Nintendo's Wii U console will go on sale in Europe on 30 November, in plenty of time for Christmas and -- unusually -- over a week ahead of Japan's 8 December launch date.
The Wii U will come in two console bundles. The first 'Basic Pack' features the console with an 8GB hard drive and one white gamepad. The second is a black 'Premium Pack' console offering 32GB storage and one black gamepad.
Bayonetta 2 has been confirmed as an exciting Wii U exclusive, meanwhile -- reason for hardcore joystick-twiddlers to get excited.
The more expensive version will come with a stand for the console, a charging cradle for the gamepad and a sensor bar. Both will have upgradeable memory via SD card or USB stick and will be backwards-compatible with existing Wii titles, controllers and sensor bar.
A UK price hasn't been announced just yet, though Pocket-lint reports Amazon briefly listed the basic console with a £199 price tag -- a listing that's since been removed.
The Wii U's selling point is its weird tablet-style controller, which offers a 6.2-inch touchscreen in the centre, and is surrounded by the usual-suspect buttons. There's also a front-facing camera on top for video calling, and the device can be used with prodding fingers or the included stylus.
I've been hands-on with the Wii U already, and can report that graphically it's more or less on a par with its rivals the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The risk is that developers won't make the most of the quirky new controller, which could also intimidate the casual crowd that fell in love with the incredibly simple Wii.
Nintendo will also release an Xbox-style 'Pro' controller, but one early fear is that buying a separate tablet controller could prove pricey. We'll update this story when we know UK prices.
A starter accessory pack will also be available at launch, containing a Wii remote, plus an additional nunchuck controller and sensor bar.
Nintendo posted its first annual loss in April, amid falling Wii sales and a lack of excitement surrounding its 3DS handheld. Will the Wii U put the House of Mario back on top? Let us know of your thoughts and opinions below, or post them to our Facebook wall.
Additional reporting by Harry Theobald.
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anonymous 13 September, 2012 16:26
i confirm that amazon had the wii u white version for £199.99 and then the page vanished. i was just about to do the preorder.
anonymous 13 September, 2012 16:46
It looks nice and I will be ordering for family!
But it doesn't appeal to me fully!
Yes adding games that appeal to hardcore gamers is all well and good! But the WiiU is as powerful of slightly more powerful than the Current Gen Xbox and Playstation consoles!
I'm looking forward to seeing what Microsoft and Sony have in their next Gen consoles!
Ithey will obviously be much more powerful that the WiiU!
But then again the wiiU is aimed at families mainly!
If I was I hardcore games choosing a new console.......I'd take a look at Sony or Microsoft first, Nintendo is the last place I'd be looking!