After having admitted that releasing two new Wii U SKUs alongside each other was a mistake, Nintendo may be rectifying this mistake shortly after E3. According to reports from various GameStop employees, stores have received instructions to return all unsold 8GB Wii U Basic units to Nintendo.
“Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall – Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stores will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall.”
This doesn’t seem too far-fetched, since Nintendo has publicly acknowledged that the Wii U Basic SKU just isn’t selling like the company had hoped. This will likely pave the way for the 32GB deluxe model to drop in price down to $299, with a white 32GB deluxe replacing the white 8GB basic. Of course, there’s no confirmation on that but we expect Nintendo to offer a few hearty bundles this fall, perhaps with the new Mario Kart, Smash Bros., or the new 3D Mario game that will be unveiled at E3.