Wii U Bundle with New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U coming to North America

Nintendo has confirmed that the Mario and Luigi Deluxe Set is coming to North America. The bundle includes a 32GB Wii U with New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U on a single disc, and will cost $299.99 when it launches on November 1st. It appears that this new pack will replace the existing Wii U Deluxe Set which included Nintendo Land, which will be available as a digital download for just $29.99.

Nintendo of America's Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing Scott Moffitt gave the following statement in regards to the new bundle:

Mario and Luigi are two of the biggest heroes in video games. This new Wii U configuration gives people instant access to not one, but two of the most well-received Wii U games. It’s another example of the tremendous value and variety that Nintendo is offering consumers this holiday season.

Nintendo announces price reduction for Wii U Deluxe Set

Nintendo have announced that they are reducing the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set by $50 in North America, beginning on September 20th. The new MSRP will be $299.99. The official word came at the GameStop Managers Show in Las Vegas earlier today. So far, the company has not announced a similar move for Europe or Japan but many websites seem to think it is inevitable.

Source: Joystiq

In one way, Wii Mini and PS3 Super Slim are superior to all other current-gen and next-gen consoles

The downgraded version of the console has one redeeming feature...but it's still not worth buying.

The Wii Mini is widely considered to be one of the worst console redesigns in gaming history. It's not backwards compatible with GameCube games and peripherals; it can't access the Internet, making it impossible to download Virtual Console games or WiiWare titles; it only has AV output...the system's inferior in every way to the original model of the Wii.

Well, almost every way. The Wii Mini features a top-loading disc drive, something no other console has boasted since Nintendo's own GameCube. While it's not as high tech, there are a lot of benefits to this type of drive. Sony's recent redesign of their current-gen console, the PS3 Super Slim, also features a top-loading drive, and it's definitely a change for the better.

The Wii U, on the other hand, features a slot-loading drive like the original Wii and older PS3 models. As you will see, the method used by the Wii Mini and PS3 Super Slim for loading discs is superior to those used by every other current and next-gen console for a number of reasons.

How the PlayStation 2 helped the Wii, and how current-gen systems could help the Wii U

While the Wii managed to outsell the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it had terrible support from third-party developers. However, things could have been a lot worse for the system had it not been for the phenomenal success of the PlayStation 2.

Nintendo reportedly helping developers bring smartphone games to Wii U

We've already seen a few mobile games on the Wii U. It makes sense that Nintendo would want to bring more to the platform.

Wii U sales have been rather slow these past few months, undoubtedly due to a lack of games. However, a new rumor suggests that Nintendo is working on a solution that may come as a surprise to some. The Japan Times is reporting that "company sources" have revealed Nintendo is working on tools that will make it very easy to convert smartphone titles to their latest console. There is no shortage of games for smartphones, and if they manage to tap into even a small fraction of that market, Wii U owners should have plenty of games to play.

What makes this rumor more credible than most is the fact that one company has already reported they have such software. During GDC 2013 in late March, a Stewart Christie of Tizen App Developers announced via Twitter that his company has software that can convert iOS code to Javascript and CSS, both of which are supported by the Wii U. Christie even invited iOS developers to stop by their booth for a demonstration, as you can see from the following Tweet.

@dscommunity we have free s/w to convert iOS to JavaScript and CSS, then you can deploy on Nintendo Wiiu, stop by booth#GDC2013
— Stewart Christie (@intel_stewart) March 27, 2013

Lending more credence to this story is the existence of the Wii U version of the game Kung Fu Rabbit, a title that was originally released on mobile platforms and was then brought to the eShop by Neko Entertainment. The console version boasts some major enhancements, such as a control scheme that uses actual buttons as opposed to virtual ones. Considering how well it turned out, it seems quite possible that Nintendo is interested in creating software to help other companies do the same with their popular titles as well. While there are plenty of mobile games that could also benefit from having physical buttons, there are scores more that could be brought to the system "as is," since many of them rely on tilt and touchscreen input, two major features the Wii U GamePad has. If this rumor turns out to be true, it should not come as much of a surprise. We'll keep you posted.

Source: Japan Times via Kotaku


Related Article: Conversion software makes it easier to convert iOS games to Wii U

Nintendo sends message to Wii owners to promote Wii U

Image credit: Kotaku.com

In Nintendo's latest financial report, Global President Satoru Iwata admitted that the marketing campaign for the Wii U has failed to inform some members of the public that the system is actually a brand new console and not just a controller for the original Wii. Here are his comments to investors on the matter:

"Some have the misunderstanding that Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games, and others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii. We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product."

It looks like the company is trying to hammer the message home, as they have reportedly started sending messages directly to Wii owners informing them that the Wii U is an "all-new home console." The image you see above was obtained from Kotaku, who have confirmed that the Big N is trying to get the word out. Here is an excerpt from the message:

It's time to discover Wii U.

Wii U is the all-new home console from Nintendo. It's not just an upgrade - it's an entirely new system that will change the way you and your family experience games and entertainment.

Seeing as how there are close to 100 million Wii owners around the world, hopefully Nintendo's message will get some of them interested in the new console.


Source: Kotaku

Similarities between the launches of the Wii and Wii U

When the Wii launched, it sold out immediately, with supply struggling to meet demand. The Wii U also got off to a great start when it launched in late 2012, and it was sold out at a number of retailers for weeks. While sales of the new console have dropped significantly, there are a lot of similarities between the two launches. From consumer attitudes to launch games, there are a many parallels. Let's take a look.

Wii U shifts 3.45 million units worldwide, misses goal of 4 million

According to a financial statement released by Nintendo this morning, the Wii U has sold 3.45 million units worldwide as of March 31st, a figure that falls short of the 4 million projected by the company in January. That number had been revised from initial forecasts of 5.5 million after sales dropped in the New Year.

Nintendo states that the console failed to "maintain initial sales momentum" due to the delay of several key titles, most likely referring to Pikmin 3 among others.The company is hoping that the release of "key Nintendo titles" in the second half of 2013 will jumpstart sales of the console. They have projected 9 million units sold for the current fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014.

Nintendo's fiscal year net profits for the financial year came in at 7 billion yen ($71 million), half of their projected 14 billion. They posted an operating loss of 36.4 billion yen ($366 million), making this their second consecutive annual loss.

Here's a breakdown of their hardware and software sales:

3DS
● 31.09 million units shipped (up over 1 million in last quarter)

Wii
● 99.84 million units shipped

Wii U
● 3.45 million units shipped
● 13.42 million games shipped
● Nintendo Land - 2.6 million units shipped
●New Super Mario Bros. U - 2.15 million units shipped

Source: Nintendo via Polygon

Wii U sales in Japan receive boost from Dragon Quest X

The game even has its own bundle.

Ever since the start of the New Year, Wii U sales have been very sluggish, even in Nintendo's homeland. Sales have started to pick up in the UK following the release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and it looks like the console is starting to regain momentum in Japan as well. According to Media Create Sales, the Wii U sold 22,829 units last week, coming in just above the PlayStation 3 which racked up 19,069 units in the same time-span.

So what's the reason for the increase in sales? There are a few factors. The HD version of Dragon Quest X 
was just released, with 33,302 units sold. The series is a huge hit in Japan, and it will likely be a system seller for many who were previously on the fence. In addition, Game & Wario is also now available in the country, and reportedly sold 22,491 units. While Amazon France has posted a listing for the Wii U version of Dragon Quest X, there is still no confirmation that it will see a Western release. On the other hand, we do know that Game & Wario is making its way outside of Japan very soon.


HARDWARE
Code:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|System | This Week  | Last Week  | Last Year  |     YTD    |  Last YTD  |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS # |     66.980 |     76.553 |    121.921 |  1.258.395 |  1.240.445 |
|  PSV  |     31.795 |     41.073 |     12.105 |    336.059 |    202.504 |
|  WIU  |     22.829 |     11.398 |            |    226.960 |            |
|  PS3  |     19.069 |     22.942 |     23.771 |    303.914 |    420.622 |
| PSP # |     12.594 |     12.690 |     18.356 |    210.110 |    277.974 |
|  WII  |      1.858 |      1.720 |      9.292 |     26.265 |    160.167 |
|  360  |        598 |        610 |      1.317 |      9.548 |     18.176 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  ALL  |    155.723 |    166.986 |    189.848 |  2.371.251 |  2.363.120 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3DSLL |     38.442 |     40.924 |            |    785.379 |            |
|  3DS  |     28.538 |     35.629 |    121.921 |    473.016 |  1.240.445 |
|  PSP  |     12.594 |     12.690 |     18.356 |    210.110 |    277.974 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: Media Create via NeoGAF

Wii U sales up 125% in UK after release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

UK gamers love hunting monsters.

According to MCV, Wii U sales in the UK increased by 125 percent last week, coinciding with the release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, with retailer discounts also serving as a major factor. As you may recall, various retailers throughout the region have dropped the price of the Premium Pack substantially, with HMV selling at £199.99 with a free copy of Ubisoft's ZombiU thrown in to help sweeten the deal, a savings of a whopping £140 for consumers.

MCV reports that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate "accounted for almost half of the revenue generated by Wii U software during that week. Lego City: Undercover was also released in the United Kingdom last week, and while that title does not appear to have had much of an impact on hardware sales, software sales have "increased siginificantly."

The boost in performance comes on the heels of criticism from retailers in regards to the system's poor sales,  who have said that they may reduce store space for the console if Nintendo fails to increase consumer demand. The Big N recently announced that they are planning on meeting with retailers in the UK to discuss how they can increase sales of the new system.

Source: MCVUK

Conversion software makes it easier to port iOS games to Wii U

Nintendo is trying to make it as easy as possible for indie developers to create software for their digital store, and it looks like one third-party company is about to make it a whole lot easier for iOS developers to port their games to the Wii U.

Stewart Christie of Tizen App Developers has announced via Twitter that his company has software that can convert iOS to Javascript and CSS, both of which are supported by the Big N's new console. iOS developers who are attending GDC 2013 have been invited to stop by for a demonstration.

@dscommunity we have free s/w to convert iOS to JavaScript and CSS, then you can deploy on Nintendo Wiiu, stop by booth#GDC2013
— Stewart Christie (@intel_stewart) March 27, 2013

While this means it may be possible for iOS developers to easily port games over to the system, many would likely have to be reworked due to the fact that the iPad and iPhone support multi-touch, while the touchscreen of the Wii U GamePad does not. Nevertheless, this new development could open the doors for a multitude of new games.

Source: Twitter

Video - Nintendo shows how April system update improves loading times

If you ask Wii U owners what their biggest problems with the system are, long loading times are one of the most common complaints. The OS is significantly slower than those of rival consoles, and exiting a game to return to the main menu can take over 20 seconds. In a recent Nintendo Direct presentation, president Satoru Iwata announced that the company was working on an update that is meant to improve OS performance, and it appears that the first update is practically finished. The Big N has uploaded a time comparison video to YouTube which shows two Wii U consoles - one with the current firmware, and one with the upcoming version. The difference is pretty remarkable. Video after the break.

Australian retailers share views on Wii U sales

The Wii U got off to a great start with stock selling out at retailers throughout the world. However, the console has been struggling since the new year began, and many believe it is due to a lack of new releases. Lately that has changed, thanks to the arrival of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Lego City: Undercover, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, which may provide a boost in system sales.

In Australia, Wii U owners have been deprived of a few titles, with publisher Activision announcing that they have no plans to bring three of their games to the country, including 007 Legends, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, and The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition.

And yet, it appears that Nintendo's latest console is doing as well in the island country as it is elsewhere in the world, with retailers reporting that it had a solid start before sales began to slump. Vooks recently spoke to a few of them and received mixed opinions as to how the system is faring.

We were quite happy with the launch, there were solid pre-sells and general excitement for the release. Wii U is currently facing some headwinds in the market but this is in line with what Nintendo is seeing around the world. We feel that it’s all about educating customers on the great features of this console.

-Kelsey Gamble, community manager at EBGames Australia

Gamble's assessment that Nintendo needs to do a better job educating the public about the system is a view that seems to be widely shared.

Currently Wii U is slow. It needs an injection of great titles both from Nintendo and third parties. Plus some marketing. It may be a console that takes time to get market penetration but we’re hoping it takes off – people love Nintendo and we do too.

-Rob Jenkins, national marketing manager at Gametraders

Vooks had plenty more to say about the status of the console in Australia. You can read the article in its entirety via the source link below.

Source: Vooks.net

Nintendo to meet with UK retailers to discuss Wii U sales

Sales of the Wii U have slowed to a crawl over the past few months, and retailers in the United Kingdom have tried to help the console regain momentum by dropping prices. Unfortunately, the strategy didn't work, and sales only increased slightly. ShopTo purchasing director James Rowson had this to say:

We have taken the decision to reduce the price of the Basic Wii U to test the market and assess the impact of a price change for a short period of time. This has resulted in a smaller than desired increase in sales at this stage.
-James Rowson, ShopTo purchasing director

Another unnamed employee for a major games retailer said his company is considering a reduction of shelf space for the console, and said that if Nintendo doesn't act soon, the system could end up like one of their previous consoles:

"We are looking to reduce slightly but must admit their silence on strategy is deafening at the moment. They’ve got to do something otherwise it is GameCube all over again.”
-Anonymous UK retailer

Meanwhile, Nintendo themselves seem to have acknowledged that there is a problem, and a spokesman has announced that they will be speaking to retailers about their own plans for "building Wii U momentum."

We’ll be speaking to our retailers directly over the next few weeks to take them through our plans for building Wii U momentum over the course of 2013. We have a strong and broad line-up of software launching this year and we look forward to updating – and exciting – our partners over the coming weeks.

-Unnamed Nintendo spokesman

Source: Nintendo Life

Differences between Wii U and Xbox 360 tech specs mirror those of Wii and Xbox 1

A few months ago, a hacker revealed the tech specs of the Wii U CPU and GPU, and tech experts have been discussing and analyzing the numbers ever since. However, there's one thing everyone seems to have overlooked: the differences between the tech specs of the Wii U and the Xbox 360 appear to mirror those of the Wii and the original Xbox.

Unreleased Wii U games will be playable at SXSW Gaming Expo

The SXSW Gaming Expo is coming up soon, and a few unreleased Wii U games will be present in playable form. Take a look:

Wii U games and applications scheduled to be shown:

Pikmin 3 from Nintendo
The Wonderful 101 from Nintendo
LEGO City Undercover from Nintendo
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate from Capcom
Need for Speed Most Wanted U from Electronic Arts
Wii Street U powered by Google from Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros. U from Nintendo
Nintendo Land from Nintendo

Hours and Location

FREE and open to the public

Friday, March 8 | 3:00pm to 9:00pm

Saturday, March 9 | 12:00pm to 8:00pm

Sunday, March 10 | 12:00pm to 8:00pm

At the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78704.

Sources: My Nintendo News, SXSW Gaming Expo

Sega says Nintendo is differentiating themselves on hardware level from Microsoft and Sony

Toshihiro Nagoshi, the chief creative officer of Sega, has spoken to Polygon about next-generation gaming. He says that Nintendo is trying to "differentiate themselves on the hardware level," rather than competing in a war of processing power as Sony and Microsoft are doing with their systems.

“They’ll be better-performing systems, but I think they’ll start being closer and closer to each other on the inside. The Wii and Wii U are differentiating themselves on the hardware level, but the other two systems are going to wage an all-out war of services, one that’ll involve the entire Sony group and the entire Microsoft group. It’ll be a battle to see which group can leverage its scale to best benefit developers and gamers.”

Many analysts and industry insiders have commented that Nintendo is following its own path, trying to compete with innovations rather than horsepower. The processing power of the Wii wasn't nearly up to the same levels as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, yet it completely dominated the sales charts. The next-generation of console wars will be very interesting to watch.

Source: Polygon

Top 10 Wii U Games in U.K. - Week ending 2/16

Here are the top 10 Wii U games in the United Kingdom for the week ending on February 16th.

1. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – SEGA
2. Nintendo Land – Nintendo
3. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
4. ZombiU – Ubisoft
5. Assassin’s Creed III – Ubisoft
6. Sports Connection – Ubisoft
7. Rabbids Land – Ubisoft
8. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition – Warner Bros. Interactive
9. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth – Ubisoft
10. Just Dance 4 – Ubisoft

Source: Nintendo Everything

Japanese video game hardware sales - 2/4 to 2/10

Media Create has revealed the number of consoles sold in Japan for the period between February 4th and February 10th. Here they are:

3DS LL – 89,050
3DS – 38,645
PS3 – 17,004
Wii U – 12,185
PSP – 11,056
Vita – 8,762
Wii – 1,945
Xbox 360 – 593

For reference, here are the numbers for the previous week.

3DS LL – 51,654
3DS – 26,028
PS3 – 18,106
Wii U – 12,959
PSP – 12,191
Vita – 9,596
Wii – 1,904
Xbox 360 – 870

Source: Media Create via Nintendo Everything

Top 10 Wii U games in UK - Week ending 2/9/13

Here are the top ten Wii U games in the United Kingdom for the week ending on 2/9/13.

1. Nintendo Land – Nintendo
2. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
3. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – SEGA
4. ZombiU – Ubisoft
5. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition – Warner Bros. Interactive
6. Rabbids Land – Ubisoft
7. Sports Connection – Ubisoft
8. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth – Ubisoft
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Activision Blizzard
10. Assassin’s Creed III – Ubisoft

Source: Nintendo Everything