Wii U releasing after April 2012, says Nintendo

Wii U will not release in time for the first quarter of 2012, according to Nintendo.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime narrowed down the Wii U's launch window on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, stating that the system will not release until after April 2012.

Nintendo systems have historically been released during the first or fourth quarter of a year, between the months of November and March. The few exceptions would be the June release of the Nintendo DS Lite and the late May arrival of the GameCube in Europe.

Such a precedent, and the opportunity for Nintendo to demonstrate a tangible launch lineup at E3 2012, makes a holiday season 2012 release date likely for the Wii U.

The Wii U controller features a six-inch touch screen, traditional buttons, a camera, microphone, stereo speakers, gyroscope and an accelerometer. Up to four Wii remotes can also be used with each Wii U system.

The system is rumoured to be 50% more powerful than current generation systems such as the PS3 and Xbox 360.

> Read our hands-on impressions of the Wii U at E3 2011