It seems Nintendo is trying very hard to change the gaming industry once again. Recent coverage shows what we know so far of the Wii U (much more horsepower than the 360 or PS3). We also know that investors are not buying into it just yet. However, the secret is out. Nintendo is merging TV screen with controller. Holy shit.

At first, we didn’t think Nintendo knew their ass from their B Button on this one. But after watching the trailer, everything made more sense.

Considering the new controller looks like a cross between a Sega Dreamcast controller and an Olympic bodybuilder on steroids, we’re thinking that fucker must be a bear to handle. But that stands with the assumption that it’s supposed to be used like controllers of old. It’s clear that’s not the case anymore.

So if this thing is to coordinate flawlessly with the TV one second and then itself the next, it seems Nintendo is trying to erase the singular center of gravity that is the home entertainment center. Or broke-ass TV if that’s all you have.

Two questions arise from this destabilization of gravity. One, why look at a small screen when we all have wall mounted flat screens the size of small countries? And two, is this Nintendo’s back door into the tablet industry?

While the above trailer for the Wii U shows a man swapping from TV to controller to play Luigi’s Day Off, I can’t imagine too many times where that would actually happen. Maybe for children – but definitely not for adults. I will concede that I may be underestimating this function, but only if you’ll stipulate that in no point in the past calendar year would you have used the controller that way. If I actually got into that scenario, I’d probably shut off the game and grab my iPad. Or a beer.

As for the tablet industry, I think that concept is a stretch. Really, I do. But this could be one slick move by Nintendo to grab a piece of a very large pie. Sure, nobody associates Nintendo with the words PC, laptop, or tablet, but mobile gaming? Definitely. And what better way to jump into mobile gaming than already having the 3DS on shelves and generating something more tablet like?

You could comment that I’m out of my mind, and I may say you’re right. But I think Nintendo is finding bigger growth by entering into other markets over continued share of just one: the console industry.

Ultimately, I can’t imagine why this console wouldn’t succeed. The Wii kicked the shit out of 360 and PS3 sales, and that was when everybody was knocking the Wii for having shitty graphics. Now, imagine that same scenario in 2012, but with spectacular graphics.

Tell me how this console isn’t going to take off?