Its better then Wii

Ergo its next gen.

^^^
new tech=next gen
pretty simple dude

To put it in a plain and simple statement, any "Non-Common element"(concerning hardware mostly) that comes into observation  if PS360(current gen) and Wii U(next gen) are brought together.

The Wii-U Game Pad was once the so called element, but gets PS Vita already as the future contender for every functionality featured , perhaps even better. I guess we can do the hacking using PSVita in  the PS3 version of Batman Arkham city, should it come as an update. MS could've innovated on bringing something up. I don't see it coming though, until nextbox.

http://mynintendonews.com/2012/06/08/anything-wii-u-can-do-ps-vita-can-do-better/

Cool. Since the Vita is a next-gen handheld console, you've pretty much answered your own question. /Thread?

It pretty much looks like it answers this thread, but it's still PS3 "messing up" in place of PS4, a reason otherwise this thread wouldn't have been started at all.

You said yourself: "any "Non-Common element" that comes into observation if current gen and next gen are brought together." PS3 - Vita crossplay requires next-gen hardware to work. In my opinion, and by your own definition, that makes it a next-gen feature.

I could come up with some other stuff if pressed. Personally, I consider social and mobile integration (Miiverse, SmartGlass, etc) a "next-gen" feature. Sure, current-gen consoles are implementing it, but they are doing so extremely late in their life-cycles, and it will be a standard feature for all next-gen consoles at launch.

I miss the days when having a greater poly count was the only requirement for next-gen status. Wii U obviously has more power than PS3 and 360 -- heck, the parts under its hood were designed well after all three current-gen consoles were launched. Its CPU is next-gen.

How about the NFC tech? That's something no current-gen console can do. Wii U is pretty much built to do things no other console can do. It doesn't have to leave PS3 and 360 in its dust in every area to be next-gen.

"Wii U is pretty much built to do things no other console can do. It doesn't have to leave PS3 and 360 in its dust in every area to be next-gen".

this

Sentences in bold...Are u sure? Then this article bothers me http://psp.about.com/od/hardwarefirmware/a/Ps-Vita-Ps3-Interactivity.htm

"The PS Vita, though, will support Cross-Platform Play, and though it's probably something developers will have to build into each game, multiplayer gaming is popular enough that it's likely many (or even most) games with both PS Vita and PS3 versions and multiplayer options will also support Cross-Platform Play. Sure, the framerate will no doubt be slower on the PS Vita, but as long as the game itself can keep up, that's all you really need."

^ Yeah, I'm pretty sure you need a Vita to use the Vita's cross-platform play functionality. And since the Vita is next-gen hardware, and the Vita is required to do that thing.....

Wii U is a step up from the Wii which means that it's this gen instead of last gen.