite there - and Nintendo needs them to convince either core or casual audiences.

The launch line-up is comprised of more than a few great games, but unless the concept of HD Mario puts butterflies in your stomach, none are truly worth purchasing an expensive Premium system for.

At launch, the GamePad is ultimately a complimentary feature for core titles, rather than the game-changing input it could eventually become.

Nintendo Land and Tank! Tank! Tank! Will entertain your family on boozy Christmas nights just as Wii Sports did, but the price and confused messaging will - for now at least - likely keep them from purchasing one for themselves.

Wii U's ability as an entertainment hub too isn't yet at full strength, with the promising TVii service on the horizon and few apps available.

Nintendo's gamble is yet to pay off then - but it hasn't failed either. With time Wii U has the ability to evolve into a truly unique platform, but it could just as easily be left outdated and unexploited once the next-gen rivals arrive.

If you've already decided to become an early adopter then you're unlikely to be disappointed. For Xbox 360 and PS3 owners peeking suspiciously over the fence, Wii U's yet to do enough to ignite another revolution.