[November 16, 2012] |
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Nintendo's Wii U Console Introduces How U Will Play Next
REDMOND, Wash. --(Business Wire)--
Nintendo's Wii
U™ console - the first new home video game system in six
years - arrives on Nov. 18, aiming to change the landscape of games and
entertainment with its new Wii U GamePad controller. With more than 30
launch-day games for all types of players, Wii U arrives just in time
for the holidays and is poised to be the must-have gift of the
season.
The Wii U Basic Set will be available at a suggested retail price of $299.99 and includes a white Wii U console with 8 GB* of internal storage, one white touch-screen GamePad controller, AC adapters for both the console and controller, a sensor bar and an HDMI(TM) cable. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Wii U Basic Set will be available at a suggested retail price of
$299.99 and includes a white Wii U console with 8 GB* of internal
storage, one white touch-screen GamePad controller, AC adapters for both
the console and controller, a sensor bar and an HDMI™ cable.
The Wii U Deluxe Set will be available at a suggested retail price of
$349.99 and its components are black. This set includes all elements
from the Basic Set, as well as the Nintendo Land game, increased
internal storage totaling 32 GB*, a console stand, a GamePad stand and a
GamePad charging cradle. People who purchase the Deluxe Set also will be
enrolled in the Deluxe Digital Promotion, which allows Deluxe Set owners
to earn points when they purchase downloadable games and then redeem
those points for codes that earn them credit toward even more fun
digital content in the online Nintendo eShop. For more information about
the Deluxe Digital Promotion, which is available for a limited time,
please visit http://ddp.nintendo.com.
"Wii U is an 'everyday' connected device - offering a combination of
games, entertainment, online connectivity and social activity that will
make people want to interact with it daily," said Nintendo of America
President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. "Never before have so many features
been packed into one game console, at any price. Our substantial lineup
of games offered at launch has something for everyone on your shopping
list."
Wii U offers completely new and unexpected game play, entertainment
experiences and unique online interactions:
-
Wii U GamePad: The controller features a 6.2-inch touch screen
that redefines how people interact with their games, their
entertainment and one another. It comes with dual analog sticks and
traditional buttons for gaming. The GamePad is wirelessly connected to
the console, providing a perfectly integrated second-screen experience
with the TV, no matter how it's being used. Different players can
enjoy different experiences in the same game, depending on which
controller they opt to use. Players can even move select games from
the TV to be played on the GamePad or use the GamePad as a TV remote
control.
-
Games: Wii U is launching with 29 packaged games, plus a
handful of digital games, marking the largest launch lineup in
Nintendo history. Nintendo-published games available on launch day
include Nintendo
Land™, New
Super Mario Bros. ™ U, SiNG
PARTY™ and NINJA
GAIDEN™ 3: Razor's Edge. Third-party
publishers also will have an amazing array of games available on
launch day, such as Just Dance® 4, Assassin's
Creed® III and ZombiU™ from
Ubisoft, Skylanders Giants™ and Call of Duty®:
Black Ops II from Activision Publishing, Inc., Disney (News - Alert) Epic
Mickey 2: The Power of Two from Disney Interactive, EA SPORTS™
FIFA Soccer 13 and Madden NFL 13 from Electronic Arts, NBA
2K13 from 2K Sports and Batman: Arkham City™
Armored Edition and Scribblenauts™ Unlimited
from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. A number of these titles
will also be available for purchase digitally in the Nintendo eShop
alongside a strong launch-day lineup of downloadable digital-only
games, including Little Inferno from Tomorrow Corporation, Trine
2™: Director's Cut from Frozenbyte, Chasing
Aurora from Broken Rules, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive
Edition from WayForward and Nano Assault NEO from Shin'en.
Wii U owners can expand the storage capacity of their systems by
adding their own USB external hard disc drives. Downloadable content
for select games, such as additional levels or maps, will roll out in
December following a system update. Wii U is backward compatible with
almost all Wii™ games and Wii accessories.
-
Miiverse: Miiverse™ is a global community in which
gamers from all over can share experiences, discuss games and learn
more about the video games they love. Using their personalized Mii™
characters, players with broadband Internet access can enter Miiverse
and see games and entertainment content they have interacted with
recently, expressed interest in learning more about or that their
friends are playing or discussing. They can also challenge their
friends to play together, ask for help from the Miiverse community
about a difficult level or discover elements of their favorite games
they never knew existed. Miiverse is integrated seamlessly into the
Wii U experience.
-
Video on Demand: In the coming weeks, an array of favorite
movies and TV shows will become available to Wii U owners on Amazon
Instant Video and to Hulu Plus and Netflix subscribers. These services
will also be accessible from Nintendo TVii. Wii U owners will also be
able to watch YouTube (News - Alert) videos and channels through the YouTube
application, as well as sign in to their account and control the
application with the GamePad. Wii U owners who have connected their
systems to the Internet will receive a notification as each video
application becomes active.
-
Nintendo TVii: In December, Nintendo will activate this unique
application that will transform how people find, watch and engage with
TV shows, movies and sports. Nintendo TVii makes watching TV simple
and fun by bringing together a program guide, remote control and
social interaction into one, seamless second-screen experience on the
GamePad. Nintendo TVii comes with Wii U at no additional charge and
requires no additional equipment. It works with existing cable and
satellite channels. Viewers can engage with others in a variety of
ways, such as commenting on moments as they happen on live TV, and
then sharing those thoughts via Miiverse, Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter. Users
can also discover more about what they're watching, as information
from a variety of sources is automatically linked to the program they
are watching, including sports data. Nintendo TVii is customizable for
every member of the family.
-
Wii U Chat: Wii U owners can video chat with one another on a
broadband Internet connection using the built-in camera and microphone
of the Wii U GamePad. Friends and family members far away can see and
talk with one another in real time using this service at no additional
charge.
-
Internet Browser: Wii U comes with a browser that lets users
surf the Web from the comfort of their couches. Users can browse
purely on the GamePad while watching a program on TV. Additionally,
they can pause a game, launch the browser and search for something,
and then re-enter the game right where they left off.
"The value of Wii U goes well beyond day one," Fils-Aime said. "Nintendo
will be enhancing the Wii U experience with continuous updates and new
services for Wii U owners."
Remember that Wii U features parental controls that let adults manage
the content their children can access. For more information about the
many Wii U features and details about all the current and upcoming
games, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu.
A network update is required for some features.
* 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Usable internal memory limited due to
system software.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of
interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™
and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and
Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when
it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has
sold more than 4 billion video games and more than 637 million hardware
units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and
Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance,
Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™,
Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™
and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become
well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™,
Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly
owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash.,
serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western
Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the
company's website at http://www.nintendo.com.
Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at http://press.nintendo.com,
a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna
Avila at 213-438-8742 or [email protected].
Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the
site's RSS feed.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20121116005392/en/
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