Nintendo Direct on the Wii U – Information and Specs Plentiful

While the English Nintendo Direct conference has yet to be held, the Japanese one was held a couple of hours ago. Given the reaction through online forums, Twitter and even my own Facebook feed I think it is pretty safe to say most of you would have watched in and already know this information.

But for those of you who have not yet, here is the basic information that the company shared with us:

Basic Release Information

• The Wii U is set to be released in Japan on the 8th December 2012. This is not indicative of an international release date.
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• The console will be sold in two different versions. The basic set will come with an 8GB console for 26,250 yen while a 32GB premium Wii U console with a bunch of extra goodies (Nintendo Network Premium membership until end-2014, 500 Nintendo points and some stands) for 31,500 yen.
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• Basic console = White, Premium Console = Black (??).
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• Both of the above bundles will include a Wii U Gamepad, HDMI cable and AC Adapters.
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• Wiimotes, Nunchuks and the sensor bar will NOT BE included – but can be purchased separately or carried over from the Wii.
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• Additional game pads come in at 13,440 yen…. ouch.

System Specs

• The Wii U has 2GB of memory – 1GB for system memory and 1GB for games.
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• The console makes use of its own optical disc format, allowing for 25GB of data and 22.5MB/sec disc read rate.. 

Launch Titles

• Both New Super Mario Bros U and Nintendo Land have been confirmed as Japanese launch titles (Assumingly third party developers/publishers will be making release date announcements soon).
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• New Super Mario Bros U will set you back 5,985 yen.
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• Nintendo Land will set you back 4,935 yen.