Wii U launches in Japan on December 8th, Basic and Premium set announced

Satoru Iwata has now finished his Japanese Nintendo Direct and given us the information we’ve all been waiting for, well the Japanese information but it’s still a good to know what’s going on.

The Wii U will be go on sale in Japan on December 8th, a Saturday. It will come in two bundles, the Basic edition (white) and the Premium edition (black).

The Basic Bundle will cost 26,250 yen and the Premium bundle will cost 31,500 yen . The Premium console is in black and comes with 32GB of onboard space compared to 8GB of the basic one in white. Nintendo also announced the pricing for a buying separate Wii U GamePad and other accessories such as stands. Complete listings of those prices will be below as well as their Australia conversions, keep in mind that these conversions never work out 1:1 so wait until tonight for total confirmation.

For a limited time the Premium edition will be called the Nintendo Network Edition and Nintendo hopes you’ll buy a lot of stuff of the eShop with it. Until the end of 2014 you’ll get 10% of the price of a bought game back to use on another eShop title. You’ll also get controller stands if you buy the Premium bundle.

Wii accessories are not included with the Wii U, you can buy a Wii Remote , Nunchuck and sensor bar separately for 5250 yen.

This post will update.

Pricing and Dates Rundown

Wii U Release Date for Japan: Saturday 8th December.

Premium Bundle

-Black
-32 GB SSD
-includes Nintendo Premium
-Wii U Console
-Wii U Gamepad
-Wii U AC Adapter
-Wii U Gamepad AC Adapter
-HDMI Cable
-Wii U Console Stand
-Wii U Gamepad Charging Dock
-Wii U Gamepad Stand

Includes:  Nintendo Network Premium loyalty program, Get 10% on your purchases on the eShop to use again. (limited time only)

Costs: 31,500 yen ($386AUD)

Basic Bundle

-White
-8 GB SSD
-Wii U Console
-Wii U Gamepad
-Wii U AC Adapter
-Wii U Gamepad AC Adapter
-HDMI Cable

Costs:  26,250 yen ($322AUD)

Keep in mind that the Wii was 25,000 Yen and it came out here for $399. The Japanese Yen is also very weak right now, Wait until tonight for official pricing.

Wii U GamePad: 13,440 yen ($164)
Wii U Pro Controller (white and black): 5040 yen ($61)
Wii U GamePad Charging Stand: 1,870 yen