Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Nintendo Switch 2 sitting in centre with Steam Deck OLED above on left, Anbernic RG Cube aboveon right, Anbernic RG28XX directly left, Modretro Chromatic on right, and MSI Claw 8 AI+ below on woodgrain desk.
Handhelds Best gaming handheld 2026: I'd hit these portable PCs and emulation consoles first
A picture of a Nintendo 3DS console next to several of the best 3DS games and Nintendo cards.
Games The 25 best Nintendo 3DS games of all time
Aaron Paul's character Robert Robertson in Dispatch, stood holding a dog in an elevator filled with strange superheroes
Adventure Games After superhero hit Dispatch arrives on Switch with mandatory censorship, Nintendo says don't blame us
The 50 Most Iconic Video Game Characters
Games The 50 most iconic video game characters of all time
Best Switch 2 games: Images of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Cyberpunk 2077, and Kirby Air Riders.
Games The 20 best Switch 2 games to play in 2026
Elden Ring
Events & Conferences Nintendo Direct is back this week with a Partner Showcase where delayed Elden Ring Switch 2 port could finally reemerge
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream won't allow Mii and item sharing or any real online functionality at all
The Nintendo Switch 2 / Switch Virtual Boy accessory shown in its reveal trailer.
Hardware Just 10 minutes with Switch 2's Virtual Boy relaunch made me realize I've been underestimating it this whole time
Nintendo Switch 2 homescreen showing on the console on a wooden desk
Nintendo Switch 2 Everything we know about Nintendo Switch 2
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Games The 25 best GameCube games of all time
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Puzzle Games Best local multiplayer Switch games to play in 2026
samus looking at the camera in her armor with her helmet on
Metroid Nintendo doesn’t think Metroid Prime 4 sales are worth mentioning in new financial report
Hand holding N64 controller and 8Bitdo controller with Analogue 3D in backdrop with Donkey Kong 64 cartridge inserted.
Retro You can now use Nintendo's N64 Switch online controller with the Analogue 3D, but I've got a few better options worth looking at
A twitterpated character blushes at the camera in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games Nintendo fulfills a 12-year-old promise by bringing non-binary characters and queer relationships to Tomodachi Life
The best Nintendo Switch Games with the Nintendo Switch console overlaid.
Nintendo The 25 best Nintendo Switch games to play right now
Trending
  • Fallout season 2 ending explained
  • New Games for 2026
  • Big in 2026
  • The Forge codes
  1. Games
  2. Wii U

Wii U: 10 best pictures from the Japanese launch presentation

Features
By Matt Cundy published 13 September 2012

Did you miss it? Never mind, here are some highlights

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Did you get up early/stay up late to watch the Japanese Wii U launch presentation? You didnt? Never mind unless youre fluent in the language it wouldnt have made a whole lot of sense anyway. Lucky for you, were here to bring you right up to speed with everything you need to know via the medium of the 10 best pictures from the showcase. Or, to be more specific, here are 10 images with stupid captions. Enjoy.

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12

This is the very start of the presentation before Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been switched on.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12

Now completely active, Iwata compares the size of the Wii U GamePad with his head. Result: The Wii U GamePad is wider than Mr Iwatas head.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12

Here we see the actual physical dimensions of the Wii U console. Nintendo did not provide dimensions of Mr Iwatas head.

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12

Hopefully this means Nintendo is working on a new abstract 8-bit Mario game set in a minimalist Mushroom Kingdom. Or it might mean something else completely.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12

For Wii Us promotional imagery, Nintendo is updating the Wiis aspirational lifestyle models with cel-shaded drawings of people that have no face.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12

Here are more people that have no face. One of them is a woman. We could do a 'nice arse shame about the face' joke here. But we won't. We're above that.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12

We predict the promotional artwork for Nintendos next console after Wii U will just be pictures of white. Nothing else. Just a vast expanse of endless white.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12

We like this picture of Miiverse because the Darknuts are driving me crazy! comment at the top reminds us of that joke where the guy walks into the doctors with a steering wheel down his trousers and the doctor says How do you feel? and the guy with the steering wheel down his trousers says Its driving me nuts. Its a good one.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12

Our Japanese is patchy at best, but were pretty sure the bit at the bottom there says Wii U will be compatible with Xbox 360 controllers.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12

Nintendo has produced this innovative Wii U wrist-rest peripheral for gamers with weak wrists. It will be bundled with the basic Wii U console package.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12

If you worked at Nintendo and you got in late two days in a row, this is what Mr Iwata would look like when he was telling you off. We imagine him to be a sort of firm-but-fair boss.

And Mr Iwata looking like hes having a stern word at us seems like an appropriate place to stop. If youre looking for actual proper information about the Japanese Wii U launch presentation, weve got an article for that.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
CATEGORIES
Wii-u Platforms Nintendo
Matt Cundy
Matt Cundy
Social Links Navigation
I don't have the energy to really hate anything properly. Most things I think are OK or inoffensively average. I do love quite a lot of stuff as well, though.
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
GamesRadar+
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Read more
The Nintendo Switch 2 / Switch Virtual Boy accessory shown in its reveal trailer.
Just 10 minutes with Switch 2's Virtual Boy relaunch made me realize I've been underestimating it this whole time
 
 
Best Wii games: The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword screenshot.
25 Best Wii Games of All Time, Ranked
 
 
The Nintendo Switch 2 playing Donkey Kong: Bananza and surrounded by accessories on a wooden table
5 games that have defined the first year of Switch 2 (so far)
 
 
All the characters in Mario Kart World celebrating in front a Mario Kart banner
Nintendo's 2025 has been all about the hardware, but 2026 is going to be its year for games
 
 
King Boo traps players in webs in Super Mario Bros Wonder for Switch 2
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition adds some major Mario Party vibes, feeling like a worthy expansion
 
 
Talking Flower in mario wonder
New Mario merch will tell you the wrong time and can only be temporarily silenced, but it's won fans over
 
 
Latest in Games
Ashes of Creation cinematic trailer screenshot shows a character looking at a tall statue.
Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation after leadership resignation and mass layoffs
 
 
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone still feels "like an amateur" even with nearly 50 million copies sold
 
 
Marvel Rivals Season 3 Knull pressing a finger on Hela's forehead with a red spiral
Marvel Rivals owner Netease says heck no we didn't shut down our AI department or warn devs off it
 
 
GTA 6
Google's Project Genie is "not even in the same ballpark" as a real game engine according to Take-Two
 
 
World of Warcraft: Midnight
World of Warcraft Midnight is the "the fastest expansion" Blizzard has ever made, with "no sacrifices to team health"
 
 
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 protagonist sighs into his hand
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 players have killed more NPCs than there were people on Earth in the real 15th century
 
 
Latest in Features
Big in 2026
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam wants to be a tougher, smarter FPS where kills hardly matter: "We sit in a specific space where we're not COD or Battlefield, but also not military simulation"
 
 
Beast of Reincarnation screenshot which shows the protagonist engaged in close-quarters combat with three enemies
Beast of Reincarnation's battles are about "the joyful dilemma of choice", building on Pokemon battle planning expertise
 
 
Nioh 3 samurai deflects an arrow
I was going to play the Nioh 3 demo for 30 minutes – I played 5 hours, and this Soulslike is blowing me away at 120 FPS
 
 
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2's enigmatic spider web puzzle is the first thing that's gotten me genuinely excited for GTA 6
 
 
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout New Vegas was a 2010 GOTY for me, and a sequel would be perfect timing for where the TV show is heading
 
 
The Nintendo Switch 2 / Switch Virtual Boy accessory shown in its reveal trailer.
Just 10 minutes with Switch 2's Virtual Boy relaunch made me realize I've been underestimating it this whole time
 
 
  1. The Two Towers Trick-Taking Game box lying on a wooden surface
    1
    This Lord of the Rings card game is a puzzle-solving masterclass
  2. 2
    Nioh 3 review: "Brutal samurai and ninja clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this Soulslike is all demon killer, no filler"
  3. 3
    Highguard review: "A fresh but muddled FPS genre mashup that needs refinement if it's to have any staying power"
  4. 4
    This hidden role board game makes me feel like a puppet master, so Traitors fans should listen up
  5. 5
    Cairn review: "This climber has a grip on me – even when it loses its footing with awkward systems, the challenge remains surmountable"
  1. Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
    1
    Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
  2. 2
    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
  3. 3
    Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
  4. 4
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  5. 5
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  1. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
    1
    Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
  2. 2
    Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
  3. 3
    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
  4. 4
    Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
  5. 5
    Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...