Wii U coming November 18, say reports

Correspondence received by WiiUDaily and IGN indicates that Nintendo's Wii U home console is heading for a mid-November debut.

The console is designed to work with old Wii games and controllers as well as software designed for the Wii U's new tablet-style interface.

WiiUDaily's leaked launch date is supposed to have come by way of Japanese retail store Media Land, with an internal memo detailing a Sunday, November 18 launch in North America and November 25 debut for Japan.

IGN's information claims to hail from a GameStop Regional Manager, and again pegs the Wii U for a November 18 release in North America at least.

The date ties in with previous North American launches for the Wii (November 19, 2006) and GameCube (November 18, 2001). Though the Wii U's European plans are not mentioned, the regional launch for the Wii began December 8, 2006.

Nintendo formally confirmed the Wii U at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2011 and is expected to lay out plans for its 2012 release at this year's event.

Rumors are already starting to fly about Microsoft and Sony's rival consoles, thought likely to arrive in 2013, though the two manufacturers may prefer to push the hands-free Kinect and portable Vita during this year's presentations.

IGN story: wii.ign.com/articles/122/1222235p1.html
WiiUDaily story: wiiudaily.com/2012/04/wii-u-launch-date-set-for-november-18-2012-report