WiiU FTW!!!

Ok i'll give away the ending: it's the buttons!  

The gamepad is far superior to the unwieldy combination of Xbox controller + tablet: how's that supposed to feel natural or be fun? Gamepad wins.  

It's got buttons and sticks ON the same body as the touchscreen.  That's far more comfortable and natural than switching back and forth between two separate devices. Hence the seamless conjoining of touchscreen and conventional game controls gives the gamepad a superiority over any ad hoc solution that MS or Sony can come up with - and assuming proper patenting that's an insurmountable barrier.

Everyone's talking about the "Death of Consoles" and the "Rise of Freemium" - while the latter depends on a broadening of the definition of 'freemium' for validity, the former is just plain dumb.

Here's the common DoC scenario:  (powerful tablets + TV + controller) > console.

The issue i see with that (one among many) is this: Android games haven't achieved the success of iOS games in general, despite a larger install base.  While i'm sure that many engineers and others will disagree sharply with me on this I think it's because development is just plain easier in an environment with fewer hardware setups (i.e. iOS) - heck just porting a game between PC, Xbox, PS3 and Wii increases cost and development time substantially.  When you can't optimize for a given system but instead must account for Lwst Cmmn Dnmntr playability, the game's ceiling is inherently lowered. 

SO, vis-a-vis the DoC scenario above: the WiiU provides a 'nativized' environment in which the developer is free to make use of a truly innovative design while maximizing/leveraging accumlated knowledge (the plus side to the 'weak' hardware specs of the box) with a single hardware spec.  The WiiU is going to do anything (except graphics max. but it *is* HD capable and that's the bar) a tablet-controller-TV can do except more naturally - for both user and developer - which will create richer experiences.  WiiU wins.

Of course audience adoption is key, and it's going to take some serious Innovator and Early Adopter buzz on games like the WiiU version of Colonial Marines to drive sales - plus an awesome Metroid game (REGGIE GET AT ME YO!) - but I really believe that the WiiU+Gamepad will redefine hardcore gaming.


ps - Seriously, Reggie, I have your Killer App.