Satoru Iwata stated the below concerning their upcoming home console Nintendo Wii U:

“We plan to release the Wii U system, the successor of Wii, in the year-end sales season of 2012. Wii U has a new controller named the Wii U GamePad with a 6.2 inch touchscreen. With the combination of the Wii U GamePad and a TV screen, players can enjoy gameplay that takes advantage of two screens whose positional relationship is not fixed. Also, for multi-player games, Wii U makes asymmetric gameplay possible, which means the role of a player using the Wii U GamePad is different from the other players using the conventional Wii Remote controllers. In this way, we will propose deeper game experiences and new entertainment that people have never had the opportunity to enjoy before.”

I hope they “propose deeper game experiences” for those who play single-player mostly. I can see them making asymmetric gameplay experiences for multi-player, but for those who don’t really play with another person can’t really take advantage of it.

Source: gonintendo.com