Yes, we love tearing devices apart, but the TV-shattering, Wii Remote-related accidents around the office are getting out of hand. It's time to explore alternative remote options, and what better place to start than the Wii U?

• IBM Power®-based multi-core processor
• AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU
• 8 GB or 32 GB internal storage with external USB storage and external USB hard drive support
• 6.2 inch, 854 x 480 pixels LCD touch-screen with motion control and front-facing camera
• Near-Field Communication (NFC) functionality

Let's check out the port side(s)!

• Disc slot
• Sync button
• SD card slot
• USB 2.0 ports (4 total)
• HDMI port
• AV Multi Out
• Sensor Bar Connector

What's this? A secret coin that Mario left behind?

• Sadly, it's just the CMOS battery. However, we won't judge you if you run and jump on a flagpole.

Hidden screws won't keep us out; some quick sticker removal and a turn of the screwdriver free the top case.

Need some killer tools yourself? Wii've got what U need.

We see a familiar face as the top case comes off.

There is nothing initially surprising as we get our first glimpse of the U. The optical drive and heat sink dominate the majority of the console's internal Wii-al estate, and are considerably beefier than those found in the Nintendo Wii.

The device is pretty simple so far, but has no shortage of screws. There's no adhesive holding the U together, but were it not for our Magnetic Project Mat, all of these screws could get out of hand. So far we have encountered both Phillips and Tri-wing screws, nothing our 54 Bit Driver Kit can't handle.

After some unscrewing, the front panel pops right off.

Hmmm… This optical drive feels really heavy. It appears much larger than most optical drives, so we take it to the scales!

424.2 grams! That means that the optical drive accounts for nearly a third of the 1.5-kg device.

We suspect that the large optical drive may be a by-product of the larger motherboard underneath. A case expansive enough to accommodate the motherboard leaves some extra room for a bigger optical drive.

• Possible benefits to using a clunkier disc-reader could be reduced cost, quieter operation, or improved longevity over a slimmer drive.

Unlike other game consoles with strict space requirements, the antennas in the Wii U have a much more relaxed layout and are held in place with tape.

Nintendo obviously wasn't concerned with making the smallest box possible, so they didn't worry about rigidly packing relatively small antenna cables in designated slots as we've seen in handheld consoles such as the 3Ds and the PS Vita.

Next to come out are the fan and heat sink.

Nintendo designers explained that the larger fan and heat sink were necessary to handle the nearly tripled heat output from the new ICs.

With the heat sink off, we get closer to the CPU and GPU, called the Wii U's multi chip module (MCM), still hidden beneath a thermal pad.

Thanks to the upgraded AMD GPU, the Wii U boasts HD graphics up to 1080p.

• Nintendo has come a long way over the years, considering that we remember when Mario had fewer bits than our 26-bit driver kit.