E3 is to gamers what the NHL draft is to hockey fans. On Tuesday, Nintendo revealed the successor to the popular Wii console: Wii U.

Here's looking at U.

Wii U is trying to make up for some of its predecessor’s nagging flaws, including a lack of HD output for newer televisions and graphics quality reminiscent of sixth generation gaming consoles. Wii U strides to fix this and give gamers a little extra in return, including a new controller. While it looks bulky, the tablet-esque controller has a crisp 15.4 cm touch screen with two control pads, a directional control pad, A, B, X, Y and L, R shoulder buttons and two trigger buttons. Also included are a camera, microphone, built in rumble, accelerometer, gyroscope, speakers, sensor bar and a stylus. As an added bonus — it is rechargable.

It's a tablet! No, it's Wii U!

Of course, Nintendo is kind to its followers allowing them to connect Wii-related remotes, nunchucks and other peripherals. Wii games will still play, but no word on the corded GameCube controllers.

Wii U will continue to us the 12 cm standard-sized discs, with newer games being able to accept higher density discs allowing for more in-depth and detailed games.

Nintendo has responded to the complaint of non-HD video output. Wii U can support 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i with the appropriate cables.

The Japanese gaming giant is also doing away with proprietary memory cards by continuing its embrace of the SD memory card, but allowing external hard drives to connect through USB. Four USB slots are provided for additional devices.

It looks promising, but these are only specifications provided for the gaming event. Nintendo is likely to modify this as we get closer to a launch date, which looks to be in 2012, just in time for Wii’s sixth birthday.