Nintendo confirms Mario Kart 8 Wii U Bundle for North America

Earlier today, the Big N released a special Mario Kart 8 Nintendo Direct which revealed a lot of new details about the upcoming racer. Perhaps the most important piece of info is that the Mario Kart 8 Wii U Bundle has been confirmed for North America. The bundle includes the Deluxe version of the console, a GamePad, a red Wii Remote Plus, a red steering wheel, and a physical copy of the latest game in the series. The package will launch on May 30th with a suggested retail price of $329.99.

If you purchase this bundle, or buy the standalone physical or digital version of Mario Kart 8, there's an additional perk. If you register your copy with Club Nintendo before July 31st, you will receive a code to download a free digital version of one of four Wii U games. You can take your pick from New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, or Wii Party U. If you want to pre-order the standalone version of the game, here's the detail page for Mario Kart 8 on Amazon.

As for the Nintendo Direct presentation, it was over thirty minutes long, and there was a lot to see. You can watch it after the break.

Nintendo announces Skylanders Swap Force Wii U Bundle

Nintendo has announced a new Skylanders Swap Force Wii U Bundle which comes with quite a lot. It includes a white Wii U Basic system with 8GB of storage and a Skylanders Swap Force starter pack, which includes a copy of the game, a Portal of Power, and three figures, including Ninja Stealth Elf, Blast-Zone, and an exclusive color shift Washbuckler. A collector poster, trading cards and sticker sheets are also packed in as well. To top it off, a copy of Nintendo Land is included too. The package will be available starting November 15th and will be priced at $299.99.

You can check out reviews of both games via the following links:

Skylanders Swap Force - Video Review by GameSpot

Nintendo Land - Video Review by IGN

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 confirms Zelda: Wind Waker HD Wii U Bundle

Nintendo has confirmed that the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Wii U Bundle is real and will be released on September 20th with a price tag of $299.99. The limited edition set comes with a standard black Deluxe Wii U console and a special GamePad decorated with gold lettering, the crest of Hyrule, and other symbols featured in the game. In addition, a download code will be included for the digital version of Hyrule Historia, the Zelda encyclopedia, as well as another download code for the digital version of Wind Waker HD which will be available to download from the eShop the same day the bundle is released.

Those who want the boxed version will have to wait until October 4th, but physical copies will be enclosed in gold-foil packaging. The digital and physical copies will be priced at $49.99. For some extra cash, GameStop is even bundling a Ganondorf figurine with the game.

As for Nintendo fans in the UK, the Big N is also offering an equivalent bundle in the region which will be released on October 4th. A limited edition boxed version of the game will be available as well which includes a Ganondorf figurine and a double-sided title sheet.

You can check out the European bundle and the Ganondorf figurine after the break.

Source: GameStop

Dragon Quest X Wii U Bundle Revealed

Nintendo and Square Enix have revealed the packaging for the Dragon Quest X Wii U Bundle which is coming exclusively to Japan. The bundle will be available on March 30th, the same day the game officially launches. It includes a Premium Wii U console, a copy of the game, a black Pro Controller, a Nintendo prepaid card worth 1,000 yen, and five super health orbs.

Dragon Quest X was originally released for the Wii in Japan on August 2nd, 2012. The Wii U version of the MMORPG features HD graphics and allows more characters to be displayed simultaneously. The game can be played entirely on the GamePad if a gamer so desires, and players can switch between the GamePad and TV via the menu. As for content, it is essentially the same as the Wii version, and players can actually use the same account they've been using all along.

So far, there has been no mention of a global release, so it appears that Dragon Quest X will be a Japan exclusive, at least for the immediate future.

Square Enix has released a new trailer which features a good amount of gameplay. You can watch it after the break.

Nintendo confirms ZombiU Deluxe Set is coming to North America

Earlier this week, a ZombiU Deluxe Set appeared on the website for Best Buy Canada, and many gaming sites took notice. Today, Nintendo has officially confirmed that the package is coming to North America, and will be available in Canada and the U.S on February 17th.

The bundle includes a black Wii U console, GamePad, a physical copy of ZombiU, a digital copy of Nintendo Land, a black Wii U Pro Controller, and “a collectible booklet featuring artwork from the game and never-before-seen developer commentary.” The ZombiU Deluxe Set has a suggested retail price of $389.99, a savings of roughly $70 if you were to purchase all of these items individually.

Source: Nintendo

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U bundle unboxing

Japan is getting an exclusive Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U bundle which is just like the Deluxe Set, only it comes with a copy of Capcom's game instead of Nintendo Land. One YouTube user has uploaded a video of himself unboxing said bundle. You can watch it after the break.


For more posts about the game, click here.

GameStop sold out of Wii U Deluxe Sets

"Sold out. Come back later."

American video game retailer GameStop is apparently, nationwide, sold out of it's pre-order stock of Wii U Deluxe Sets and "basic bundles are dwindling" as well. This information comes from gaming site Kotaku. There had been rumors that the chain was expected to hit its cap soon and it appears it is now official. This is great news for Nintendo.

Source: GameStop has, nationwide, sold out its pre-order stock - Kotaku

Nintendo Australia reveals Wii U bundles for Australia and New Zealand

Nintendo Australia has revealed that the Wii U will come in two bundles when it is released in Australia and New Zealand on November 30th - a Basic Pack and a Premium Pack. Aside from different wording, the two bundles are identical to those of North America, with one exception: the North American Basic Set includes a sensor bar, the Australian/New Zealand Basic Pack does not. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind that as the console is backwards compatible with Wii games and many of them require a sensor bar. As of this writing, the official Nintendo Australia website reads "NZ [New Zealand] information will be announced shortly." Info after the break.

Nintendo reveals packaging of Wii U bundles

How'd you like to get one of these for the holidays?

Nintendo of America has revealed the packaging for the Wii U bundles. For more details about what comes in each bundle, see our previous article:

Wii U bundles and prices revealed

Wii U price and release dates revealed

The Black Wii U will be available at launch, and given what's included in the bundle, I'd say it's the one to buy.

Nintendo has finally announced the price and release date of the Wii U. The rumors about different bundles turned out to be true. Here's the info straight from Nintendo

North America

Basic Set - $299.99

-1 White Wii U Console with 8GB of internal storage

-1 White Wii U GamePad

-1 White Wii U Stylus

-HDMI Cable
-Sensor Bar

-Wii U Console AC Adapter

-Wii U GamePad AC Adapter

Deluxe Set - $349.99

-1 Black Wii U Console with 32GB of internal storage

-1 Black Wii U GamePad

-1 Black Wii U Stylus

-HDMI Cable
-Sensor Bar

-Wii U Console AC Adapter

-Wii U GamePad AC Adapter

-Wii U GamePad Stand

-Wii U GamePad Charging Cradle

-Wii U Console Stand

-Nintendo Land game included

Release dates
North America - November 18th
Europe - November 30th
Japan - December 8th

Thoughts

The Deluxe Set seems to be the way to go. For an extra $50, you get 4 times as much internal storage, Nintendo Land as a pack-in, plus three stands, all of which would cost a lot more if purchased separately. Some gamers find it kind of odd that no Wii Remotes, Nunchuks, or Classic Controllers are included, but keep in mind there are close to 100 million Wiis out there, and I think it's safe to assume the vast majority of them have more than a few extra controllers laying around. Analysts have said Nintendo would have to price the system "close to $300 to make a profit, so I'd say they're in pretty good shape.

Source: Nintendo