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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 6:43:50 GMT -5
Nintendo has announced the Wii U will launch in Japan on December 8 and will be available in two different models.
The premium set, which is black, will feature 32GB of flash memory. The basic set, which will be white, will feature 8GB of flash memory.
The Premium bundle will cost ¥31,500 and the basic set will cost ¥26,250. Based on the current exchange rate this is approximately US$405 and US$337. A standalone Wii U GamePad will set Japanese gamers back 13,440 yen (that's just over US$170). Prices in US dollars are provided for context; Japanese pricing may not necessarily reflect pricing in other territories.
The Basic set packs a white console, white Game Pad, an AC adapter and a HDMI cable. The Premium set includes a black console and a black Game Pad, an AC adapter, a HDMI cable, a Game Pad dock, a console stand and a two-year Nintendo Network Premium subscription that runs through to December 2014. Nintendo Network Premium offers 10 per cent off digital purchases.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 6:49:19 GMT -5
On the hardware side, Nintendo revealed the console has 2GB of RAM, with games using 1GB and system memory occupying the remainder. Game discs have a 25GB capacity.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 6:51:22 GMT -5
New Super Mario Bros. U will cost ¥6,000 ($77) and Nintendo Land will be ¥5,000 ($64) in Japan. Both games launch with the Wii U on its Japanese release date, which was just revealed as December 8.
The Pro Controller, pictured above, will cost ¥5,000 at Japanese launch.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 7:19:15 GMT -5
Holy shit at those prices!
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vado
Gamer
360 > Wii > 360 > Wii > 36...
Posts: 1,564
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Post by vado on Sept 13, 2012 7:27:55 GMT -5
holy shit indeed. let's see what the stateside prices end-up being, but if it's anything close to that, it'll be a few years before i consider jumping in.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 9:02:24 GMT -5
The yen is much stronger than the dollar. There will be a gap in pricing. Japan prices are always higher than US
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Post by fatty on Sept 13, 2012 9:04:38 GMT -5
American WiiU preview is about to air live: www.nintendo.com/wiiuOf course it is blocked for me, so keep those details coming! My body is Reggie.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 9:18:18 GMT -5
Launch Date:
Nov 18
2 SKUs:
Basic bundle includes (white color)Gamepad, console, HDMI cable, sensor bar and 8GB of flash memory -- $299 Premium bundle includes (black color) Gamepad, console, HDMI cable, sensor bar, 32GB of flash memory, stand for console and cradle for gamepad, Nintendoland, and 2 year subscription some some Nintendo premium service -- $349
The premium bundle seems like a no brainer, but I'm not yet convinced to get this on launch. Hopefully they'll announce something else that's a surprise.
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Post by fatty on Sept 13, 2012 10:09:38 GMT -5
Hmm, interesting. I kind of figured that the pricing would be $50 lower. I do like the deluxe bundle, but like you I'm net yet convinced to get one at launch. Thanks for the update.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 10:11:57 GMT -5
OK, its over folks. The other big announcement was Nintendo TVii. Its basically smart glass, but better. I have to admit it was impressive from what they showed, especially the sports aspect. I'm definitely interested in learning more.
The big game announcement was Bayonetta 2 as a Wii U exclusive. That was definitely unexpected. Activision also got up to show off several wii u games, including Black Ops 2, which looked solid and was fully playable on the gamepad sans TV.
Overall, it definitely made up for Nintendo's crappy E3 showing. Frankly, this is what E3 should've been. Still, there's still several more questions I have:
1) What is the deal with the Nintendo premium service? 2) What about the Nintendo Network? How will that work and what does it offer? 3) What are the launch games/dates (besides Nintendoland and Super Mario U)? 4) Will you have achievements? How will that work? 5) Will TVii launch with Wii U or is it coming later?
This is definitely a good start, but I'm not quite sold on Wii U yet...especially at $349, which is the only configuration I'm interested in.
Side note, I like that Nintendo includes an HDMI cable with their console. No one else does that.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 10:29:54 GMT -5
Nintendo claim the Wii U is around 20 times more powerful than its six-year-old Wii console.
Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata said the Wii U will have 1GB of system memory and 1GB of game memory for 2GB total, that’s compared to PS3 and 360′s 512MB.
The Wii U uses 75 watts of power when operating and 45 watts in power save mode. It measures 46 mm x 172 mm x 268.5 mm in the horizontal position.
Accessory-wise, the Basic pack will include the white console and Game Pad, a stylus, HDMI adapter and AC adapter.
The Premium set includes a black console and a black Game Pad, a stylus, an AC adapter, a HDMI cable, a Game Pad dock (charging stand), a Game Pad stand and a console stand.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 11:12:52 GMT -5
Here's Nintendo's current list of expected games to launch for the Wii U between November 18 and March 2013. NBA 2K13 (2K Sports) Jeft Tailfin (Maximum Games) Madden NFL 13 (EA) EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 (EA) Mass Effect 3 (EA) Toki Tori 2 (two tribes) Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Capcom) ZombiU (Ubisoft) Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft) Avengers: Battle for Earth (Ubisoft) Rabbids Land (Ubisoft) Assassin's Creed 3 (Ubisoft) Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) Sports Connection (Ubisoft) Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 (Ubisoft) Nano Assault Neo (Shin'En) Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega) Sonic & Sega All-Stars: Racing Transformed (Sega) Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte) Tank! Tank! Tank! (Namco) Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco) Wheel of Fortune (THQ) Jeopardy (THQ) Darksiders 2 (THQ) Funky Barn (505 Games) Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Activision) 007 Legends (Activision) Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 (Activision) Wipeout 3 (Activision) Skylanders Giants (Activision) Rapala Pro Bass Fishing (Activision) Transformers Prime (Activision) Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Disney Interactive) Scribblenauts Unlimited (WB Games) Game Party Champions (WB Games) Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (WB Games) Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Gaijin Games) Ben 10: Omniverse (D3 Publisher) Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game (D3 Publisher) Family Party: 30 Great games Obstacle Arcade (D3 Publisher) Zumba Fitness (Majesco) New Super Mario Bros. Wii U (Nintendo) Game & Wario (Nintendo) Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (Nintendo) Sing Party (Nintendo) Nintendo Land (Nintendo) Wii Fit U (Nintendo) The Wonderful 101 (Nintendo) Pikmin 3 (Nintendo)
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 11:35:38 GMT -5
That is a very impressive list of games but still nothing in there that is really pushing me to buy. If I had $350 sitting around in gift cards, I might do it. But given the choice between this and the new iPod touch, I will take the touch in the short term and start my savings for the WiiU from scratch. However, by the time I am ready to buy something again, it will be getting close to xbox 720 launch and ps4 launch. So, I am not sure when this is going to happen. I think N is making some nice strides here but still not enough to make me an early adopter.
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Post by UsualNoise on Sept 13, 2012 11:40:35 GMT -5
I feel the same way as reaper. I've always been a Nintendo console early adopter, but with this one I may wait for the first price drop (or until better games come out). NSMB is basically the only one I'm interested in at this point, so there will have to be a tipping point with either another Mario 3D, Zelda, or Metroid game before I'd consider it.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 11:48:34 GMT -5
Metroid and I'm in... unless Team Ninja screws it up again.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 12:02:43 GMT -5
The Nintendo Wii U may only have 8 to 32GB of internal memory, but the company's taking a decidedly open approach to expanding that memory: add your own. "You can plug in a full-on three terabyte hard drive if you want. I'll love you as a digital consumer," Nintendo America CEO and president Reggie Fils-Aime told us during a post-press conference investor Q&A. Much like Sony's PlayStation 3, the Wii U allows for expansion of memory via USB, whether that memory be Flash or otherwise. Fils-Aime explained that, with the continuously dropping price of memory, there was little reason to offer pricing for the Wii U -- available in $300 and $350 -- tied to an evolving hardware model.
"The reason we did it that way is that the cost of that type of storage memory is plummeting. What we didn't want to do is tie a profit model to something that's gonna rapidly decline over time. We'll let the consumer buy as much as they want, as cheaply as they want," Fils-Aime said.
Fils-Aime also confirmed that the Wii U doesn't have TiVO hardware built into it -- functionality will require an existing TiVO box. The same goes for DVR functionality, which Fils-Aime said Nintendo doesn't want consumers to bear the expense of.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 12:04:12 GMT -5
Zombi U may be my tipping point. Need to learn more about it. Otherwise, I'll likely be holding off as well come launch.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 12:08:52 GMT -5
Nice approach to the memory! I like that. I cuold care less if I had a HD hiding behind the Wii with a ton of space in it. Maybe the cheap model is the way to go afterall?
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 12:30:27 GMT -5
Nintendo TVii will support "all" cable and dish carriers in the US and Canada, Nintendo director of strategic partnership Zach Fountain told Engadget this afternoon. He said that no major carriers are excluded, and the only requirement for signing up is inputting your cable company's account information to the Wii U. DVR and TiVO functionality are plugged in similarly, where users input information via web, and services resultantly pop up on the Wii U. Nintendo TVii launches with the Wii U on November 18 in the US and Canada for free, and remains exclusive to North America for the time being.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 12:37:49 GMT -5
I don't get this. If you already have a TiVo, why would you want your WiiU to act like a TiVo? Can't you just use the TiVo you already have? And if you don't have a TiVo, why would you go buy one for this? Just to get some added functionality on the WiiPad?
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