While there’s still a whole lot of mystery surrounding when Nintendo will officially release the Wii U to retailers, the window in which they will do so may have just got a tiny bit smaller. Previously it was rumored that Nintendo was targeting some time between April and the end of the year, but now it appears they are committing fully to the last half of 2012, more specifically June on.

There are already plans in place for Nintendo to show off the Wii U at CES next month, and to have it playable on the show floor, but this news does help us figure the remainder of Nintendo’s 2012 timeline. We had figured it for some time, but it looks like E3 2012 will see the announcement of a Wii U release date, and then holiday time will mark when gamers can pick it up.

It seems like a no-brainer for Nintendo — releasing during the holidays — and is probably fueled by the lack of success for the 3DS when it released so early in the year. Granted, a price drop and more suitable games helped fuel sales that even outpace the original DS, but one has to figure Nintendo learned something from that experience.

With its more hardcore leanings I’m also curious to see what the reception will be to the Wii U as opposed to the Wii. Wii-mote support is still an important part of the experience, but the games themselves, and the new controller, make way for new dimensions of gaming, some of which we haven’t seen before. Hopefully, by E3’s time gamers have a better idea of just what they are getting involved in with a Wii U purchase.

It’s also important to mention that this news is only a rumor and Nintendo still has the possibility of releasing the Wii U in spring (with a release date announcement then happening at CES). Gamers and Nintendo fans should have a better idea about most of it, though, by next month.

When would you like to see Nintendo release the Wii U? What is your expected timeline of Nintendo announcements (launch line-up, price, release date)?

Source: Inside Games