Apple isn’t the only company making a huge announcement this week. In a press conference earlier today, Nintendo revealed the pricing and release dates for the upcoming Wii U console in the following areas: Japan, United States, and Australia. Unlike the Wii, there won’t just be one model available on release day. There’ll be a premium bundle and a basic bundle to choose from.
The basic Wii U bundle will sell for ¥26,250 in Japan, $299.99 in the states, and $349.95 in Australia. The bundle is very barebones; it comes with only the necessary items needed to actually make the console function properly. Plus, the hard disk drive on the basic, white Wii U will come in at 8 GB, not exactly suitable for those who plan on downloading a lot of games or creating loads of save data.
The premium bundle will go for ¥31,500 in Japan, $349.99 in the U.S., and $429.95 in Australia. If you expect to use the Wii U for about at least 100 hours, then paying an extra $50 for the premium is highly recommended. The black, premium Wii U will have a hard disk drive with 32 GB available, a copy of the Nintendo Land game, an enrollment in the Deluxe Digital Promotion (a program that allows Wii U owners receive points for every digital download and redeem said points for downloadable content off of the Nintendo eShop), a GamePad stand, GamePad cradle, and a stand for the actual console.
You'll soon be able to control Mario in an HD environment.
Now, the release dates for the Wii U are as follows: December 8, 2012 for Japan, November 18, 2012 for the U.S., November 30, 2012 for Europe (prices are still TBA), and November 30, 2012 for Australia. Pre-ordering is highly advised, because the Wii U will very likely follow in its predecessor’s footsteps, and sell like hotcakes in the first few weeks.
Some games expected to release within the first few weeks of the Wii U’s release are: Darksiders 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin’s Creed III, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Bayonetta 2 and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate were announced in the press conference, but there’s no news on a U.S. release for either of them.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Wii U, visit its official site here.
