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Nintendo Wii U's Japanese Launch Outlined
posted on by Egan Loo
Nintendo outlined the Japanese launch of its Wii U console during a streamed presentation on Thursday. The basic set will cost 26,250 yen (about US$338), while the premium set will cost 31,500 yen (US$405) when they ship on December 8 in Japan. The basic set will come with the console itself in white, a white Wii U Game Pad with touch stylus, and eight gigabytes of internal flash memory. The premium set will come with a black console, a black Wii U GamePad with touch stylus, 32 gigabytes of internal flash memory, use of the Nintendo Network Premium service until December 2014, a 500-point Nintendo pre-paid card, vertical console stand, a GamePad charging stand, and a Game Pad play stand. Both sets will also include two AC adaptors for the console and GamePad, as well as an HDMI cable.
Neither set will include a Wii Remote Plus, Nunchuk, or sensor bar, so Nintendo is selling a separate Wii Remote Plus Add-On Pack with these peripherals for 5,250 yen (US$68) on December 8. The GamePad and the Pro Controller will sell separately for 13,440 yen (US$173) and 5,040 yen (US$65), respectively. Nintendo's two launch titles are New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land, which will both be available in retail packages and via downloads.
The console will have two gigabytes of main memory — one for games, and one for the system. The same one gigabyte for games can be used for other purposes, such as the Internet browser or Miiverse.
The Wii U also uses a proprietary optical disc format that stores 25 gigabytes with a maximum read speed of 22.5 megabytes per second. The system can accelerate loading with enough available memory.
The console's power consumption is rated at 75 watts. However that rating is for when all of the Wii's features are in use, when the system will normally operate in the 40-watt range.
The Wii U can toggle into "Wii Mode" for compatibility with Wii software. Virtual Console, Wii Ware, and other downloaded software can be migrated over to the Wii U.
Nintendo will stream more details of the software lineup on Thursday at 11:00 p.m. in Japan (10:00 a.m. EDT).
