Nintendo said yesterday that it will launch its first high-definition gaming console on November 18th in the United States. It's the first major game console to launch in years. But Nintendo is merely catching up on HD with Sony and Microsoft, which began selling their HD consoles six and seven years ago, respectively. Whether the Wii U can bring Nintendo back to the prominence it once had is still unknown. The original Wii console revolutionized gaming and surpassed its rivals not because it had more power or better graphics, but because it gave people a new way to play. It's motion-sensing controller wasn't the most advanced, but it got people off the couch, swinging virtual tennis rackets, bowling and flailing around the living room.