Jason

@eat it Yes, and it's *magnificent* :). I've been a technology geek my entire life and a systems engineer for 16 years, and this is, hands down, the single most important innovation in user interface design in the last 30 years.

Think about it: Present versions of Windows and Mac OSX are fundamentally rooted in UI concepts first developed in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Very little has changed in that time, in spite of the fact that there has been a massive change in computing capability and usage.

The world needs a new way to interact with the PC. This is that way, and it works very, very well. You'll understand it much better once you get your hands on it. Trust me when I say: looking at it *cannot* convey what it's like to use it.

@FatherChesz No you couldn't. I thought exactly what you just said until a few days ago. I've now played the Mass Effect 3 Kinect demo 4 times from start to finish, and Kinect voice controls are DEFINITELY faster and more intuitive. Simply telling your team to attack the target you're looking at is *awesome*, and really keeps you in the game rather than fiddling with the controller.

I really wasn't sure they could pull it off, but Bioware has done something special with integrating Kinect into a "hardcore" game. I'm impressed, and gotta give props where they're due :)

Smart move by Nintendo, to be sure. Microsoft has been very aggressive, Sony is lagging (as usual), so there's still a competition to be had on the subject. It's nice to see Nintendo stepping up their game--following up the success of Wii is going to be no mean feat :)

@commonperson No, it doesn't call into question ANY of the elements of the game itself. What it calls into question are the graphic designer who designed the case art, his or her supervisor, and the people in charge of printing the final copy.

End.of.story.

@KaBob799: I'm offended that you referred to that thinking as LOGIC :p

@hami83: I don't think it will happen, but part of me hopes they announce the Wii U running Android, with full access to either the Google or Amazon Android Apps marketplace (I'd prefer the Amazon market, frankly, because they do a better job of policing it for malware).

@baddates77 Actually I think three consoles are "just right." Last generation, when Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox were essentially *the same* console, differing mostly in their games libraries (yes, I realize they had different levels of horsepower and Xbox brought online to the party), then yes--three was too many.

But once Nintendo decided that it was time to *differentiate* from the competition rather than simply run the same race (ie, graphics and little else), the dynamic changed. Three is now the sweet spot.

As for Wii U, when it was first announced I felt somewhat similar, kind of a "Hmmm" with the new controller. I had a bit of a "why the hell would you do that?" moment. But as we've seen more, I started to realize something: I felt the same way about the Wii Remote at first, but then it turned out it was fun and useful in a lot of ways. Wii U looks to repair the two major flaws that Wii had: poor graphical capabilities and online services. Couple that with full Wii compatibility, right down to the accessories, and a new gameplay dynamic that really can make a big difference in how, why and where you play, and I think Wii U has a good shot at being something special (especially if they use that Power7 derived CPU to make some games with half decent AI, unlike almost anything out this generation).

Now if only they have a better name than "Wii U". I get keeping the Wii brand equity--they'd be foolish not to--but the U part really needs something more catchy.

@mguniverse Umm, PS Vita is more powerful than any smartphone currently on the market :P

@libregkd They were only referring to estimated R&D and marketing costs. The cost of hardware will be profitable from day one (just meaning that they'll sell the hardware for more than it costs them to physically build).

@(Unverified) Not true since the recent 3DS update, actually. They could definitely patch it. Perhaps with enough fan pressure, they will.