As I did with the 3DS launch, I thought I’d give you my day on impressions of Wii U. What worked for me, what didn’t and a solid look over the physical aspects of the hardware. Like most people, I’m feeling a few hits and a few misses, but a whole lot more hits.I’ll keep it short and sharp. Point form should do it.

THE SYSTEM

-Box is smaller but heavier than I thought, nice packaging

-You need a pen to sync the gamepad to the console

-Gamepad is overall bigger than I imagined, it’s nearly the same length and width as the console itself

-Screen size is nice and well proportioned to the shell of the pad, surprisingly clear and sharp

-Screen size is more than adequate to use as your game screen if you can’t use the TV

-Fits comfortably in my hands, and the three others that held it (one with ape hands) said it was the right size for them and felt good to hold

-Trigger buttons feel a bit weird as the are buttons not analogue triggers, comfortable nonetheless

-NFC logo does not look as ugly in real life as it does in pictures

-My gamepad rattles, as some others have experienced

• I can’t identify what it is
• It’s not the stylus
• It’s not the analogue sticks
• It doesn’t seem to be any of the face buttons

-Black is super glossy and super super shiny

• Console and game gamepad do pick up fingerprints and dust quickly as most people reported
• Get yourself a lint free cloth ASAP

-Analogue sticks feel nice, smooth to rotate and  very, very solid, more like Dualshock 3 than Wii nunchuck

-Stylus feels lighter and cheaper than 3DS, isn’t telescopic

• Slides into the top of gamepad easily
• Getting it out slightly cumbersome, will get easier with time ala 3DS

-I could only get a couple of metres away before streaming was interrupted and stopped, playing NSMBU… sadface

• I had no walls between me and console
• Only walked about 2 metres but up 3 stairs

-It’s nice to have a grey HDMI cable, easy to recognise

-Gamepad charging cradle is AWESOME and is a good coffee table height, angle

-Console is fairly quiet, kind of a dull whisper in the background

• You can hear the disc tray load, similar sound and volume to Wii

-Black console itself looks sexier than you might have thought, not as big either

-Red Sync button is unobtrusive and the SD slot/USB cover slides down flush with the machine

-Power brick for console is big but NOWHERE NEAR the size 360′s as some have reported

-Completely black sensor bar which I think is cool- they could have just used old Wii stock

-The stand to sit Wii U upright is cool and well made, but logo/writing is then the wrong way, looks weird

• Painted on decals like the logo and other writing looks good on gamepad, not so great on the console

THE SET UP

-System update took me an hour, from 1:09 to 2:08

-I was able to use the gamepad as a TV remote immediately, cool as

-Transferred Miis from my 3DS super easily

-Wii menu does indeed look sharper and better run through Wii U, I was skeptical when I read reports

-Transferring Wii data IS a nightmare as reported

• I went to the internet for advice, god help parents who know nothing
• I found 2 cool guides on the net to help me get it done, softmurderhands and geekenstein (thanks guys)
• Getting your Mii’s to the Wii U to use them is a further step, easy though

-You need to sync a Wii remote to the Wii U, it’s easy, I had no problems at all although I heard others did

-File transfer from Wii to Wii U took nearly another hour

 THE INTERFACE

- The new Mii Plaza as a start up screen is smart because it is immediately welcoming

-I was hoping Mii Plaza and Mii Maker would look better in HD… sad face

-Overall look and feel, including the fonts, are very reminiscent of Wii

• I was hoping for something a bit more mature
• Menus are crisp but don’t have that detailed HD feel

-Mii Plaza is floating and live on the TV yet static on the gamepad

• I think beginners or clueless parents are gonna struggle with this fact
• Selections need to be made on the game pad only, as far as I can tell
• You can flip between gamepad and TV but still it takes getting used to, can’t interact with the plaza while it’s on the TV
• I could not see any reference to “WaraWara” so far

-The transition between apps IS slow but not painfully slow as some have reported

• Could this have already been improved between U.S and EU launch?-I, like others, found myself looking at both screens and being slightly confused at times

-Internet channel and eShop seem improved over Wii and 3DS

-Sounds accompanying button clicks, and the little loading tunes seem pleasant so far

• Reminiscent of Wii
• Slightly more mature would have been nice