Wii U Preview U.S. Live Blog Recap

9:55am

5 minutes til start, showing the people at the event.

10:00am

About to get underway.

10:03am

Reggie taking stage, video not working on live stream ATM.

10:05am

Video working again, launch date: 11/18/12 as many predicted.

10:06am

2 SKUs in U.S., Basic Set includes console, GamePad, AC adapter for each, HDMI cable, and sensor bar, 8 GB, all white; Deluxe Set includes everything in Basic Set, 32 GB, GamePad Charging Cradle, Stands for GamePad and console, includes Nintendo Land as a pack-in game, also includes Deluxe Digital Promotion (receive points for downloads, can be use for future digital content).

10:07am

No original Wii accessories included with either SKU.

10:08am

Wii Remote and Nunchuck branded with Wii U name will be sold separately.

10:09am

Prices - Basic - $299.99; Deluxe $349.99

10:10am

Discussing Nintendo Land, Metroid part re-confirmed for Nintendo Land, Bill Trinen and another guy taking stage to demo Nintendo Land more.

10:12am

Demoing Metroid Blast, co-op missions called Mission Assault, GamePad controls ship, Wiimote controls Miis.

10:15am

Still showing Metroid Blast gameplay.

10:16am

Will have 2 additional modes, Ground VS Air and Free-For-All Ground Only Multiplayer.

10:16am

Chase Mii renamed Mario Chase? Balloon Trip Breeze mentioned.

10:17am

Pikmin Adventure for Nintendo Land confirmed. Showing New Super Mario Bros. U footage now.

10:18am

Re-confirmed world map, Boost Rush mode, complete scrolling levels as quickly as you can.

10:19am

New mode: Challenges, complete level in certain time, without touching ground, etc. (previously speculated as being Achievements), will integrate with Miiverse. Now discussing Lego City Undercover.

10:20am

Special Lego figure pre-order bonus for the game (limited supply).

10:21am

Reggie back on stage. Nintendo TVii announced (entertainment feature for Wii U).

10:23am

Video preview of Nintendo TVii showing. Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix all shown. Tivo DVR feature. This includes the previously announced TV remote feature.

10:26am

Zach Fountain & Reggie to discuss Nintendo TVii. Showing Nintendo TVii, all on GamePad, Favorites, TV, Movies, Sports, Search, personalized experience based on Miis.

10:28am

Showing TV channel, Popular, Live, Recommended, Channels, & Grid (Schedule?). Show tabs: Episodes, Show Info, Cast, IMDB, & Wikipedia

10:29am

4 icons, set favorite, recording, see friends who have favorited the show, send personal recommendation. Touch episode to watch, different available viewing options.

10:30am

Movies: Similar to TV channel. Can access reviews & trailers for movies. Touch movie to watch, shows available sources.

10:31am

Sports channel, shows scoreboards. Football, Baseball, Basketball, favorite teams shown first.

10:32am

Search: Pretty basic search option.

10:33am

Favorites, shows what's on now, what's on DVR, etc. Can view other Miis' favorites, combined favorites, people can opt-out of the "family" setting.

10:34am

Showing clip from Modern Family (shown on TV), interactive options on GamePad.

10:35am

Back to Sports channel. See scores, stats, moments (same as regular TV), etc. on GamePad.

10:37am

Stream froze on me.

10:38am

Reggie alone now, talking about Wii U in general. Nintendo TVii will be demo'd at the event. Platinum Games video showing.

10:39am

Bayonetta 2 confirmed for Wii U. Wii U exclusive, published by Nintendo. New video for other Platinum title showing, final name: The Wonderful 101.

10:41am

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for Wii U & 3DS coming out March 2013, Wii U online multiplayer & co-op.

10:42am

Activision's Eric Hirshberg joins the stage.

10:43am

Activision trailer: Skylanders Giants, ABC Wipeout 3, James Bond 007 Legends, & TransFormers Prime

10:47am

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, confirmed for Wii U (as opposed to previously rumored).

10:49am

Live demo of COD BO2, Singapore map, playing against AI bots.

10:50am

Drones/Vehicles playable.

10:51am

Wiimote/Nunchuck, Wii U Pro Controller, Wii U GamePad all compatible.

10:52am

No split screen, full screen on TV & GamePad.

10:53am

Stream froze again. Reggie back on stage.

10:54am

COD BO 2 playable at event. No confirmation of launch day games yet (sigh).

10:58am

Browser crashed near the end. I really find it hard to believe that they STILL have not announced what games will be available on launch day. The release date is only 3 months away and yet we don't know what games we can buy at launch? That doesn't make sense. Hopefully they'll do another event in the near future to talk about them. And that's the end of the live stream. Event attendees will have playable demos of some of the games shown. Look for info on those later today.

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