Well that was interesting.

We battled through lagging streams and MSN issues and got a bunch of games, some lovely music and the new console finally shown off. It felt kind of like last year's conference (which is preferable over 2009's that's for sure) in terms of hitting hard and fast. Nintendo seems to have learnt that it is mostly press that attend these things and fans who are interested so sales figures were nowhere to be found (other than a small mention with Lego) thankfully.

So how do I feel? I'm intrigued, that's for sure.

Nintendo paced the conference well. The music at the start was a nice touch and the soundtracks and concerts were a surprise. This was then followed by confirmation and details on several 3DS games we all want. When I first saw the hang-gliders in Mario Kart I was shocked to say the least. This then continued with all the snippets of information they released about the other games. Finally there was Luigi's Mansion 2. I never played the first all the way through so I am looking forward to this, that's for sure.

And then there was Wii U.

The name...makes sense. And is not Café, Beem or anything else that was hinted. A simple play on pronouns to reiterate the idea that this is for everyone. Nintendo is going "deeper and wider" (dear Nintendo: please don't use that in the official advertising campaign). I will withhold major judgement until after we find out more (and hopefully we'll have a chance to play soon) but it seems like an interesting idea and very much within their family focus. It also kind of taps into the whole tablet market that is emerging, and not just in terms of looks. The idea of tablets is to allow you to do computer stuff on the go and this seems to be what the controller is all about.

The way that the information was transferred with a quick swipe was certainly a nice touch, although whether it will be that quick and seamless in reality remains to be seen. Nintendo showed off the ability to draw, play games on the go and mix inputs and hopefully these will all be expanded on this week. The prototypes shown look interesting and although they say they're just demos I wouldn't be surprised if they find their way in some form on the console.

Watching the Xbox conference yesterday I realised I am not just a 'Nintendo fanboy' or lagging behind my friends, I simply don't get interested by stuff like Call of Duty, but will play them. So it was interesting to see these 'type' of games being announced by third party developers for Wii U. It should hopefully bring in a bigger audience and break down the segregation between Wii and "next generation" consoles that has hurt the Wii at times.

This week will be an interesting, and no doubt, hectic one but I am curious to see where Nintendo is going with this. It's not the "OMG" shock of the Wii's controller but rather a spark of curiosity that hopefully Nintendo can keep burning.

Ashley Jones, Editor-In-Chief

I'm starting to wonder just how confusing all that would have been WITHOUT the leaks. On the one hand, it was very interesting to see how Wii U cohered with the hottest rumours over the last couple of weeks. On the other, Nintendo's vision is as mind-boggling as always. We saw a huge range of new gameplay ideas that could be one-trick gimmicks or the next big thing. It's all reminiscent of Wii, but at least this time, it seems Nintendo has some significant support from third parties at the outset. Sure, it's not totally surprising that the initial announcements are little more than ports of 2012's biggest HD titles, but if publishers find they can easily fit the highest-end games on Wii U without hassle, it could be a very nice situation for Nintendo fans.

Wii U has been leaking for months; but this was still probably an E3 too early to showcase the new platform. It feels very odd to get a glimpse of Nintendo's new console without the solid first party titles. There's still a lot of mystery yet to wade through. The focus for the foreseeable future will be the world's reaction to the new controller.

Aaron Clegg, Staff Writer

Nerdgasm. I rushed home from my own afternoon conference at work and this would have been worth points on my licence. After the slow start things really went up a gear when Luigi appeared touting his flashlight and vacuum. After that it was one surprise after another and when Wii U came I nearly imploded. What were they thinking? Insane! Typical Nintendo.

And after the shock died down and EA started talking about their titles that's where the real excitement lay. The width and depth seems to be there and with backwards compatability of all Wii software it looks like Nintendo have another stellar piece of hardware on their hands.

Mark Lee, Staff Writer

I can't ever remember being so excited before an E3 conference in my video game playing life and just didn't know what to do with myself all day long. Then it finally started, beautiful orchestrated Zelda music setting the tone, my body was ready! The Zelda 25th anniversary announcement passed me over without too much excitement, the same can be said for the 3DS news, then the announcement we were all really waiting for...

Wii U. First thoughts? The controller doesn't look overly comfortable and the name sucks, but then we all thought that at first about the Wii's name right? Then they hit us with the big announcement - 3rd party support, Arkham City, Assasin's Creed, Battlefield 3, the core can rejoice, and rejoice I did!

Obviously we've only known about this console for barely an hour but as long as my fears of controller discomfort are unfounded then I really think Nintendo have a big hit on their hands, roll on 2012!

Edd Rawles, Graphics Designer

On the name.... I like Wii U, it fits the Nintendo and Wii philosophy and it retains the Wii brand which I thought the rumours of it being dropped sounded silly as it has become such a big brand. When they showed the controller at first my first thought "crap, the rumours are right". Seeing the video, however ,made me feel better. Things like the golf thing when it was put on the ground and it showed exactly the type of terrain the ball was in and you used the Wiimote to play. Something like that could work really well in other more "hardcore" games. It could create a sort of virtual reality, putting you "in the middle" of the game room. That Ninja star thing I liked too... shows Nintendo still have motion control in mind in some way which if used right could work well.

Only major concerns I have about the controller itself is how will it feel to hold, looks like it could be awkward and heavy. That's what I want to know, Can't wait for some "hand-on" reports. Would have liked to have seen more of the console itself though. Good to see the 3rd parties fully on board and excited about it; I just hope for things like FPS games the Wii U retains a Wiimote control option. I suck on FPS's with Dual Analogue, I suck less with the Wiimote.

I'm actually fairly excited about it now.... though a pricing (on the console and extra controllers) would have been handy, that could make or break things a lot. I also suggest to Nintendo if the console is called "Wii U" the "new controller" needs a proper name too.... my suggestion the "Control U" (I'm going to try copyright that now).

On the Wii side of things there was very little said, Zelda being the only thing mentioned I think. Though I'd expect some smaller press events to reveal more info in regards upcoming Wii releases over the next few days as we've seen happen in the past.

Franklin Hughes, Head of Reports

3DS has one incredible year coming up. I loved Kid Icarus when I played it earlier this year, but now that it has the multiplayer and AR, I think that it could potentially be the 3DS game of the year. That's if Mario Kart doesn't take the wind out of its sails - having it out by the end of the year could potentially cause the 3DS to sell by the bucketload. I'm also incredibly pleased that Smash Bros is coming to the handheld, and that could be the game of next year.

With regards to Wii U, I was skeptical about the idea before I saw it, but I think it's a great idea now. There are two problems (as I see it) with the new console: firstly, it looks a little cheap and plasticky for me. Secondly, there were very few games actually announced, and I would have liked to have seen more concrete titles announced. I'm also slightly disappointed that there was only one Wii game showcased, and that we already knew about (Skyward Sword), I was hoping that there would be more of a send-off.

Overall, really interesting conference, and personally I can't wait for the 3DS games that are coming out.

Chris Rooke, Staff Writer

I'm incredibly impressed with the potential that Wii U shows, especially from third party developers. I only wish they'd have had a few first party games to show on the system but I'm sure they will in time. Despite a whole new console revelation though, my heart is still set on the 3DS news and an all new Luigi's Mansion title was enough to send my excitement levels into overdrive. Luigi's Mansion is one of my favourite games and I never thought it would see a sequel yet here we are, 10 years later, with a 3D version as it was always meant to be!

Joshua Phillips, Staff Writer

After the most ridiculous level of hype ever surrounding Nintendo's conference before it even started expectations were set unbelievably high but did Nintendo go any way towards meeting these? Mostly... would be my answer.

Starting off with the Twenty Fifth anniversary of Zelda was brilliant and the orchestra added real atmosphere to the proceedings helping to bolster that solid announcement that we will indeed be seeing Skyward Sword on the Wii this year; then the 3DS seemed to go from strength to strength with titles both already known to us and a few new surprises really shaping up nicely indeed.

Then we have the announcement of Wii U which is set to be Nintendo's new home console and quite frankly I was partially perplexed for a short period of time before the potential uses for the device started to become apparent. A brand new controller that acts as not only a basic input method featuring all of the inputs we've come to expect but one that also offers an entirely brand new way to experience gaming around the home not to mention being powerful enough to run the latest multiplatform HD games alongside brand new exclusive titles in the future.

And what an interesting future it's set to be, it may be early days for this newly announced console but it already shows a lot of promise and hopefully will deliver the kind of experience that will satisfy both gamers and casual players alike; Nintendo... Wii salute U.

Sam C Gittins, Staff Writer

I'm very excited about what Nintendo have shown us this year. It's given us all alot to look forward to and loads to speculate on the true potential of the Wii U. It's also showcased many games which, for me, have made a purchase of a 3DS even more wanted due to the sudden influx of first party titles. I think it's very safe to say that we didn't expect half of what we're now going to get and a teaser that the next Super Smash Bros. is going to be developed with some sort of link between the 3DS and the mysterious Wii U.

Derek Wheatley, Staff Writer

Nintendo certainly had a lot to show with the new 3DS and the newly named 'WiiU', and although they had a lot in the conference, I feel it lacked impact. Wehave a new console, but haven't heard any important details just yet. And more to the point, no real footage aside from Mario Mii and Zelda. There wasn't any real footage shown by either Nintendo or 3rd parties, or anything exclusive to get us thinking "I need to buy this", or in fact anything worthwhile. But there are more surprises and roundtables after all so not all hope is lost. Yes we know it's HD, it's going to look great, but how about showing this with some footage? Just how much power does it have to stand against future competition? How much can it handle?

The intro was fantastic though and the Zelda segment was well done, especially with the live orchestra. A bit curious why not much new 3DS information was shown, aside from Luigi's Mansion 2, we already knew this stuff last year.

Either way, Nintendo fans need to keep an eye on E3 this year, there's more surprises to come.

Stephen Thompson, Staff Writer

What impressed me most in the conference was how Nintendo have once again planted the the idea of that gaming is for everyone. The Wii U certainly looks to have 3rd parties on board with many a core game ready, but at the same time it gives that family feel that Nintendo have pushed since the Famicom days.

I think it's great that a console can now be in the living room where everyone can enjoy it. You play your game and your family watches but when it's time for the family to watch the TV you can just switch to the controller. No longer will little Timmy have to trundle off to his room, he can sit alongside his parents while still playing his game.

On the software front Nintendo showed a great end of year lineup for the 3DS. Mario Kart, Super Mario, Starfox, Kid Icarus and Luigi's Mansion is more than enough to keep everyone busy and it's a great response to Sony showing off the Vita.

The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of Wii software shown but like past E3's Nintendo have hinted at a few Wii games being on the floor. Mario Party 9, Kirby Wii and Fortune Street are welcome surprises, while conformation that the west will receive Rhythm Heaven is just the icing on the cake. With Xenoblade confirmed for Europe and Zelda on the way the Wii still has a future in my house!

Hero-of-Time, Forum Moderator

But what matters most is what YOU made of the conference. Spill you reactions below...