In just two days 3DS XL has sold 192,000 units in Japan, and New Super Mario Bros 2 has sold 431,000 units.

The launch of the 3DS XL was expected by many to be a re-launch of the 3ds brand, and these figures seem to justify those claims, in Japan at least. Comparatively the original 3DS sold 374,000 when it was released last year.

Though still struggling in other territories, the 3DS has really found its footing in Japan. The 3DS XL sold more units in its first two days than the PSVita has sold in the last two months in Japan.

The system launched in Europe last weekend, and will hit the USA on 19th August.

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European gaming retailer GAME, has begun taking pre-orders for the Wii U, and they claim the system will be launching in both white and black.

Along with the price, release date and launch line-up, Nintendo has yet to announce what colour the Wii U will launch in. Until Nintendo revealed the sexy black Wii U at this year’s E3, it was assumed the console would launch in white, like the original Wii.

Many online retailers have both the black and white versions listed on their sites, even though Nintendo themselves have not officially stated that both colours will be available at launch. But now a French GAME outlet has said that they have received a document from Nintendo that told them both colours will be sold at launch, and have begun taking pre-orders for both.

We may have to wait a couple more months before Nintendo actually confirms this, but for now the chances of seeing a black Wii U at launch are looking pretty high.

Source: NeoGAF

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In a recent episode of Invisible Walls on GameTrailers.com, editor-in-chief Shane Satterfield said he has heard from various sources that the launch price for Wii U will be $299 (£189). The team were discussing what they will be spending their money on over the christmas period this year, and needed to give an estimated price for Wii U for the purposes of the game:

“We’re going to assume that the Wii U will cost $299, and I’ve heard through certain channels that that is likely going to be the price of the system.”

In the same show Satterfield listed the games he would want to purchase for Wii U, among the list was Assassin’s Creed III which he said that having seen all three versions, the Wii U version looked the best. But there was also another unannounced game he would consider, that he couldn’t talk about:

“There’s another game that might make launch that hasn’t been announced yet, that maybe I would buy for it. But I cant really mention that.”

This isn’t the first time Shane Satterfield has spoken of this mysterious unnanounced Wii U game. Shortly after E3 this year he tweeted that there was a game he’d seen before the show, that he was suprised wasn’t announced there.

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For the last year Nintendo has, and continues to be, very secretive about details regarding the release of their new system. We still don’t know the release date, the launch line-up, or the price.

An analyst from EEDAR, Jesse Divnich, has said that he reckons Nintendo will announce the price for the Wii U in September, and that the reason they are being so secretive is because they anticipate Sony and Microsoft to drop the prices of their systems by the end of the year.

“I would expect Nintendo to make some form of an official announcement in September, likely around (but not at) the Tokyo Game Show.”

“Nintendo didn’t release any information regarding pricing or unit expectations, it is tough to pinpoint any type of expectation when Nintendo themselves are being incredibly vague about it. Considering the potential for PS3/Xbox 360 price cuts this holiday, it is understandable that they are keeping their cards close to the chest.”

At the moment Nintendo is attempting to focus attention primarily on the launch of the 3DS XL. With this in mind we may not hear a lot regarding the Wii U during August, so some kind of Wii U event in September is likely.

Source: NowGamer

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Back in May the chances of a Wii U version of Crysis 3 looked very slim after it’s creative director told Destructoid, “Not a chance, it’s not going to be possible.”

Now, in an interview with CVG, the game’s producer said they have been working with Nintendo, and that a release of Crysis 3 on Wii U is not out of the question.

“I wouldn’t say no chance. I mean the Wii U still doesn’t have any kind of release [date] attached to it at this point. Who knows what the future will bring with it. I can definitely say that we are working with Nintendo, and that’s about all I can say on that front.

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but there has really been no official releases associated with the Wii U yet, and given that we’re releasing Crysis in an eight month time period in February of 2013, we can’t play off of what their schedules are. I wouldn’t rule it out, but you know, it is a possibility.”

Source: CVG

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In an interview with NintendoGamer, ZombiU’s producer Guillaume Brunier, provided some new information on what players can expect from the game’s story, and it’s post-apocalyptic London setting.

The game’s story is being penned by award-winning comic book writer Antony Johnston who wrote for Dead Space, and Dead Space: Extraction, and it promises to take full advantage of the city’s dark and grisly past.

ZombiU delivers a rich storyline around the Last Great Plague of London and dark conspiracies surrounding it. It’s a thriller, written by award-winning writers, which uniquely exploits the zombie and apocalypse genres in a city that abounds with grisly history and bloody tales. Also, the Wii U is a perfect fit for the Survival Horror genre, promising an amazingly immersive experience, exclusive to the Wii U.

Speaking about the game’s London based setting, the developers said that rather than create a one-to-one likeness of the city, they are aiming for a more fantastical yet credible apocalyptic setting.

The player will explore day-to-day London filled with cosmopolitan urban-dwellers, from its typical brick neighbourhoods to its palaces with all the royal strappings. London is a city of contrast and history and the player will explore locations like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, a medieval tower smack in the middle of the modern city. Each of the maps has its own particularities, which we’ll let players discover for themselves. However, ZombiU does not present a one-to-one visual representation of London: it’s a credible, creepy, apocalyptic vision of this great city.

Source: NintendoGamer

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The news that Nintendo’s first party launch games for Wi U would run at 720p was disappointing for Nintendo fans who hoped the system’s power would mean that the majority of  its games would run at full HD, unlike PS3 and Xbox 360.

But this may not be the case for some of Wii U’s third party games.

At a Wii U Experience event in Chicago, a Nintendo rep stated that the Wii U versions of both Assassin’s Creed III and Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition would run at 1080p when they release with the system at launch.

Considering Assassin’s Creed III is already pushing the very limits of current gen hardware, the fact that Wii U can pull off those visuals at 1080p at launch is great news for those who were concerned about the capabilities of Nintendo’s new system.

Source: WiiUGamers.com

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