A TON of Wii U news dropped today and there’s a bunch of info out there in regards to the pricing and release dates of Nintendo’s new console in North America, Europe, and Japan. You can see all our coverage on our Wii U page, or you can just read below to get all the essential info ASAP.
North America:
The Wii U will be out in North America first on November 18, 2012. The Basic Set will consist of a white Wii U 8GB system for $299.99. The Deluxe Set will run for $349.99, and includes a black Wii U, stands for the system and GamePad controller, and a copy of Nintendo Land. Both sets will include the GamePad, AC adapters, Wii U sensor bar, and HDMI cable.
There are 50 titles to be released within the launch window, which is between November 18 through March 2013. The full launch lineup is here, but we do at least know that New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Darksiders II, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be available on day one.
Europe:
The Wii U will be out on November 30 in Europe, and there will be three different bundles to choose from. The Basic and Premium bundles are the same as the US offerings. The third bundle is a special ZombiU Premium pack, which is made up of the Premium Wii U bundle, plus the ZombiU game, a ZombiU skin, and a ZombiU Pro Controller.
As for pricing, that’s up to individual retailers to set their prices. Here’s what we know so far:
SimplyGames will have the basic pack for £209.99 and the premium pack for £249.99. GAME has the basic for £259.99, premium for £309.99, and the ZombiU bundle for £349.99. ShopTo has the basic for £247.85, and premium for £279.85. Amazon will be carrying the basic for £250 and the premium for £285. Lastly Tesco has the basic for £249, premium for £299, and the ZombiU bundle for £329.
Europe does have a set list of launch day titles, and it looks grand. Europeans can expect New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, ZombiU, Rayman Legends, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, Nano Assault Neo, Trine 2: Director’s Cut, and Toki Tori 2 on day one.
Japan:
December 8, 2012 is when Japan can get their hands on the Wii U. The Basic white 8GB version will be going for ¥26,250 (about $335), and the Premium black 32GB version will cost ¥31500 (about $400). Each version will include a GamePad, AC adapters, Wii U sensor bar, and HDMI cable, and the Premium version will also include membership into the Nintendo Network Premium services.
Plus there will be a third console bundle! This Premium bundle will include Monster Hunter 3G HD Version, and a Pro Controller on top of everything else for ¥38,850 (around $500.)
As for launch games, Japanese gamers will be getting Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, New Super Mario Bros. U, Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition, Nintendo Land, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Assassin’s Creed III, Zombie U, and Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition on day one.
Fifa 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, Sangokushi 12, and Sports Collection, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, Wii Fit U, Dragon Quest X, Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Rayman Legends, The Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros., and Monolith Soft Project’s new game will be coming out sometime after the launch.
Everything else:
Nintendo announced Nintendo TVii, an interactive way of watching TV on your Wii U or GamePad controller. The Wii U can act as a hub box now, and connect to services such as TiVo, Netflix, and Hulu so long as you have subscriptions to them of course. There will be a lot of social interaction you can do through TVii as well, demonstrated in this video from Nintendo.
Probably the biggest announcement to come out of this whole presentation other than the date and price was the news of a Bayonetta sequel. Not only will there be a Bayonetta 2 by Platinum Games, it’s also going to be an exclusive to the Wii U.
Plus, there’s the fact that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is coming to the Wii U and 3DS in North America. Both games will share save files with each other, and there will be co-op between the two systems too.
Lastly, Activision announced their full support of the Wii U during the Nintendo Direct conference, revealing Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants, and more.
Here are all the trailers and additional new info we have for you on a number of games:
- Nintendo Land (Metroid, F-Zero, and Pikmin attractions revealed)
- The Wonderful 101 (Formerly called Project P-100)
- Monolith Soft, developers of Xenoblade, are working on a new Wii U game.
- New Super Mario Bros. U trailer
- Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two images
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge trailer
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2 with Nintendo costumes
- Darksiders II will have extra content
- Rayman Legends trailers
- ZombiU trailer
- LEGO City: Undercover trailer
- Alien: Colonial Marines trailer
- Mutant Mudds is heading to the Wii U
- Scribblenauts Unlimited trailer
- A standalone GamePad will be released when there’s a game that will actually need it in the US
- Hands-on with Call of Duty: Black Ops II
- Hang on to your Wii to transfer your games over
- Warriors Orochi 3 trailer
- Wii U Sports Connection trailer
Does all this make you want a Wii U really bad? Well GameStop is taking Wii U preorders right now, and they’re taking in trade-ins on your old consoles towards a Wii U. You’ll get 140 for a slim PS3, $115 for an original PS3 or 360, $90 for a Vita or 3DS, and $50 for a Wii.
So now you know the price for the Wii U. Do you plan on picking one up? If so, which bundle will you be getting?
