Update:
Since we originally posted this as a rumour, with a suggestion that it may have been confirmed in a Spain-only press release, Juan Jose Cintas Marquez of Deculture has forwarded us the message that was indeed issued to Spanish press. It appears to confirm all of the details below.
Original Article:
With Super Smash Bros. for Wii U already setting sales records in the US and attracting a lot of attention, it shouldn't be surprising that there have been calls for Nintendo to introduce hardware bundles with the game; the company — as per previous years — instead opted for offerings with slightly older games, with Mario Kart 8 being a notable recent addition.
We've also highlighted that retailers — and indeed Nintendo — seem keen to sell-off remaining stock of 8GB white systems, and reports suggest that some of these consoles will be combined with Smash Bros. in a new bundle. It's being reported on multiple Spanish websites that the following bundle is set to be released in the country on 23rd December.
Sources are reporting that this has been shared directly — apparently — by Nintendo in Spain; at the time of writing neither of the Nintendo España Twitter or Facebook accounts have shared this. It's possible that this was distributed by press release to Spanish press, and indeed that this could be a trial release ahead of a roll-out to follow in other territories. Though the publications we've seen report the story are generally reliable sources, as we can't find official word from Nintendo at this point we've marked it as a rumour.
This bundle would certainly be a smart way to shift 8GB stock, of course, and would match up to unofficial deals being offered by retailers around the world already.
If this bundle is legitimate, do you think it would be a smart release?
[source neogaf.com, via gamereactor.es]
Comments 38
Oh, smart way to get rid of the 8GB stock. And they can sell if for $249, on sale for $199.
you go tto move it move it. Move it!
It would have been even smarter to give shoppers time to buy it as a gift at least a week or two BEFORE Christmas.
Between this, the amiibo/GameCube adapter shortages and the bizarre undersupplying of Bayonetta 2 (which has almost no retail presence whatsoever in Australia; I had to ask someone to check their storeroom for a copy), you'd think that Nintendo really hated their monies.
It would have made even more sense to throw in a Mario amiibo with the Smash bundle as well, and maybe even a Mario Wii Remote (for multiplayer fun), but… Nintendo probably aren't taking their Spanish market very seriously.
This should be done in every region, not just for the Basic model, but the Deluxe model, too.
I thought that was a white 32gb model. I was jelly for a moment. The Smash bundle should have been released worldwide at lauch of the game for max sales.
Why the hell are they still trying to sell these pointless 8GB models?
if this was a 32GB, i would be hype. i dont have a wii u and i want smash bros. (as well as more memory for games) so if they dont have a 32GB alt, i am still o my feet waiting for a bundle and good pricing.
@sillygostly The big day for gifts in Spain is the 6th of January (Epiphany), not at Christmas.
@Quorthon it's called selling existing stock they aren't making new ones for this.
8gb WiiU's. Don't do it, it's a trap..
Yeah the 8Gb blows hard. When I preordered my 32Gb Deluxe in 2012, I took one look at the 8Gb Basic option and laughed. Pay $50 more; get a sensor bar, charging cradle, vertical Wii-U standoffs, 4x the storage and a $60 game included at no extra cost. Yes, please! Consumers aren't stupid, ya know...
Heck whenever Nintendo gets around to releasing the first DLC pack for Smash Bros with playable Bayonetta et al, it likely won't even fit in the 8Gb Wii-U's paltry flash memory. Remember, only ~3Gb of that thing is allocated to downloads and save data. By comparison, the 32Gb model has ~27Gb allocated to user data/downloads, so you could argue the Deluxe edition holds 9x the storage, not 4x...
@Quorthon They have to sell somehow what has already been produced.
@StarDust4Ever - "Pay $50 more; ... included at no extra cost. Consumers aren't stupid, ya know..."
Sorry, couldn't resist
I do agree though, 27GB vs 3GB is what should be advertised, b/c that does make all the difference. Like you said, it's 9x more, not 4x more, and even 8GB would be a lot more usable than 3GB.
Fyi this bundle has been on Amazon UK for the last month for pre-order.
Any word about this coming to Portugal too? Since 2009, both countries share the same Nintendo management and distribution teams, so I'd expect it to be likely to hit our shelves as well.
@jariw - Is there anything you don't know?
Oh, and never pass up the opportunity to misquote something from the 12 Days of Christmas.
12 hard to find amiibo
11 eShop cards
10 million Wii U sales (by the Epiphany maybe, call me)
9
8 player Smash
7 SSBU control options
6 menu home screens (which still don't have themes)
5 player asynchronous gameplay
4 Gamecube controllers
3 DS
2 Bayonettas
1 Wii U
Speaking of sales... how many millions did the game sell by now? I can't find the numbers anywhere lol.
@rjejr for number 10 add this:
10 million plus sales
@TheGreatBrawler - Good one (think Wii U has hit thattyet?). I got distracted, was meaning to fill in the rest of the list.
@rjejr: 7 controller options for Smash U
8gb is not bad at all, I bought it at times of Mario Kart 8, attached 32gb usb stick and I'm super happy. Was much cheaper and in a good bundle. I just wish the console was black, as it looks better.
@Ryno - There you are. 2 new Wii Mini boxes back on the store shelf at Target so we're not done yet. No dust so I know they arne't the old 2 which disappeared weeks ago.
Funny thing, I might buy an obsolete PS3 for my bedroom (PS TV is never getting Netflix or much else apparently) so I may need to stop making fun of these.
@rjejr
i just added a 180 bucks PS3. with 12GB to my bedroom for a little bit of Netflix and Bluraying (and a bit of car racing gaming when the miss is not around!!).
In Japan, they discontinued the 8GB models when the Mario Kart 8 bundle was released there.
Love the box!
Everyone who is saying "pay $50 more for a deluxe model" should keep in mind that you have to spend a certain amount for an external hard drive making this a smarter decision
People in Spain can afford a Wii U? I thought Spain's economy was crashing so hard they are headed for bankruptcy.
@ikki5 Portugal went bankrupt in 2011 and I still could afford a Wii U. It's not like a bankrupcy means your bank accounts are reset to zero and the middle, upper classes vanish into thin air, you know. Countries are eternal in nature and go bankrupt all the time; you go bankrupt, you make a deal with the international creditors, you cut budgets and endure austerity for a while, and then you're back out of the woods.
@Samurai_Goroh yes I know but usually when a country has a crashing economy going into bankruptcy, the unemployment rate is crazy high because companies just don't have money to pay for their employees so therefore, they don't hire as many due to the falling economy. No jobs usually means people don't have money to buy stuff or buy the luxuries.
@rjejr You made me sing that whole thing, only for it not to go together at all. If you're going to do that, please make it work...
@ikki5
Well, EU (tries) to save its own, since cannot really let one country crash... (cough Greece cough ). I think every western economy was hit 2009-2011 for what started from US.
Anyways, about the bundles. Buy 8GB and external. Buy 32 and external anyways, if you are going to download anything bigger from eShop
@sillygostly what are you talking about? It is EXACTLY 2 weeks before Christmas...
@LordOfGamez You don't need the 32 GB. If you are going to be buying from the eShop, you are gonna need an external hard drive regardless. The Deluxe Digital Promotion ends this year in just 21 days so there's no longer a big reason to get the 32 GB over the 8 GB one (the missing accessories can be had for $6 directly from Nintendo)
@DGGames : The bundle is being released on 23rd December. Two DAYS before Christmas, which is much too late to buy as a gift.
@Sonicman - It's a group effort work in progress. I'll have it following the melody by Jan 6. My apologies though.
@maceng - Thanks. That actually makes me feel less crazy. I'm looking at the $200 Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel bundle b/c that game goes for $75 (I've been on the fence about buying the game for $50) which makes a PS3 bluray player streaming device seem economical in my bedroom compared to a Fire TV or Roku 3.
Just recently I bought a jail broken PS3 for like 200 bucks. It can be a nifty little multimedia device to play movies, blurays, emulators and the handful of PS3 bootlegged games I'd like to play. Sometimes it pays to wait. Had I got one at launch back in '07 I'd have paid 1000 bucks for that and 100 bucks for each non bootlegged game. Even though a I got a PS3 on the cheap I still feel like my wiiU is better value.
And people said the Basic bundle would'nt be made anymore...
Either way: If you buy it, make sure you also buy a harddrive. Updates incoming (only 1 so far, but more may come)!
This pack is getting rare!
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