Wii U Launch No Time Soon: Hardware Finalizing June 2012

Nintendo has warned that gamers shouldn't expect to see the Wii U any time soon, with president Satoru Iwata confirming that the final version of the next-gen console isn't expected to go on show until E3 in June next year. "Based on the bitter experiences we have had with the Nintendo 3DS, we are making every effort to prepare so that the Wii U will not stumble during its launch" Iwata said following the company's dreary last-quarter financial results.

The assumption is that the Wii U will get a post-Summer release, ahead of the all-important 2012 holiday shopping season. Nintendo needs to get the console into as many markets as possible, to replace the aging Wii and prevent its current hardware line-up from looking increasingly dowdy in comparison to rival devices from Sony and Microsoft.

As for holiday 2011, Iwata has said he is hopeful that a strong portfolio of new 3DS games will rescue the company's finances, as well as help offset the dramatic price cuts applied to the 3DS console itself. The Wii U, meanwhile, has a unique tablet-style wireless controller that can react to motion control like the current Wiimote, as well as input on its full-color touchscreen.

More on the Nintendo Wii U in our hands-on report from E3 2011.

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[via PC World]