Nintendo Announces New Wii U Bundles

In an effort to increase hardware sales of its struggling Wii U console, Nintendo announced two new bundles last week. The first bundle, which replaces the original Nintendo Land bundle, includes a black 32GB Wii U Deluxe console with New Super Mario Bros. U and its standalone expansion New Super Luigi U. The Mario-themed set arrives in stores on November 1, priced at $299.

The second bundle, launching November 15 for $299, combines a white 8GB Wii U Basic system, a Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack, and a copy of Nintendo Land. The Swap Force Starter Pack includes the game, a Portal of Power, and three Skylanders figures, one of which is an exclusive "color shift" Washbuckler.

The Wii U version of Skylanders Swap Force supports off-screen play, which allows consumers to play the entire game on the Wii U GamePad.