Nintendo have released their Corporate Management Policy Briefing/Third-Quarter Financial Results Briefing, and after sifting through the numbers, I've found some juicy information on their next-generation console, Wii U.
Nintendo have confirmed they will show off the final unit and discuss details at the upcoming E3 2012 event, which is held in Los Angeles in June. After E3, Nintendo will organize an opportunity in Tokyo where they can showcase the same things to Japanese wholesalers and financial analysts who can't make it to E3.
They tease launch timing saying that it will be between the E3 show and the end of the year, with Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata confirming this by saying:
Today, I'd like to confirm that we will launch the Wii U in Japan, the U.S., Europe and Australia in time for the year-end sales season.
Nintendo have said they don't want to miss the "critical year-end sales season," where they hope to have the Wii U development completely done, with the entire system and software debut to be perfect at the launch of the Wii U. Nintendo have said they learned a bitter lesson from the launch of their Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system.
The fun doesn't end there, folks. Nintendo have announced they've decided to install NFC capabilities into the Wii U. Nintendo are making it possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data through non-contact NFC. This will open up an entire new dimension of possibilities, one of the big ones being micropayments.