Kotaku is reporting a rumor that the Wii U Basic unit may be going the way of the VirtuaBoy into that rare corner of Nintendo land known as Let’s-Pretend-This-Never-Existed World.
A recent in-store flyer at Best Buy instructs employees to pull the Wii U Basic units from the shelves and send them back to home base. Gamestop went through a similar pull of these units, which Nintendo labeled as simply a “rebalance” (for redistribution, it would seem). However, the Best Buy flyer mentions to expect an influx of Deluxe units.
Best Buy is partnering with Nintendo to show off demos from games announced during E3. Before you go thinking this might somehow be related, the Best Buy website makes it clear that each store will only be using one Wii U demo station.
We will know more at E3 this week, of course, but it appears that the maligned Wii U Basic is going to be chained in the attic, never to be mentioned again. If this rumor is true, expect Nintendo to quietly sweep the unit under the rug.
The Nintendo Direct@E3 2013 Livestream begins at 7 a.m. PT on June 11.
Source: Kotaku
See below for our list of partners and affiliates: