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Iconic Japanese consumer electronics company Nintendo is aiming to turn its recent bad luck around during the Christmas season with the launch of its new gaming system, the Wii U.
Although, the name Nintendo can be roughly translated from Japanese to English as ‘leave luck to heaven’, the company has taken fate into its own hands by trying to win back customers who have turned to iPads and other tablet devices for their casual gaming needs.
The Wii U – which was recently launched in the US ahead of other markets – comes with a touch-screen tablet-like controller.
Although it is a follow-up to the Wii, the screen embedded in its controller has led to it being mistaken for a portable gaming system.
The company has stressed that even though you can play Wii U games on the controller’s screen instead of on a television, it is not a handheld game console like the DS.
The Wii U offers new control mechanisms – in some games drawing a line on-screen makes the character follow a matching path, in another it simulates a bow and arrow.
Although Nintendo has sizeable cash reserves, the firm posted its first annual net loss in April. Its deficit totalled 71.1 billion yen ($875 million) running to the beginning of October.
The new console, which is being launched worldwide in a matter of weeks, may put further strain on its finances as the firm is selling the Wii U for a lower price than it costs to make and market.
The base model comes in white, has an 8GB hard drive and costs $299.99 (BD113). The ‘Deluxe’ model is black, comes with a 32GB hard drive, a copy of Nintendo Land and will cost $349.99 (BD132).
