Nintendo didn’t reveal any price points for Wii U software or accessories during their press conference yesterday. After the event concluded though that information was eventually announced, along with some disappointing news for gamers hoping to pick up two GamePad controllers at launch.
Considering that the Wii U represents Nintendo’s jump into HD, it is not surprising to learn that their software prices made the jump as well. The company confirmed to Kotaku the console’s games will carry a $10 premium over Wii titles, and will cost $59.99 at retail.
As for extra controllers, the Wii U Pro Controller will cost $49.99 and will be available when the console launches on November 18th. Shockingly, it will also be the only additional controller (aside from the Wiimote) that consumers will be able to purchase at launch. Despite the fact that Japanese gamers will be able to purchase a second GamePad on day one, for approximately $173, the option does not exist for North America gamers.
Speaking to Polygon, Nintendo product marketing manager Bill Trinen explained the decision, saying:
“None of the launch-window titles support dual GamePad play. As a result we won’t be selling the GamePad as a separate accessory. It will be released once the content is there to support it. Our anticipation is that there will be (games that support it) some time next year.”
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime also spoke a little about the company’s decision to limit the Wii U‘s internal memory to just 32GB in the Premium Pack, explaining that it will benefit the consumer with cheaper memory options in the future.
“You can plug in a full-on three terabyte hard drive if you want. I’ll love you as a digital consumer… The reason we did it that way is that the cost of that type of storage memory is plummeting. What we didn’t want to do is tie a profit model to something that’s gonna rapidly decline over time. We’ll let the consumer buy as much as they want, as cheaply as they want,”
