If you were up early enough today, then you probably heard about the Nintendo Wii U’s details and release date appeared in your news feeds today. How did Nintendo fair in these announcements and did they do enough to bring people back to their side? Let’s a take a look!
Release Date
Nintendo Wii U releases on November 18, 2012. This is exactly where I placed the release date when I made my predictions a few months ago. This will set up the Nintendo Wii U to be a big deal during the Christmas rush and during Black Friday sales for this year. In Europe, the Wii U will be coming out on November 30th and astonishingly, the Wii U will release in Japan on December 8th.
Price
The Wii U will consist of two bundles here in America. A Basic model that will run you $299.99 and the Deluxe model, which is basically a “Pro” model for $349.99. The basic model will come with a Wii U Gamepad and a the console along with the charges and sensor bar.
The Deluxe model is a completely different beast . Not only will you get the above mentioned items, but you will also get a NintendoLand game, Nintendo Wii U Gamepad docking station, a stand for both the gamepad AND the console itself. Not to mention the Nintendo Premium which will give you perks like 10% off of DLC and other online items when you register your Wii U games.
Nintendo TVii
Another big announcement Reggie Fils Amie made during the conference was the added feature of Nintendo TVii (Yes, TVii). Other than the weird naming convention, this could be a game changer for entertainment on your console and even in your TV shows that you watch. Using the Wii U Gamepad, you can navigate your favorite shows and movies using a native TVii app within the Wii U console. You are able to give recommendations and when you watch sports, you can even see where the players are on the field relating to the game you are watching. The Wii U Gamepad will also act, well, a tablet. You can browse movie reviews, select your favorites on Netflix and even watch them right on the tablet. You can also change your channels via the Gamepad.
Games
OK, but what about the software. I know, I can read your mind, huh? Nintendo showed off more of NintendoLand and they kept it short. The MEGATON so to speak was that Baynetta 2 was revealed as Wii U EXCLUSIVE. This took myself and almost everyone I know by surprise and is a good bounce in the step for Nintendo. Also shown was Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 which appears to be the same as the other consoles as well. Activision also showed some pretty cool games like 007 Legends.
But, how did Nintendo do? It’s hard for me to say to each gamer, but I think the Wii U will win people over, especially with the lower price point than possibly expected. At $299.99, the Wii U will be a great buy for the casual crowd who love to play games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports. For the hardcore, the players will have a lot more to look forward to and which also seems to be a great launch within the first four months of the system.
My worry is that what will happen post launch. Will more hardcore games make to the Wii U or will shovelware once again become an issue? What do you think? Are you going to buy a Wii U? Do you think Nintendo did a good job? Drop a line in the comments and our forums!