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Nintendo airs Wii U advert: shows "How U Will Play Next"

Nintendo has started the ad campaign in the run-up to the launch on 30 November.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The Wii U launches in the UK on 30 November, and Nintendo has started the advertising blitz.

The first advert is only on YouTube and Facebook so far, although it will get a TV spot at some point, AllThingsD reports. The ad is for the US launch, which happens on 18 November, but shows us what to expect.

The tagline is "How U Will Play Next". See what they did there? It runs just over a minute, and features Nintendo's target audience: children and families. We see the tablet control being used to watch Netflix, play games, and sing karaoke, implying that it's very much aimed at party gaming, much as the Wii was.

Hit play on the video to take a closer look.

We were recently able to examine the Wii U's innards, thanks to a teardown by Nintendo. Inside is a multi-core chip (a first for a Nintendo console) so it should be super speedy. You can pre-order the console now, with prices starting at £250 for the 'Basic White' console pack, and going up to £350 for the 'Premium Black' console pack with an extra game and a Pro controller.

It's the only console from a major player launching this Christmas, though success is far from guaranteed. My esteemed colleague Luke Westaway has some reservations, for one. The Wii suffered from a lack of third-party support, and Luke fears the same will be true of the Wii U. In his hands-on, the controls also felt less sensitive than those on a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

And he's not the only sceptic. In our reader poll, you let us know you weren't too excited by the prospect of more mini games.

Nintendo posted its first ever loss in April, so it's a crucial time for the company. Will gamers still want to gather round the telly come Christmas morning? Or has the casual games market been eaten by mobile app stores? Let me know what you reckon in the comments below, or over on Facebook.