Nintendo (NTDOY) announced on Thursday its upcoming Wii U console will launch in North America on November 18th starting at $299.99. Nintendo’s Wii U will be sold in two sets. The first is an all-white “Basic Set” that includes the Wii U console, GamePad, AC adapter for each, HDMI cable, Wii U sensor bar and 8GB of storage for $299.99. The second bundle is the “Deluxe Set,” which has everything the Basic Set has along with a GamePad charging cradle, console stands for the the console and GamePad, 32GB of internal storage and a copy of Nintendo Land. The Deluxe Set will be available with a black paint job for $349.99. Another reason to pick up the Deluxe Set is that it’ll also include something Nintendo calls “Deluxe Digital Promotion” — coupons that can be used toward downloading digital games.
Along with Nintendo Land, Nintendo also re-confirmed that New Super Mario Bros. Wii U will available as a launch game.
Nintendo also unveiled a new Wii U feature called “Nintendo TVii” — a “new way to find, watch and engage with TV, movies and sports.” Nintendo describes TVii as a “personalized TV guide that can tell you what’s available on Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, live TV and video on DVR.” Designed to work with the Wii U GamePad, each user can customize the Tvii to their own favorite content. Nintendo TVii looks to be a feature very similar to the Xbox 360’s SmartGlass that Microsoft (MSFT) revealed at E3. It’s goal is to provide a robust secondary display experience to supplement the big screen. Best of all, Nintendo’s Tvii service is free with every Wii U. Of course, subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc. will be required in order to access them.
Wrapping things up, Nintendo announced several new games: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U exclusive), The Wonderful 101 (formerly called P-101), Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Skylanders Giants, 007 Legends, Transformers Prime: The Game, Wipeout and…Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The Japanese game company said that over 50 games will arrive for the Wii U between its November launch through the end of March 2013.
