Nintendo held a surprise Nintendo Direct prior to their proper E3 conference where they divulged new details about the Wii U. 

The live stream began with Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata explaining that the company is striving for the Wii U to be a unique console, hopefully in a good way.

According to Nintendo, one of their main goals with the new console is to unite people rather than divide them.

Iwata then officially unveiled the Wii U GamePad. The rumored analog sticks were confirmed to replace the circle pads of the prototype shown off last year.  A redesigned back and button layout, NFC reader and the ability to control your TV with the remote were shown off, as well.

A new Pro Controller, seen below, that looks like a mix between the Xbox 360 and Wii Pro Controller was revealed as an alternative control option to the GamePad as well as the Wii remote and nunchuck.

To demonstrate some of the new Wii U features, Iwata cut to a video example.

In the example, a man was shown playing a generic zombie game, one that could explain the title on the leaked possible Wii U launch game list. Communication between players was the key component of the example.

A social network system was revealed where players could post for in-game help. Video chatting between Wii U systems was also put on display.

Finally, Nintendo revealed the Miiverse, a “Mii universe,” for the Wii U.  Miiverse is an online system planned for the company’s upcoming system that that looks like a greatly expanded version of the Mii Plaza on the Wii.

The Miiverse allows players to communicate with other Mii characters through a messaging system that includes handwritten notes.

The Miiverse will interact with all Wii U games but developers will be able to use the system directly in the game if they choose.

Nintendo says the Miiverse will “add not only information, but a new degree of empathy” among players.

The company plans to expand Miiverse to the 3DS, PC and other mobile platforms in the future.

This Nintendo Direct focused on the Wii U so the company could talk more about software during their main press conference on Tuesday.

You can watch the steam in full for yourself here.