As Wii sales continued to shrink month to month and software support slowed to barely a trickle, Nintendo knew it needed to make its move on a new platform that would replace the Wii. How it would go about doing that while replicating the Wii's success was anyone's guess, but expectations for a new console announcement were high. After all, Nintendo changed the face of console gaming (for better or worse, depending on your perspective), bringing more people into the fold who don't necessarily read video game websites or dissect every screenshot for the slightest bit of information. How do you keep that momentum going and simultaneously recapture an audience that might have been turned off from what the Wii primarily offered?

　　Nintendo didn't address the question right away, but instead chose to mark another important moment in its history--the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda--complete with a full orchestra performing popular themes from various Zelda games over the years. Famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto then appeared onstage to give some details of how Nintendo plans to celebrate this particular birthday. It will start with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. This will be followed by the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D on the Nintendo 3DS, and in September, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures will become available on DSiWare. And finally, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will become available on the Wii this holiday season. Interestingly, the celebration doesn't stop there. Nintendo plans to hold Zelda concerts around the world as well as release two soundtrack CDs--one of the music in the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time and the other of the orchestral music to be played at the aforementioned concerts.

　　The release of these games seems more like a coincidence than a concerted effort on Nintendo's part to properly celebrate Zelda's anniversary, but the company kept this particular part of the press conference brief. And the appearance of some of Zelda's most important contributors over the years, including Eiji Aonuma, was a nice touch. Still, bigger news came quickly a few minutes later as Nintendo president Satoru Iwata took to the stage to tell the audience about a new Nintendo strategy--deeper experiences that have wider appeal. It was an obvious hint at Nintendo's next console that played into rumors swirling before E3 2011 that Nintendo was keen on courting some of the hardcore audience it has lost over the past few years.

　　It was just a tease of things to come later, so Iwata left the stage so Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime could come forward to rattle the sabers for the Nintendo 3DS. There's no question Nintendo needed to address some faltering interest in its 3D portable, and it did so in proper fashion by revealing more information on key games (namely Mario Kart and Super Mario 3D) and unveiling some nice surprises (Luigi's Mansion 2 and Tekken). The weakest part of the conference came at the end of this particular segment as Reggie took some time to toot the eShop horn. All of the information discussed was old hat, and while having such a large media audience provided a great opportunity to remind everyone about the shop, going in depth into the Pokedex wasn't all that necessary.

　　Reggie then addressed the crowd about one more piece of information--Nintendo's next platform. He explained how Nintendo came to name the Wii and eventually revealed the name of the new system, the Nintendo Wii U--a surprising choice considering that Nintendo hasn't transitioned a brand from one generation to the next since the NES to Super NES era. Next, the audience was shown a trailer that highlighted all of the new system's capabilities. What made this trailer work so well was that it immediately showed what makes the Wii U different from its predecessor: its screen-equipped controller. Images of sharing content across the TV and controller danced with an impressively detailed version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Iwata then went into some of the finer points of the controller, including the button layout, the front-facing camera, the gyroscope, and the accelerometer. But more importantly, he explained how users can stream a video signal to the controller to continue playing a game if the household TV has been commandeered for other activities.

　　Then came the parade of third-party support, including notable games like Batman: Arkham City, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden III, Assassin's Creed, and Darksiders II. Developers like Irrational's Ken Levine and Disney's Warren Spector expounded upon the possibilities for innovation. Even EA CEO John Riccitiello got onstage and asked us to imagine--because EA doesn't want to make a promise it can't keep--a version of Battlefield 3 and other EA games for the Wii U. A major question remained: How will these games take advantage of the Nintendo U's unique controller, and what will make consumers want to own those versions over their 360 and PS3 counterparts?

　　Unfortunately, many questions went unanswered about third-party support, online functionality, and even the user interface that will guide users around the system's features. Still, Nintendo's goals are clear. Not only does it want to keep doing what it did with the Wii in terms of both hardware (affordable preexisting tech) and software (experiences that appeal to more than the core audience), but it also wants that hardcore market back. What easier way to do that than to create a platform that makes it easier for developers to port their games, as opposed to creating largely different versions that cost developers and publishers extra money? It's a smart move, but the major hurdle for Nintendo is getting third-party developers to treat the Wii U as their primary and not their secondary platform.

　　Overall, Nintendo's press conference was on point. The company addressed everything it needed to, and there was plenty of information to digest for the Wii U. On top of all that, there weren't any awkward demos, something that has plagued Nintendo's recent press conferences, and while it wasn't as stacked as Sony's press conference, most of the time was spent on products consumers are genuinely looking forward to.

　　For more info on Nintendo's latest console, the Wii U, be sure to check out our Nintendo Wii U: Everything You Need to Know feature or watch Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference to see the full reveal!