We are now only days away from Black Friday.
But on Sunday, November 18, what may be one of the most sought after gifts this holiday season goes on sale.
It's the Wii U and Julie Rojas who works at the Best Buy in Mishawaka says, "We do expect it to be the hottest gaming system of the year."
Nintendo fan, Dylan Brattain of St. Joseph, says, "I hope to be able to have it the first day it is in stores."
The biggest change you'll find when comparing it to the original Wii is the interactive wireless touchscreen gamepad that players use to control the game. It controls not only on the gamepad's small screen but also the big screen connected to the console.
A group of ten year olds who tested out the system for us at a South Bend electronics store gave the gamepad a thumbs up.
"This has a HD screen which is really cool," said William Kepperling of North Liberty.
"So if you're playing a game on here and let's say your dad wanted to watch sports, you could just play it on here (the gamepad) on this screen right here," explained young Isaac Allen of South Bend.
For the MacKenzie family of North Liberty, the Wii U might solve the problem of who gets to control the family's big screen TV that their original Wii is hooked up to. On Sundays, the adults in the house like to watch football, which means Stuart can't play his Wii.
"Since my mom and dad like to watch football, that is better because you can keep the game going while your mom and dad are watching football," Stuart MacKenzie said.
Stuart's mom, Lisa, seems fairly impressed with the Wii U's gamepad too.
"I think it's nice they can take the console with them and it has the same level of graphics," Lisa said.
"If you want to browse the web, you can use the gamepad to browse the web as well," Rojas adds.
The old school handheld remote and nunchuk that were used as controllers on the original Wii are compatible with the new Wii U. Familiar favorite characters like Mario and Luigi will still be featured, but they'll have some new company.
More first person shooter games with mature ratings will be available for this system.
Many electronics stores did allow pre-orders of the Wii U, but the quota was hit so quickly that now you can only get on a wait list at some of those stores.
"It's gonna be on the hot list and people will be doing whatever they can to find one," Rojas predicts.
"Everybody is clamoring for it. It's probably going to be a hard to get item. Even on the wait list, people will be disappointed and will not be able to get it in time for Christmas. I don't want to make promises we can't keep," Lisa MacKenzie said of the product.
The Wii U will sell for about $300 to $350 dollars depending on the version purchased. The lower price is for the basic model and the higher price tag is for the deluxe version.
