The Telegraph says it is "comfortable to hold," has "a real sense of fun" but has a "cumbersome" CPU and "lacks a real system seller" game.
The Guardian says its multiplayer games are "enormous fun" but the split controllers and screens are a "difficult proposition."
Gamespot likes its "exciting innovations" but isn't as keen on its "cheap hardware" and "clunky OS".
Techradar thinks it's "wonderful" to finally see Mario in HD and a "fantastic perk" to be able to play your console without a TV, but criticised the GamePad's battery life and range of available games.
Izzy Rahman, 25, from London was first to buy the console after queuing for six days. Credit: David Parry/PA Wire
The first major UK home console launch in six years took place at midnight, with Nintendo's Wii U hitting the high streets.
Close to 300 fans queued outside HMV's Oxford Street store last night in London to land the new device.
The Wii U, which features a new tablet-type GamePad controller that allows users to keep playing away from a connected television, was released in the US earlier this month.
