Nintendo Wii U console body photos, rear ports from E3 2011

Written by Matt Swider on June 14, 2011

E3 2011 News: The Wii U controller isn't the only Nintendo product to have facetime with the camera. See the actual hardware from E3 2011.

Nintendo Wii U Rear Of The Console - Back Ports

During Gaming Target's hour-and-a-half-long demo at Nintendo's E3 2011 booth, I got a chance to test Nintendo Wii U's impressive 6.2-inch controller. But the actual systems were under lock-and-key in the cabinets that also held each system's HDTV. Questions about the console's design were met with "This isn't the final design yet." The mystery was deepened by the fact that a little tiny cabinet window offered nary a full glimpse of what the hardware looked like.

Enter Japanese site Inside Games, which took photos of the unmasked console body and, most importantly, the back of the system. Surprisingly, the rear of the Wii U looks a lot like the original Wii with one exception: an HDMI port. There's still an A/V out, sensor bar port, Ethernet port and a power cable input, all of which look compatible with the previous generation's accessories.

The Wii U does feature an third extra vent for its fans, according to these photos. This is a hopeful sign as Nintendo is packing in high-end technology that requires additional cooling. Analysts expect the system to debut with specs that meet or exceed the power of PS3 and Xbox 360. That's certainly a requirement for a successful launch considering the Wii U is slated for a 2012 release date, when Microsoft is estimated to start hyping the successor to Xbox 360.