It's Wii U speculation day, it seems. Just as we get over the latest anonymous sources telling us that Wii U is less powerful than PS3 and Xbox 360, we hear about the Wii U release dates being leaked. According to a Wii U themed website, and now being circulated around the web, Nintendo's next console will hit North America on 18th November.
We recommend buckets of salt with this one, not just because the cited source is an 'internal email' from Japanese retailer Media Land, but the email is such hot stuff that a copy isn't reproduced for our perusal. If it is a speculative guess then it's a reasonable one, as Wii was released on 19th November 2006: it's a good period to catch Holiday shopping.
We know that Wii U is coming in time for the Holiday season, and leaked dates like this may turn out to be correct. That said, we'd advise that you hold off on days off work/school for playing your new console until Nintendo confirms the official date. If you want to join in the Predict the Wii U Release Date game with us, by all means do so in the comments below.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 60
Seems like a good launch period to me.
It's a reasonable time, in the forums I said something similar to an estimate. But, I think you are a bit late on this news, I was reading mynintendonews and they not only reported this yesterday BUT they also reported Nintendo had no comment and it was reported this came from an unreliable source. I still like this article better, because you guys go more into depth in the subject and it's funnier. Keep up the good work NL!
At the rate these rumours are appearing, they'll be telling us it has a new name, plays PS3 games and can make toast.
Certainly not a stretch, we all know it should land somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving if it really wants to make an impact at Christmas.
Nintendo have already given their standard "We dont comment on rumors or speculation" statement.
@3Dangerous3Dash I saw this late last night (UK time), but wasn't sure about it as a story. After a chat with @James this morning we thought it'd be worth covering, with the aforementioned bucket of salt. Rumours are fun, ultimately, and the date proposed may even, by coincidence, turn out to be correct.
As for Nintendo's statement, I'd take it as a given whenever there's a 'Rumour' article, that Nintendo will refuse to comment
Oh my God you mean this appeared on the internet before we posted it here?! That's it... I have to go lie down.
Four days before my Birthday. This better be true.
Seems legit. I hope they do it right....please don't let the 360 and PS3 outshine it right when they are about to release new systems in the next couple years..
Sorry to make you feel faint, James. It's just.... it came out a day before.Yes, I do have to agree, rumors are fun.
I doubt I'll lose any sleep over it. Although obviously as it is I don't sleep because I'm constantly glued to the computer making sure that information that's almost certainly made up goes on our website within less than a few hours!
They would be stupid not to release it around that period. 'Nintendo can you make it 3rd of november, that would be the ultimate B'day gift'.
NEW INTERNET RUMOUR
WiiU will release 3/11/12 because I say so
Gee willickers I better write that up straight away!
Yeah, it's the made up info that makes the news.
Well at least they got the date that falls on a Sunday as Nintendo likes to launch their systems on Sundays.
James, you better get on that date, COULD BE ALMOST CERTAINLY MADE UP!
@motang I didn't even notice that, good reasoning.
Its true james I got an email from a anonymous dev
We won't know for sure until e3 at the earliest but this seems like quite a likely release date as its obvious that it won't launch until Q4 and November would probably be the best month to release it in Q4 as it would give devs a good amount of time to ready their games their games for launch and it wouldn't be too far away from Christmas.
****!!!! I have to save my money for that long!? COME ON I WAS THINKING IT WOULD COME OUT IN THE SUMMER!
Rumor: Sega is secretly behind the Wii U and has never actually left the console market
This is fake info! Eurogamer got the info of an unfamous nintendo blog that posts fake info and rumors just too get more readers. Look http://wiiublog.com/the-release-date-has-been-leaked-answer-no/
I think that they need to get a bigger installed base out there before that. They need to build buzz AND a great library of games BY the holidays. I feel that is one of the reasons the 3DS did so well over Christmas (and of course the price drop ; ) Seriously, though, they were able to pepper top-tier titles from September to January. I realize that the Wii did well at launch (I got my local Fred Meyer to do a Midnight Launch and I waited 14 hours there), but I believe a August/September launch akin to the SNES/N64 would allow the system time to differentiate itself from the existing Wii in the media, create buzz, and let the hardcore crowds get their system before the holiday feeding frenzy when families will be picking up one. I knew too many friends who had to sit outside a Walmart for 5 hours waiting for a shipment to come in so they could get a Wii. They need to meet the demand.
@Lordlz
hahahaha
A lot of people keep sayng that Nintendo should buy SEGA but this beats them all
@WhiteTrashGuy: That makes a lot of sense. Release it a bit earlier, let the hardcore fans swoop in and early adopt... then be ready to reload stock for families buying gifts for holiday. Of course, if early adopters choose NOT to adopt, then you've got a problem of poor momentum going into Christmas. A risk. I bet it is 11/18.
This actually, unlike a lot of reports (like those so called devs), sounds true.
@Lordlz LOL!!
that would be funny if it happened but also cool too.
it will be on the 17th of november gosh
I'm not generally nitpicky, but 'buckets of salt'? Doesn't the whole 'take this with a grain of salt' phrase mean that it is small and doesn't require much salt? Anyways I'll be taking the announcements at E3 with a bucket of salt.
MadAussieBloke - Hey thats my Birthday also!
Seems as good enough a guess as any to me. Hooray for educated guessery! But - does that factor in delays?
Wii U for a 11/18/2012 hmmmm? I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to put their next console out on that specific day. But to me, I say ONLY Nintendo's E3 2012 Press Conference is where the TRUE answer awaits for this mystery. At least go ahead and let us know all that the system can do before you put out a rumor speculated release date. That imo takes out the fun in something like guessing what the release date would be.
I think maybe september or early November will be the release date, odds are NOA wants to take advantage of black Friday sales since most people tend to get their Christmas shopping out of the way on that day.
I don't think Nintendo has that kind of stuff planned
seems reasonable especially where the last 2 consoles both launched in November
GameCube: November 18,2001
Wii: November 19,2006
E3... only June... SO FAR AWAY! NOVEMBER IS LIKE FOREVER AWAY!!!!!!!!
It sounds plausible right before the holiday season but who knows. I am sure they probably will have a date for us all at E3.
i could see it being possibly true. that is a good time to release the system with all of the holidays coming up after it.
SHHH... IT'S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY
No shh... It's a secret to everybody is from The Legend of Zelda
@Lordlz I believe you are wrong, sir. It's that The Nintendo Wii U console is being made by SEGA, but SEGA has been infiltrated by Valve devs. The Valve devs then proceed to make the online gameplay and interface full of win, while the head of SEGA thinks that they did that so they come public about still making consoles, which requires more employees which means less SEGA layoffs, and Nintendo makes billions off the Wii U. That way everyone wins except for Microsoft!
I was expecting a late September release.
It will come out November 18th......(2014)
Nintendo has always had a special thing for November, so I wouldn't be surprised.
They'll pull a Sega Saturn and release the day after E3.
Even if that were a few days off I can't see it being released much before or after that, so it doesn't matter if it's rumor or not, it's probably about right. Anyone here could have guessed that. It'd obviously be a massive fail to release after the holidays. Probably more solid than what Nintendo will ever give us given their history of delays.
Hey, maybe we'll get the "sega channel" back; We can only hope the online features are at least as good as that was, and about as archaic as Nintendo likes to have their online system.
That might not be correct, but it probably isn't off that much. Nintendo always has mid-late November console releases.
WiiU will be available worldwide on Wednesday, 4th April 2012. :3
Could be true. But I don't know why, but for some reason I get more and more the feeling it will be delayed untill 2013. Hopefully I am wrong!
I really want the Wii U! Before I actually heard of the Wii U, I thought the Nintendo 3DS was Nintendo's handheld console. I've also learned Sony is bogus -_-
I wonder when the next version of the 3DS is coming out? That would be cool if it was the same time, but it will probably be the year after.
from nintendo HQ
"We will be releasing our new Wii U tomorrow"
Tomorrow never comes!!
lol i made this up(?)â– â–
I'll bet this is some dude just trolling the internet and trying to see how much speculation and press he can drum up. All the same, it could very much be a viable date.
@Tomatoboxer
I have also thought of that! It would be awesome if the Wii U released at the beginning of summer. At the very least we would have DARKSIDERS II, NINJA GAIDEN 3, and BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY at launch. (Of course I have BATMAN on 360, and NG3 is getting reviews soooo . . . WE HAVE DARKSIDERS!
This seems like it would be the right release date. If it is, I can't wait for it!
At the rate these rumours are appearing, they'll be telling us it has a new name, plays PS3 games and can make toast.
Well, if rumors are true, that makes one next-gen system that can play PS3 games.
Every 5-6 years, release a new console. It will be the six year anniversary, rounded a day so that it falls on a Sunday.
Well for some reason I was expecting it to be released in July.
Then again, that is a bit too close after the E3 Expo.
@LittleBigVita ...what?
Seems likely.
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