Wii U Details Annouced

Arriving two days after the sixth birthday of the original Wii; Nintendo is releasing their next console, called the Wii U. If you have been living under a rock, then the Wii U features HD gaming and a touch screen controller to go along with the console. Sounds like a bit of a gimmick? Well so does most of the other Nintendo products. But after spending a little bit of time with the controller at PAX, I can say that it can lead to some very interesting projects. Either way, Nintendo has released the product information and “four-month” launch line-up.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty, shall we?

Price?

There are two versions of the Wii U coming out. The standard version will be $300 and the deluxe version will be $350. Much more than where the Wii initially started.

For $300, you get a 8GB white version of the console bundle. It comes with the console itself, the WiiPad, charging station, and stands for both the console and WiiPad.

For another $50, you get a 32GB black version of the bundle. Not only do you get all that but you also receive a subscription to the Nintendo’s Premium Network which will give rewards for online purchases and such.

For $50, you quadruple your internal memory storage. Both bundles’ memory can be expanded by USB.

When?

The release of the console will be on November 18th. Ready for the Christmas rush. Good luck on getting one.

GameStop is already taking pre-orders. You may also get a $60 trade-in credit for the current Wii.

What games?

Instead of announcing a few games for the initial lineup, Nintendo has decided to announce almost fifty games that will come out at release all the way until March 2013. While most of them do not have firm release dates, a few of them have videos showcasing how they are played with the Wii U.

Here is the Nintendo playlist of videos:

What do you think?

Are you going to grab a Wii U at launch? Or are you going to wait?

Personally, I am going to wait if I even get one. I grabbed a Wii at launch and I have had my fun, but for the most part it collects dust. While some of the features sound nice (TVii, using the WiiPad as a split screen for Black Ops 2) and I am absolutely itching to play some of those games (New Super Mario Bros. U); I would still like to see how third parties handle the console down the line. Hopefully, it will be exciting and Nintendo will bring back their awesome gaming that we all love them for.