What to expect from Nintendo's Wii U

The Wii U will also be backwards compatible, meaning all previous Wii games will be playable on it.

Price

For a lot of people thinking about purchasing the Wii U this holiday season, one of the deciding factors will undoubtedly be its cost. Early estimates suggested a consumer-friendly $250 (like the Wii six years ago). Recent rumors, though, have been claiming the Wii U will likely be more in the $400 to $450 price range — still cheaper than the PlayStation 3 when it launched, but considerably more than some buyers might be willing to pay.

Of course, the steeper price tag makes sense given the additional costs associated with the touchscreen-equipped GamePad — itself a standalone device capable of HD graphics. In an interview with London’s Telegraph newspaper earlier this month, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that plans for the GamePad were nearly scrapped during Wii U development because of how much the company feared it might end up costing consumers.

Unfortunately, along with a specific launch date, the new console’s price tag is being kept a secret for now. With release sometime in the next six months, more information should become available in the very near future.

A native of Utah Valley and a devoted cinephile, Jeff is currently studying humanities and history at Brigham Young University.