Nintendo's upcoming Wii U gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the company said Thursday.
A "deluxe" version will sell for $350. It will be black instead of white and include extra features such as more memory, a charging stand and the game "Nintendo Land."
The Wii U systems also will include a new built-in Nintendo TVii service that consolidates a household's TV programming options onto the GamePad's 6.2-inch touchscreen display.
"For us, it was a natural extension of what we have seen with our relationship with Netflix," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president. "Having the integrated second screen really created the opportunity for us to disrupt this entertainment space the way we've disrupted the gaming space."
Nintendo expects to have 50 games including New Super Mario Bros. U and Wii Fit U available between the system's Nov. 18 launch and the end of March 2013.
The new Wii U pairs a more powerful high-definition console system with the new GamePad controller, which sports two joysticks and traditional buttons, along with a built-in gyroscope, accelerometer and camera.
The Wii U launch should help kickstart lagging sales of video game systems and games, he says. The $17 billion console game industry has seen nine straight months of sales declines, according to market tracking firm The NPD Group.
Nintendo has sold 96 million units of the Wii U's predecessor since its debut in 2006. While its video quality did not match that of high-def competitors PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, the Wii was the first to truly bring motion gaming to consoles. Since then, the Xbox 360 and PS3 have added motion controllers.
Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops II will let two play the game cooperatively or competitively with one using the GamePad and another watching on the TV screen.
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