Wii U Launch Delayed For Europe, Pushed Back to December

Nintendo has run into manufacturing problems and will soon push back the release date of its upcoming Wii U console in Europe. According to a Computer and Video Games (CVG) report, Europe will see the console launch in early December, rather than its original late November launch date.

CVG cites “people familiar with the situation,” who state that the manufacturing delays have been caused by the new Wii U GamePad. The final design for the Wii U GamePad was only revealed back in June. CVG’s sources also stated that the delay is only for Europe because Nintendo wants to release its new console in the U.S. before Thanksgiving (and presumably Black Friday). Nintendo has made no official statement on the matter.

Manufacturing delays of new consoles are common at launch. Nintendo’s original Wii console was hard to find in stores throughout the U.S. for months after its launch. Nintendo’s manufacturing processes were not fast enough to keep up with the consumer demand for the console. Gamers can only hope that the Wii U delay will improve the overall quality of the final product.

Nintendo’s Wii U is the first new console of the next console generation. Aging consoles and a glut of game sequels are beginning to take a toll on the gaming industry. NPD market research just today revealed that retail sales of video games are down 20% compared to July 2011. A Microsoft job-posting this week showed that the next-generation Xbox console will be released within the next 18 months, and Sony will certainly have the PlayStation 4 out in a similar time frame.

(via CVG)