Wii U launching in Japan on December 8 with Basic and Premium models

Ahead of the U.S. and European Nintendo Direct presentations later today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata detailed the Japanese launch for the company's upcoming Wii U console, providing a release date and prices. The Wii U will launch in Japan on December 8, and come in two different models. The white "Basic" console will have 8GB of internal memory and cost ¥26,250 ($338), while the 32GB black "Premium" Wii U will set Japanese gamers back ¥31,500 ($405). The Premium console will also come with a special service called Nintendo Network Premium, which will run until the end of 2014, and offer users reward points on purchases and discounts. Both versions of the console will feature 2GB of memory -- 1GB of system memory, and another 1GB for game memory. Game discs will be able to hold up to 25GB of data. Elsewhere, Iwata said that separate GamePads for the console will cost ¥13,440 ($173), while all previous Wii-compatible controllers will also be compatible with the Wii U. Wii software will also be compatible, and a method for importing your old Wii games to the new console will be provided. Check back later today at 10am ET for details of the U.S. and European Wii U launches here on Gamasutra.