Nintendo kicked off their E3 coverage with a 30 minute feature on the Wii U, its controller and some features.
Here's a breakdown of what they shared
General
With Wii U, Nintendo tries to continu its life-long motto "Doku-so", or "creating something unique."
Wii U should re-unite people: both in the same room (no longer playing with a laptop while the other is busy using a phone, console, etc) and at long distances (over the Internet)
GamePad
The Wii U controller will be called "Wii U GamePad"
The GamePad no longer holds a thumbpad but a 360-degrees and clickable thumbstick.
There's an NFC reader/writer in the GamePad, similar to used in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Away with the TV-remote: there's a TV-button on the GamePad to simply replace it. Handy...
Both a Motion Sensor and a Gyro Sensor are implemented.
The high-res gameplay shown on your TV can be displayed on the Wii U gamePad as well, without delay.
Wii U Pro Controller
There will be a 'regular' controller, targetted for more longer and intense gaming sessions
Communication
During a short movie, the fictive Wii U player uses the GamePad to post a game-related question online asking for help in the Wii U community and getting (near) real-time advice from other players.
During the same movie, the player uses the GamePad as a webcam and communicates directly with the helping fellow-gamer.
Miiverse
When the Wii U starts up, a Mii gathering (similar to the Mii Plaza) is shown also called Miiverse (Mii Universe). The Miiverse contains your Mii and your friends' Miis and every Mii enjoying the same games as you do (grouped around game-icons). Doodles and texts can be used for communication. SwapNote on Wii U anyone?
Screenshots and gamecontent can be posted among gamers.
Miiverse will be available for all Wii U games, but some developers will go even further by implementing Miiverse-elements in-game.
Miiverse will (or: might) become available on PC and mobile devices as well, to keep you connected in the community.
Internet browser
The GamePad includes a built-in webbrowser, allowing you to browse while others use the television. It also allows you to 'send' the content shown on the GamePad on the TV at any time.
