GameDock: nPad

In development, iosgamedock.com

A soldier in the growing army of devices designed to battle smeary touchscreen gaming. There's an obvious NES theme, but while its controllers look the same, it can output a rather-higher-than-NES 1080p via HDMI. Or you can play on your iThing... including two-player split screen. The prototype already runs most iCade games, so there should be plenty of titles if it's released. Want one? Back it on Kickstarter before August 16 to make it so.

Status Funding required

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NINTENDO 3DS XL: a hot handheld game player

    The buttons, connectivity and innards — bar the addition of a 4GB rather than 2GB SD card — are the same as the original 3DS, making this a predominantly aesthetic overhaul. But is bigger better?

    The rounded design is more comfy in the hand and at 4.88 inches its screen has a larger 3D sweet spot, so gameplay is more immersive. Yet resolution is not improved, the pixels are just bigger.
    While there are a stack of A-grade games available and more on the horizon, the lack of cheap, downloadable titles is an initial 3DS gripe that still needs addressing.

    Having to shell out £6.99 extra for an AC adaptor is a bit odd in this day and age, while the decision not to integrate the Circle Pad Pro add-on (£15) is a shame, but probably wise on the size front. Nintendo quotes a 3DS-beating 6.5 hours of 3D play and eight of 2D for the XL, and while we lost power a bit quicker than that, it's noticeably improved.
    The 3DS remains a very good handheld, with the XL the best choice for newbies, but there's not enough here to recommend an upgrade for original 3DS owners.

The 3DS XL, pound for pound, out-punches the original 3DS, but existing users should stick rather than twist

{SPECIFICATIONS}
PROCESSOR/RAM Nintendo ARM (speed not specified)/127MB
GRAPHICS PICA200
TOP SCREEN 4.88-inch, 800x240, 3D
BOTTOM SCREEN 4.18-inch, 320x240, 2D touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY G Wi-Fi
CAMERA 0.3-megapixel 3D dual interior and exterior
STORAGE 2GB internal, SD card (4GB card included)
SIZE/WEIGHT 134x74x21mm/235g

LOVE Big 3D sweet spot. Comfortable design. Battery life bump
HATE Build feels a bit cheap. No major tech improvements

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Wii U KICKS OFF GAMING'S NEW ERA

    While Xbox 720 and PS4 are keeping us waiting, the E3 expo wafted plenty of new hardware under our noses. We grabbed it with both, battle-scarred hands...

    A year since T3 was flown out to LA to play a prototype and a full four years since the console was first conceived, Nintendo's follow-up to the Wii was back in the limelight at games fest E3 and we got hands-on again. The sheer number of ways to play the Wii U remains a difficult sell to Joe Public - no two games seem to act in the same way - but the potential for its many inputs is massive, and its "second screen" crux is now officially this year's gaming trend. We outline the big updates below, yet no retail price or release date had been released as we went to press. This is going to come out, right?
NINTENDO.CO.UK, OUT WINTER 2012

{ The Kit }

Nin tendo's never-ending console evolution...

The controllers
The above motion-sensing, screen-touting slab has been renamed, in a retro NES nod, the GamePad. In a hardcore turn, the circle pads have changed to analogue sticks while a no-screen, Xbox-alike pad is on its way.
The connectivity
That little square to the screen's left is a new NFC window for transferring data from Nintendo's online service, which, unlike Xbox Live, is free. The newly social Miiverse network will be available on phones.
The base station
Only ever seen hiding behind the GamePad in pics, the current console is actually really big, but it's still not final build as yet. Specs are still sketchy but while it's very much HD, the PS3 need not worry, let alone the PS4.
The games
While Activision support is noticeable by its absence, Ubisoft's London-based survival horror Zombie U is great. Yet while New Super Mario Bros U is nice and all, Nintendo needs to get more big guns blazing for release.

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