Wii U Release Date Leaked: Nintendo Console Coming This November [REPORT]

The Nintendo Wii U will become available on Nov. 18, according to a leaked memo from Media Land, a popular Japanese video game retailer. The revolutionary new dual-screen home-gaming system will be available on that date in North America and a week later in Japan, per the rumor. The relevant email contained no information regarding when the new console will be available in Europe.

The rumor was leaked by WiiUDaily, which managed to get its hands on a memo sent to Media Land confirming the release date.

Although this is an unsubstantiated rumor, it makes sense when you consider Nintendo's release-date history. The Wii was released on Nov. 19, 2006, a Sunday. The purported launch date for the Wii U is also a Sunday, and just a day from matching the Wii U's release date exactly. Nintendo had also previously announced that the Wii U would go on sale by the end of this year. Of course, until Nintendo makes its official announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, this is all just speculation.

Sources close to Nintendo have revealed that the new home-gaming console will cost about $180 to manufacture, but the system may cost as much as twice that price for Nintendo's consumers, according to Forget The Box. This price will include the cost of the system's tablet-style controller, which costs $50 to manufacture. The same source also revealed Nintendo is assessing the market in general to decide on a final price, which will likely be at least $300.

Cutting production costs to maximize profits is Nintendo's main concern with the Wii U, the source said. They are cutting costs in the Wii U's hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition.

Nintendo has announced the Wii U is a deliberate effort to shift its direction and appeal to so-called hard-core gamers who have long preferred game titles unavailable on the Wii, while still drawing in families with its stable of game franchises around popular characters like Mario and Link.

The company's new system will put more emphasis on selling games online to compete with other consoles while keeping its own production costs down.

There is a bigger focus on downloadable content, applications, video content, digital distribution, and services to create a stream of revenue, the source told Forget the Box. Investors will be ecstatic with the news.