Wii U Release Date: Nintendo Console to Launch November 11 with 3 SKUs at $249.99, $299.99, and $349.99

Courtesy of Nintendo.com (Photo : Nintendo)

The latest leaks indicate that the Wii U's release date is now November 11, and will retail for a base price of $249.

Nintendo's console showed up in an online listing for Video Product Distributors (VPD), the company that provides Amazon, Blockbuster, and Newegg with their electronics.

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Interestingly, it seems as if Nintendo is following its competition's example and releasing multiple SKUs of the Wii U, priced at $249, $299, and $349 respectively. Here are the listings from VPD's site:

WIIU SYSTEM-GM-11/11/12 $249.99

WIIU SYSTEM W/-GM-11/11/12 $299.99

WIIU SYSTEM 349 W/-GM-11/11/12 $349.99

There has been no official word on what the differences between these SKUs will be, but it is safe to say that extra controllers may be bundled in the $299.99 and $349.99 versions of the console. Many of the original Wii's controller accessories will be usable on the Wii U, including the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Perhaps an extra tablet controller will be included in the $349.99 version as well.

Just last week, accessory maker PDP reportedly let a release date of November 18 slip, giving gamers their first window into the system's launch plans.

As fresh news of about the Wii U's launch plans flows in, the frustration that both hardcore gamers and press have experienced due to Nintendo's secrecy is slowly being vented, giving consumers and investors a better understanding of the console.

"Overall, we were disappointed with the Nintendo [E3] presentation, as many key questions about the Wii U remained unanswered, a year after the console's official introduction, and less than seven months before its scheduled release," said Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter this past June.