Third parties will get chance to shine on Wii U today

While the rest of the world is still waiting for Wii U launch details from Nintendo, the platform holder’s Japanese arm is readying a third-party showcase for the console.

This morning, Nintendo of Japan announced its next console will arrive in the East on December 8th with two SKUs: a Basic model for 26,250 (210) and a Premium one for 31,500 (250).

The company is due to reveal US and European launch plans at 3pm UK time – less than two hours from now – but NoJ isn’t finished yet.

Nintendo will stream another Nintendo Direct video presentation of third-party games, hosted by president Satoru Iwata. This will go live at 11pm Japan time (also 3pm UK time) and will be available here.

Confirmed titles for Wii U include Assassin’s Creed III, Mass Effect 3, Darksiders II, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Batman: Arkham City – Armored Edition.

Hopefully, this afternoon will also include some surprises, such as the rumoured Wii U SKU of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, or perhaps new IP from Nintendo itself. Be sure to check back at MCVUK.com later to find out.