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As expected, Nintendo Wii U game console has started to emerge on the store shelves in the European Union. The console is available in two versions, but the recommended prices are currently different in various countries. Considering that Wii U in many states will be much more expensive than Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, the success of the novelty is not cast in stone to say at least.
Nintendo Wii U console is available in two versions: Basic white for €299/£249 and Deluxe black for €349/£299 (€399 in select countries):
- The Premium black bundle includes Wii U console with 32GB of NAND flash storage, Wii U GamePad with stylus, one charging stand and one play cradle for Wii U GamePad, vertical stand for the console itself, one HDMI cable, one AC adapter for Wii U and one Wii U GamePad AC adapter. The pack includes Nintendo Land video game.
- The Basic white bundle includes Wii U console with 8GB of NAND flash storage, Wii U GamePad with stylus, one HDMI cable, one AC adapter for Wii U and one Wii U GamePad AC adapter.
Sales of Nintendo Wii U in the U.S. were constrained by supply and on the launch week Nintendo managed to sell only 400 thousand of the consoles. Back in 2006, the company manage to ship 600 thousand original Wii systems in the first week of sales in the U.S.
In Europe consoles are traditionally more expensive than in the USA, which is why it is nearly impossible to expect initial sales of Wii U to be impressive.
Nintendo Wii U is based on a custom triple-core IBM Power 750 microprocessor equipped with 1GB of system memory as well as a modern custom AMD Radeon HD graphics processing unit (derived from the Evergreen architecture) with high-definition graphics and video support that is equipped with 1GB of graphics memory. The Wii U consoles come with 32GB or 8GB of NAND flash storage and an optical drive to read custom discs.
The main feature of the game console is its unique Wii U GamePad controller with 6.2" touch-screen that also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers that can be used to play both classic Gamecube/Wii games as well as specially designed titles that take advantage of the screen. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories.
