Nintendo has announced the Wii U, its next generation games console. It will be the follow-up to the hugely popular Wii so here's everything we know about what it is, when it will go on sale and how much it will cost. Updated on 14/09/12
Everything you need to know about Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console
The Wii U will go up against the Sony Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Below is everything we know about the release date which is somewhat up in the air. The price is also an area where there are a lot of conflicting figures.
We've also rounded up all the games that will be on the Wii U and the entire specification list so you can get an idea of what the console will offer and how good it will be.
See also: Nintendo Wii U review.
Nintendo Wii U release date
The Japanese firm hasn't set a launch date for the Wii U yet apart from the vague notion of 'Holidays 2012'. Amazon.co.uk was brave enough to put a product page up for the console with a date of 14 July. However, it wasn't long before the online retailer removed the date claiming it was an error and cancelled any pre-orders which were made.
More recently Amazon's German website posted a listing for the Wii U and a release date of 21 December. At the time of writing this is still what the website states.
To add to the confusion Blockbuster has the console available for pre-order with October listed as the release date.
Update
Nintendo has announced that the European release date for the Wii U is 30 November. The US will be getting it on 18 November and Japan on 8 December.
Nintendo Wii U price
Price is another thing which Nintendo hasn’t announced yet. However, a few retailers have put prices online. When Amazon.co.uk listed the Wii U it put a price tag of £199, but this was removed with the July launch date.
Shopto.net has the Wii U available for pre-order at £279.85 quoting the RRP as £279.99. Conversely, the site has a note saying that all the information on the page, including the price, is subject to change. It also says its usual pre-order price promise does not apply.
Blockbuster's pre-order price is similar at £299.99 while Amazon.de has a price tag of €399.99, or £320 at the current conversion rate. This would suggest a UK price of around the £300.
Update
Nintendo has announced that there will be two version of the Wii U available at launch. The white Wii U is the Basic Pack which Amazonhas priced at £249. The Black Wii U is the Premium Pack which Amazon has priced at £299.
There is also a ZombieU Pack which, according to Game.co.uk will cost £349.
Nintendo Wii U models
As we just mentioned, there are two different models of the Wii U on offer from Nintendo. The following information is based on Amazon's listings.
Nintendo Wii U Basic Pack – White
The Basic Pack for the Wii U comes with a white console with 8GB of internal storage and a Wii U GamePad.
Nintendo Wii U Premium Pack – Black
The Premium Pack for the Wii U comes with a black console with 32GB of internal storage, a Wii U GamePad, NintendoLand game and 3 months subscription to Nintendo Network Premium.
Nintendo Wii U ZombieU Pack
The ZombieU Pack is effectively the same as the Premium Pack but you get an additional Black Pro Controller and a copy of ZombieU.
Nintendo Wii U games
The following games have been confirmed for the Wii U:
Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros U, Pikmin 3, Wii Fit U, Wii U Panorama View, SiNG, LEGO City: Undercover, Project P-100, Game & Wario, Aliens: Colonial Marines, NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor's Edge, Darksiders II, Assassin's Creed III, Batman Arkham City Armored Edition, Mass Effect 3, Rayman Legends, Scribblenauts Unlimited, TANK! TANK! TANK! , Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and ZombiU.
Nintendo Wii U specs
Size
Approximately 1.8in high, 10.5in deep and 6.8in long.
Weight
Approximately 1.5 kg.
Processor
IBM Power-based multi-core processor.
Graphics
AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU.
Storage
Wii U uses an internal flash memory. It also supports SD memory cards and external USB storage.
Media
Wii U and Wii optical discs.
Networking
The Wii U can access the Internet via wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection. The console features four USB 2.0 connectors – two in the front and two in the rear – that support Wii LAN Adapters.
Wii U GamePad
The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. It incorporates a 6.2in, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touch screen, as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks. Inputs include a +Control Pad, L/R sticks, L/R stick buttons, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, Power button, Home button, -/Select button, +/Start button, and TV Control button.
The GamePad also includes motion control (powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensor), a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, an included stylus and support for Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and weighs approximately 500g.
Other Controllers
The Wii U console is capable of supporting two Wii U GamePad controllers, up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers or Wii U Pro Controllers. It will also support Wii accessories such as the Nunchuk, Classic Controller and Wii Balance Board.
Video Output
The Wii U supports up to 1080p video output with 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i options. Compatible cables include HDMI, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
Wii Compatibility
Nintendo has said that nearly all Wii software and accessories can be used with Wii U.
Audio Output
The Wii U uses six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI connector, or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.
Comments
jim said: Zavvi amp The hut have put the price up basic 249 prem 299 well over priced compared to the USA rip off Britain where we have to may 85 more for the premium than they do in the US
Ritty666 said: After the cheapest Nintendo Wii U dealIf you are new to Zavvicom make an account using referrer code ZV15625875 enter on the sign up page to get 5 off your first order making the basic version 218 and the premium 261If you buy it after the day of release as well you can use code CONSOLE at checkout to receive another 595 making it 212 basic or 255 premiumBundles are also avaliable here
Diogo Correia said: Can the wii u be used to play the regular wii games
TacticalTimbo said: Im not sure I understand The PS3 is old now obviously for a new console you would go for sata 3 and either buy it with or upgrade to an SSD Also what SSD have you found that either reads or writes at 2gbs
james braselton said: hi there 10000 rpm veloci-raptors 15000 rom cheatas come in at 300 mbs
james braselton said: why no sata interface ps3 interface 5400 rpm has max speed of 20 mbs hard drive takes forever too turn on load time rediculus game install takes hours too install thats why hard core ganers want hdd out of our consoles hard drive speeds are unaceptably too slow for any real games 20 mbs while a fast flash drive or solid state drive hits 2 gbs the best option is too run 3 15000 rpm cheetas in future consoles we need fast hard drives not slow hard no 1956 5 mb 10 kbs ibm 305
james braselton said: hi there your wrong youtube video showed specs ibm quad core cpu 3 ghz not duo core thats 2 times more power full then duo core 1 gb d-ram 32 mb cahe ram 85 gb flash storage 2 wii u game pads and 3ds 3ds xl suport
James-Wilson98 said: It is rumoured that the games will cost 4999 pre order
garethWill said: i wish sadly no it is out end of October start of November to what most people are saying
Chris Martin said: No this was an error made by Amazoncouk Nintendo has not set a launch date yetChris
Corymac98 said: Is the wiiU coming out july 14
Mr. Resetti said: Ive heard people say that but not from the developers themselves a few sites and haters have been spreading rumours about it being graphically inferior to the current gen but loads of evidence shoot that down in flames The makers of assassins creed called it a powerful powerful machine-sadly the games shown dont fully display the systems power but thats because many are ports of 360 amp PS3 games even then there is a noticeable improvement so that proves Wii Us power Also all the games shown of so far only use 720p the Wii U can and will eventually run 1080p games Also Pikmin 3 to be released at the systems launch was originally developed for Wii the delayed it for Wii U release and and this Wii game now rivals the graphics of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Imagine how awesome a game would look if it was actually made from the ground up for Wii U please note Im not counting Nintendo land and Mario bros U as neither a Mario platformer or mini-game collection was going be visually stunning And another thing look at the Tech Demos shown at reveal last year the current gen has nothing on those Some people thought one of the animations shown was an actual film of a real-life bird flying but it was an animation I think they gave it a little too much credit - it wasnt THAT realistic but it was still mindblowingly awesome the bad news is the internal memory is apparently small but that wont matter if external drives are cheap enough
Chris Martin said: Hi ShaneGood questions and ones that wed like the answers to as well Unfortunately this is as detailed as Nintendo has been so far Well update you as and when we find out moreChris
Sean said: Its confirmed to be at least 3-4 times more powerful than current generation
MD said: Im sorry but thats bullt Its been confirmed to be at least 15x more powerful than the PS3 and 360
yahoo-NRTOI5EMCATTP4RIC5BRSM6WEY said: Its more powerful than the PS3 and 360 Its been confirmed by developers
The Rev said: Its weaker than the PS3 and 360 its been confirmed by developers
Shane Killen said: That doesnt say a lot Multi-core as in dual core 3ghz How much ram What kind of memory is the video card packing Is it shared with the system or dedicated