Nintendo will host an event in New York on Thursday, Sept. 13, to show off Wii U, perhaps for the final time before the console's launch. A release date and price are expected.

Nintendo also announced that its online Nintendo Direct conference will target European customers tomorrow at 3PM GMT. Nintendo of Europe President Satoru Shibata said it will offer a "closer look" at the console, likely to announce the same news as the U.S conference. Rumors circulated suggesting that Europe and Australia will see a release delay until December due to manufacturing issues. For U.S. customers, Black Friday could be the target window for Nintendo.

Follow us

Chances are good that tomorrow's event will be similar to the Nintendo 3DS event held in New York around the handheld system's launch. Then, Nintendo offered media the chance to view and play games that would be released with the console.

Nintendo is under pressure to reveal a price and release date for Wii U, having not done so during E3 2012. It also needs to show off games that are unique to the console, and not ports like Mass Effect 3 Wii U. Fans will have played games like it and will be integrated into those platforms. However, new titles like Pikmin 3 and Project P-100 will generate excitement.

A teaser for the rumored The Legend of Zelda title would build hype, though would equally raise questions over why Nintendo needs to rely on its first-party franchises to generate excitement. Nintendo is now courting third-party developers, having failed to do so with Wii, partly due to the original console's inferior hardware compared to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Wii U is the first in of this year's next-generation consoles. Microsoft and Sony are remaining coy about when news of their new offerings will arrive. The former continues to push the current Xbox 360, which was the top-selling console in the U.S. for the 20th consecutive month, though PlayStation 3 also saw strong sales during August.

Join Our Conversation

Smartphones

Former Nokia Team Jolla, Announces First Sailfish Powered Smartphone For Asia

Motorola XFon May Hit Verizon, Sprint Later This Year

More BlackBerry Devices On The Way, Says Sprint

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 Transform It Into Galaxy S4 (To Some Extent)

Tablet / Laptop / PC

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix Hybrid Tablet-Ultrabook Now Available Starting At $1679

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Leaks In Benchmarks With Intel Inside

Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 8.0 Top Consumer Reports Rankings

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-Inch Specs, Photo Leak Online

Gadgets

Recharge Your Phone In 20 Seconds With This Revolutionary Device

Ouya Will Be At E3 2013, But Not Where You Think

Next Microsoft Xbox To Sport Dashboard UI Update And Tile Changes

Google Media Streamer Hits FCC To Replace Nexus Q

OS / Software

Former Nokia Team Jolla, Announces First Sailfish Powered Smartphone For Asia

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 Transform It Into Galaxy S4 (To Some Extent)

iOS 7 To Come With Flickr, Vimeo Integration

Samsung Galaxy S4 'Google Edition' Will Be Available In U.S. Only?

Internet / Social Media

AT&T Promises Cellular Video Calls, Mobile Video Chat For All Customers

Flickr Boasts 'Spectacular' Redesign, Offers A Whopping 1TB Of FREE Storage

Download 40 GB In A Second: Researchers Set Up World's Fastest Wi-Fi Network In Germany

YouTube Shoppable Videos - Will Google Hit A New Jackpot?

What's App

Nokia Xpress Now Web App Announced For Asha Devices

Samsung Galaxy S4 App Contest Boasts $800,000 Total Prizes For Talented Devs

Intellicam App Brings First Hands-Free Camera Feature To Windows Phone 8

Seven New Apps Coming To Google Glass: Facebook, Twitter, And Evernote Included