Ah okay, that makes sense. They've not done a very good job at getting the message across then. I've watched three or four presentations about the Wii U and never seen anything used apart from the lap pad thing.

I don't think it is destined to fail. Nintendo is one of those companies, like Apple, that could release an abacus as their new product, call it revolutionary and people would stampede to buy it by the million. The release timing is great, at least a full year before Xbox and Playstation make their next move. There will be millions of parents sat wondering what to get little Johnny as he's had his Xbox/Playstation for 3/4/5/6/7 years. If they can compete with the ipad/tablet advertising over the next couple of months they could clean up.

So, if I buy a Wii U, what do I get in the basic package?

I've not got a Wii or anything Nintendo, so what would I have to buy in order to get the best from it? Are we looking at £300+ investment here without any games or what?

Basic package with no games is £259ish I think. That includes one lap pad controller type thing, so you would need to buy either the new premium controller for £50 (A cheap looking copy of the Xbox controller) or an old Wii wand thing for £20 if you wanted to play it with more than 1 player. So you are looking at £279 with no games.

Obviously I think some retailers will be bundling in the games for a similar price or maybe a bit more. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a few cheap Nintendo made shovel-ware games thrown in by most retailers.

I am quite intrigued to see how the lap pad thing plays. It looks horrific as a controller in the demos they've shown off so far. Some very interesting uses of the screen on the pad though, but I'm not convinced any of them are actually any use once you get past the novelty factor.

I'm just praying the advertising tsuami that's no doubt about to hit doesn't sweep up my kids.

But then again, looking at it now, the basic package doesn't seem to include a sensor bar?

I'm confused. Can one of the Nintendo fans clear this up perhaps?

Am I right in saying the new lap pad thing has to be plugged in? Or is it wireless and you have to charge it?

Yep, no sensor bar included. So if you don't have one already from owning a Wii it's going to cost you extra.
Also pretty sure the controllers are wireless, not sure if Nintendo have finally caught up with today's technology and done away with batteries though.

Wii-U is another toy, like the Wii.

Gimmicky crap for fans of Mario. Nothing more.

I have just read on another forum that the new 'pad' costs more than the console? i.e. If the console with a pad is £200 with the pad price included, the pads sell individually for £130, leaving just £70 for everything else. Obviously, I've just made those figures up as the person mentioning it was speaking in dollars, but if it's true that's so crud from Nintendo.

I've really not looked into the Wii U, I'm going to give it a proper good look this week to see what the score is with it, but it sounds like an even bigger crime against gaming than the Wii.

Not surprising really. The wiiU console is old tech now, basically a 360.
The pad is a tablet with a hd screen, you can play any game with the TV turned off by wirelessly streaming the game through the screen on the pad without any delays.

A year possibly a bit more late i know, but Deus Ex Human Revolution is a must-play, particularly if you like your Metal Gear/Splinter Cell type of games.