Wii U Price, Release Date Launch Games Featured in Nintendo's First Wii U Commercial

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Nintendo's marketing blitz for the Wii U has begun.

With the launch of the console's first official commercial, the Big N once again makes an appeal to family-centric audiences with games such as iSing Party, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Nintendo Land. Nintendo's original Wii console was a cultural phenomenon, but it remains to be seen if the Wii U's addition of a touch-screen GamePad an asymmetrical gameplay will resonate with the mainstream audience in the same way as its predecessor. In multiplayer, asymmetrical gameplay indicates that one player has a different screen and may interact with the tablet-like GamePad for a unique gameplay experience that affects fellow players. The Wii's motion controls were instantly recognizable, but the philosophy behind the Wii U is noticeably more convoluted, so Nintendo must clearly communicate the console's functionality if they wish to experience the same level of success this time around.

Although Nintendo expects to sell 5.5 million consoles between launch and March 31, 2013, the Wii U will be the company's first console in several generations to be sold at a loss.

The Big N's president, Satoru Iwata, said that "The Wii U hardware will have a negative impact on Nintendo's profits early after the launch because rather than determining a price based on its manufacturing costs, we selected one that consumers would consider to be reasonable. In this first half of the term before the launch of the Wii U, we were not able to make a profit on software for the system while we had to book a loss on the hardware, which is currently in production and will be sold below cost."

The Wii U will release on November 18 using a multi-tiered pricing system. The Basic version is white and has 8GB of memory, a sensor bar, an adapter, and a HDMI cable. The Deluxe version is black and has 32GB of memory, comes bundled with Nintendo Land, a Gamepad charging cradle and stands for the console and controller.

The following games will be available at launch: ZombieU, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Nintendo Land, Rabbids Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Game Party Champions, SiNG Party, ESPN Sports Connection, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, Darksiders II, Assassin's Creed III, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Skylanders Giants, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, FIFA Soccer 13, Just Dance 4, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Transformers Prime, Wipeout 3