Wii U Coming After April 1, Nintendo Chief Says

The Wii U, Nintendo's upcoming video game console, will launch after April 1 next year and won't be a hard sell, according to Reggie Fils-Aime, president and CEO of Nintendo of America.

In an interview with Forbes, Fils-Aime discussed Nintendo's Wii U, a new gaming platform that adds a small screen to a controller that can interact with the larger TV screen or be used as a handheld device.

Nintendo announced the new console at E3 in June, but did not reveal a launch date other than announcing it would be available "in 2012." The company also made headlines for using PS3 and Xbox footage during the presentation.

During the Forbes interview, however, Fils-Aime said the Wii U will allow games to leverage two different screens, but will not be a standalone device, as it's powered by the Wii console, and should not be considered a tablet.

Although the company features 3D on its 3DS, the Wii U will not offer 3D—yet. Fils-Aime told Forbes that the key to the 3DS's success is that it doesn't require glasses and Nintendo doesn't see that technology coming to consoles in the near future. He also revealed that, theoretically, if you're connected to Netflix on your Wii, you could watch Netflix on the controller.

Wii software will be backward-compatible with the Wii U, and the developer who created Smash Brothers even envisions a cross-platform, Smash Brothers experience between Wii U and 3DS, said Fils-Aime.

There will not be too much overlap between the new console, the original Wii, and other Nintendo products because the Wii U will offer a new type of gaming experience, he continued. Fils-Aime doesn't think the Wii U will be a hard sell, claiming the two-screen experience is the future.

While Sony hasn't announced its next-generation console yet, the "PS4" or "PlayStation 4" will also ship in 2012, according to a Tuesday report from DigiTimes.

For more, see PCMag's hands on with the Wii U and the slideshow below.