New details on Wii U, released 8th December in Japan: UK and US Release dates to come later today

Nintendo’s WiiU NintendoDirectJP launch conference has released some key details about the upcoming console.

They started by showing off the HD fidelity of some example WiiU games, confirming that it is compatible to 1080p quality.

The base unit is small, at only 46mm X 172mm X 268.5mm.

The disc drive is very powerful, using beefy 25GB discs and pulling data at 22.5mb/second, much faster than the Xbox360 and PS3 systems. This should mean shorter loading times for the console. It also uses very little power, claiming to run at 75 watts maximum when being used, with a supposed average usage of 40w. They’re still being coy about the CPU, though, although current claims on available RAM from developers suggest the potential to be more powerful than both Xbox 360 and PS3, depending on CPU/GPU quality.

Complete Wii backwards compatibility has been confirmed, including all of the Wii’s peripherals (such as the balance board).

New Super Mario Bros U appears to be a launch title, the first Mario game to launch with a nintendo console since Super Mario 64. This seems like a shrewd move. The minigame package Nintendoland will also be a launch title, targeting the more casual end of the spectrum. Neither are bundled with the console, but Miiverse, their virtual Mii world, is.

There looks to be 2 pricing models, a white Basic pack and a black Premium pack. The basic has 8GB of flash memory for storage, while the Premium has 32GB. Even 32GB sounds small in the current climate of racing towards a digital-only future. The Premium also offers access to the Nintendo Network Premium scheme. This is a loyalty scheme which gives 10% discounts on all digital titles as well as eShop points back on purchases. You can only access this scheme if you buy the Premium bundle, which is a clever incentive for up-selling.

Included as standard are the unit, a Gamepad and a AC adaptor for both parts. With the Premium bundle, you also get a console stand, a stand for your Gamepad and a charging dock for it. This leaves questions of battery life on the controller, as I can’t imagine it being especially comfortable to use while being plugged into the adaptor.

You will get one WiiU Gamepad with the system, but if you want another one, it’s going to cost you, with Japanese prices of around ~£107. However, no currently announced games have support for 2 Gamepads. You can also buy a Pro controller, Nintendo’s 360-lookalike controller, for around ~£40.

Obviously quite a few of these details could change when it comes to the western release, but this paints a useful picture of what we can expect.