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Comment by evdawg | Hacker News Reader

This is a spectacular move by Microsoft because it takes the main feature from Nintendo's upcoming WiiU: a touch-screen for games.

Nintendo has released an entirely new system, while Microsoft has kept up with Nintendo's innovation by using devices you already own.

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This sounds a lot more like a static information display than another screen for gaming.

EDIT: but yes, there's no reason why this can't be as dynamic as what's on the WiiU. Nintendo's competitive advantage can become a commodity overnight through software alone.

During Microsoft's E3 press conference they said they intended it to be used for gaming. There was a concept video of a tablet being to used to call plays and view the field in Madden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_E2vRrPVBA&t=03m55s

Nintendo didn't develop the WiiU for the new controller, I would imagine the tablet controller would work on the current Wii just fine. But it's time for a console refresh so Nintendo might as well toss in a new gizmo to entice people to upgrade. I expect MS and Sony to do something similar although I would imagine this feature will carry over to the new MS console since it doesn't require new hardware.

Well it depends on execution though. Just 'having' a feature isn't the whole story. For some reason I've the feeling Nintendo is gonna come up with some fun, innovative concepts for their system, that make it appear novel and interesting, while Microsoft's implementation looks forced on and unnecessary. At least that's how it seemed with the Wii vs. Kinect.

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