The Wii U is going to be the first system out of the gate when it comes to the next wave of consoles, but the average consumer is already confused about what exactly the Wii U is. In the interest of hopefully clearing up some confusion, here are some things we can confirm.

It's Brand New

The Wii U is an entirely new console. It shares the Wii moniker, and will use the traditional Wii remote as a controller at some capacity, but it is all new. New graphics, new functionality, new games; it’s an all-new console. With it, Nintendo is finally entering the HD era confirming that the console will be able to output in 1080p.

When it was first shown off at E3 earlier this year, people were understandably confused. The first video showcasing the Wii U had gamers playing Wii games like New Super Mario Brothers, using Wii remotes and standing on the balance board. Even the console itself looks a bit like the Wii. Everyone thought that new fancy controller with the built-in screen was just a new Wii peripheral.

While that video did cause some confusion, it did confirm a few additional details. The Wii U will be backwards compatible with Wii games and Wii peripherals. It will not, however, play GameCube games like the Wii was able to do. Nintendo likes to look back only one generation at a time.

It Has A Controller

That controller is pretty interesting and there are a few things we know about it. All of the processing and computing power will be handled by the console plugged into your TV, but it will be able to stream game content to the hand-held screen.  This means that you can easily switch to the screen in your lap, if others in the household need to use the television. We also know that despite the popularity of multi-touch screens on devices like Apple’s iPad, the Wii U’s touch screen will only be able to offer single-touch capabilities like that of the DS and 3DS. Nintendo has also confirmed that the controller will have tilt and rumble functionality.

Nintendo revealed pretty early on that the Wii U would only be able to support one touch-screen controller at a time. It was a bit of a surprise, but also a relief since an additional touch-screen controller would undoubtedly be expensive. Recently though, there are rumors that the Wii U may be able to support multiple touch-screen controllers. That of course is rumor, so we will have to wait and see on that one.