Wii U launch ‘marks a beginning,’ says Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime

The Wii U is set to launch Nov. 18, marking the biggest release from Nintendo since the company introduced the motion-gaming console, the Wii.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said that this launch “marks a beginning” for the company.

“As we prepare for this launch, I think it’s really important to recognize where we are as well as to look to the future,” he said.

Ahead of the launch, Nintendo reported that stores had pre-sold all the stock set aside for reserve on the first day. Fils-Aime said that stores across the country would have midnight releases for the console — including the Toys R Us in Times Square — and continuing with heavy promotion throughout the week. Nintendo has prepared for this launch to be bigger than the Wii’s 2006 debut.

Fils-Aime touted the Wii U’s unique features, specifically the GamePad tablet controller that acts as a second screen for games, video and television viewing.

“[This is] the launch of a very innovative system, a system that will marry new ways to play games, new ways to interact with gaming friends and new ways to engage with a broad range of entertainment,” he said.

The list of launch titles indicates that Nintendo is focusing not only on the family audience but also going after more serious gamers.

“Nintendo prides itself on being a mass-market gaming company. When we talk about our target audience, we say things like ages 5 to 95, male and female,” Fils-Aime said. Offering “Mass Effect 3,” “Call of Duty” or “ZombiU” in addition to classic Mario titles and party games such as “NintendoLand” helps to broaden the console’s reach, he said.

The ability to transfer on-screen action to the tablet controller and vice-versa also makes the Wii U a console that can fit easily into any family situation, he said.

In fact, the device is very focused on getting groups of people together. Some games for the Wii U can support up to five players at a time — with four people using Wii remotes and one person directing some other part of the game on the tablet.

Nintendo, he said, “has built a legacy in side-by-side play. ...We think there is something inherently magical about people playing together but having completely different experiences.” The company has also started something called off-TV play, which lets users play full games directly on the tablet and leave the television open for other use.

The Wii U is also designed to be used for watching regular television and online video. The television interaction component, Nintendo TVii, will launch in December. It allows users to send messages through Facebook, Twitter and Nintendo’s own Miiverse social network while watching their favorite programs — building off of the trend of people using their smartphones or tablets to comment on programs as they happen.

The GamePad also works on its own as a television remote, so people can use it to control the volume and channels on their existing televisions.

“We want every consumer in the household to pick up the GamePad at least once a day,” Fils-Aime said.