Nintendo Wii U pictures

By Molly McHugh Published May 29, 2014

Nintendo has finally debuted the much-anticipated next-gen Wii console, the Wii U. If you expecting a simple refresh for the motion-gaming system that started them all you were wrong: The Wii sports a similarly compact yet more traditional look and feel of your classic consoles – deviating from this, of course, with the addition of a 6.2-inch touchscreen-tablet controller. The device also functions as the remote and comes complete with front-facing camera, stand-alone games, photo viewing, video chat, Web browsing, and more.

But don’t worry, Nintendo won’t forgo all familiarity. In addition to allowing up to four Wii Remote or Remote Plus controllers to connect at once, it is also compatible with all original Wii controllers and input devices.

Check out Nintendo Wii U: What you need to know for more.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Gaming

The best Nintendo franchises, ranked

Nintendo music key art that spotlights several different franchises.

With a stable of iconic franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and more, Nintendo has proven that it knows how to make a series that can stand the test of time. With many series beginning back on the NES and still going strong to this day, it is hard to even keep track of every major Nintendo franchise, let alone rank them. Plus, with more upcoming Switch games on the way, Nintendo hasn't stopped experimenting with new franchises that could end up being huge hits. We did the difficult task of looking back through every console generation, from the launch titles to the last games released on every Nintendo system, to compare and rank every franchise.
10. Splatoon

One of the newest franchises to catch on in a big way is Nintendo's take on a third-person multiplayer shooter. That wasn't a combination of words most people ever expected from a Nintendo-developed game, but the concept of spraying ink around as transforming squid kids was fresh, fun, and totally Nintendo. It has a great style that is nothing like anything else from Nintendo, or any other company for that matter. The single player mode in the last two games were great as well. Because it is such a young series and hasn't evolved much from its core, it can't quite overtake the more long-running franchises that have had the time to branch out.
9. Kirby

Gaming

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar might fix my biggest problem with farming sims

A blonde girl rings a bell and a brown haired boy walks behind her. They are surrounded by animals.

Farming sims often blur together for me. The familiar gameplay loop of growing crops, forming bonds with locals, and making a profit along the way is fun but, if you are me, can get stale. Some of that comes from an endgame that often centers around maximizing efficiency (and money-making) rather than refocusing on the community you are taking part in. With Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, developer Marvelous is hoping to break that familiar cycle.

Releasing on August 27 for Nintendo Switch and PC, Grand Bazaar is a remake of a 2008 title for the Nintendo DS. While the familiar bones of the Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon) franchise is here, likely to satisfy any farming sim fan, what makes this entry stand out is the titular bazaar. It’s a charming system that turns selling products into another pillar of the experience in a way that puts the community themes of the game first. After going hands on with the title for an hour and getting a taste of the bazaar, I was surprised just how well this feature makes Grand Bazaar feel like a breath of fresh air for the genre.
Setting up shop
Grand Bazaar will feel largely familiar to anybody who has played other Story of Seasons titles. The daily loop of attending to crops, cattle, and the community is still here. What is new is that bazaar. This is a weekly event that occurs on Saturdays. During morning and afternoon shifts, shopkeepers will open up stalls and sell their wares. The twist is that I have to do that too.

Gaming

All confirmed music in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4

tony hawk 3 4 music s pro skater

Activsion knew what it was doing when it revealed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 with the iconic Ace of Spades playing in the background. Those who played these games on the PS2 cannot separate the memories of grinding and flipping through those classic maps. We already know that all the old maps are coming back, plus a ton of skaters, but the big question was about the music. The first pair of remakes managed to bring back most of the old tracklist, but not everything. Here is every confirmed track, new and old, coming to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4.
All confirmed music in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Sadly, the full original soundtracks for these games will not be included in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. Like the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remake, we will get a majority of the old songs with some new ones mixed in. As of March 2025, two waves of songs have been announced, and future waves will be released as we approach the game's launch. You can rock out with the currently released songs right now via the official Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Spotify playlist that will update with future waves as they come out.

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