Nintendo has always been about innovation with their consoles, founding the experience not on gameplay alone, but the performance that the console is also capable of achieving. In this way, the performance contributes to the experience and brings out more than is typical for most games today. Needless to say, the Wii U pulls this off with the promised features that it has in line already. The GamePad's display and the control scheme will allow the player to select from multiple options all at once, able to perform virtually any task. Straightforward gameplay is certainly not out of the question, though, but it is incredible to think of how in-depth this new line of controls are going to be.
While it doesn't seem to have much build-up going for it at the moment (at least from my perspective), the Wii U has a stellar line-up of game that'll be available at launch. This should definitely be a springboard that will amass a lot of sales long before Microsoft or Sony's upcoming platforms are distributed to the shelves. Many fans dedicated to these series and expectant of their erstwhile releases—Assassin's Creed 3 and Bayonetta 2, to name a couple—will rush to them up, along with the Wii U.
Of course it will have to contend with the current and already distinguished Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, as well. But the Wii U features scores of components in areas where, as far as I know, their competitors are lacking. There's this system where the player can get on a chat center to ask for help, while countless other people are watching the feed so that they can quickly be of assistance (pretty sure it works like that). Another feature is the widespread community known as Miiverse, where people around the globe can gather to take on players from one country to a different nation—just like Mario Kart Wii's or Brawl's online systems, but on a much grander scale.
Altogether, the Wii U has exhibited exceptional promise and potential for this generation in gaming. All of its exponents combined make it more distinctive than its predecessor; but those aren't what will ultimately make it successful. They are only a part of it. If success is measured in terms of the number of sales, at launch or in later years, and the Wii U reaches a higher sum, then that means it will clearly be recognized as the superior platform. Alternatively, it might even fall short by a certain amount, but it can still be a great home console. As a whole, time will tell.
