[Robo]

Originally Posted by Brad I absolutely love the idea. I'm iffy on the execution and may to need be "sold" on it in person.

I'm not saying I don't have reservations. I mean, we don't really know how the whole thing works, do we? I would like to think that the "Wii Pad" is essentially a low-power standalone tablet, but that doesn't seem to be the case; it's sounding more and more like the Wii U console does all the rendering and pushes the graphics out to the tablet using something akin to WiDi (which is why it seems like...there can only be one ). I can understand the desire to keep the tablet(s) from having to wirelessly "load" the game program from the Wii U console, but I think they're missing a pretty huge opportunity there. (What is it with Nintendo and crippling their hardware because of their fear of load times?) And let's be real, they really could include an actual low-power standalone tablet with the console for $250-300 in late 2012; the new Nook has a higher-resolution 6" display using more expensive E Ink display technology and more expensive IR touch technology and that's $139 now. They just want to make gobs of money on it, just like they're making gobs of money by selling the 3DS for the same price as the freaking PS Vita.

So yes, I do fear that — just as with the Wii Remote — they're going to touch upon (ho-ho!) a great idea, but they'll shoot themselves in the foot by doing it on the cheap and doing it sort of backwards, making it not quite as cool as everyone thought it would be and leaving it for their competitors to do it right.

But I still think it'll be better than the Wii, just because I'm not sure there's a touchscreen equivalent for "shipping with only an accelerometer while selling people on the concept of slick gyro-based 1:1 control, thus disappointing everyone by delivering only loose waggle gestures."

Originally Posted by Brad That's one thing that puts the Wii U controller light years ahead of any iPad for gaming, at least!

You'll laugh at me, but even though I love my iPad and think the 9.7"/4:3 form factor is better for general use tablets, I would love a 7" widescreen "game tablet" with buttons for games. Basically like a Nook Color only instead of being "The Reader's Tablet™" it would be the gamers' tablet. In fact, while I generally think getting even remotely close to competing with Apple is business suicide, if I "Had Money" I would develop and market just such a device, when I wasn't building electric trucks and simpler set top boxes, that is. I think there's room in the market for tablets that target specific segments at sizes and price points that Apple will never hit. And Apple will certainly never make a tablet with buttons.