"Nintendo could be gearing up to discontinue its Wii U Basic SKU after E3 2013, a new report suggests.

Kotaku has posted a report from an anonymous retail source saying that, as of June 18, all GameStop stores will need to return any remaining stock of Wii U Basic consoles.

Nintendo originally launched the Wii U in November 2012 with two models, the 8gb Basic and 32gb Premium, with the latter being bundled with a copy of Nintendo Land.

The Wii U has suffered from slow sales in 2013, and multiple retailers around the world have reduced the price of the console in various sales.

The source says GameStop has contacted its stores with the following message. "Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall - Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stories will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall."ttp://m.gamespot.com/news/6409269.html"

Wii U price cut incoming, I guess.

I felt it was obvious Nintendo intended to do this from the outset, seeing as the deluxe was clearly the better deal. Basic just seemed like an interim budget solution, and you can say "starting at 299".

I think either there will be a price drop, or a new SKU with more internal storage. Deluxe might become the new basic at 299, since for one thing it technically costs nothing to include NintendoLand.

I think it's funny how there seems to be a backlash against multiple SKUs right now. I think the xbox 360 launch with the
minus HD" option didn't work out too well.

There's a weird ping pong effect where I don't think there is compelling evidence on either side.

Is it better to have less confusion, a simple message, and a clear picture of what hardware each user has in their household? or it better to give the consumer choice and allow them to buy only what they want?

Personally, I bemoan the loss of the pack-in game. I don't know why, but I love them. Maybe because it forces me to play something I wouldn't ordinarily? Maybe because it is usually a showcase for the new hardware? Maybe because I like the idea of them choosing a title for me to play instead of having to choose from the launch library?

I'm expecting them to get rid of the 8GB white model for a 32GB white model that's identical to the current black Wii U deluxe. The only distinction I'm expecting is with the packaged software. The current deluxe model retaining Nintendo Land, the white 32GB Wii U having New Super Mario Bros. U as the packaged title.

That way they avoid reducing the price while trying to entice people until Fall 2013. That's when they can use bundles (like a Mario Kart U bundle) instead. I know people are expecting a price drop despite Iwata stressing that they were not going to do that; so I think this is what'll happen instead.

If I remember correctly, that wasn't even an option. I think every launch X360 came with a component solution. I remember Microsoft going out of their way trying to ensure people that component was a viable option to HD.

I think he might be talking about the Hard Drive. As yeah, having a portion of the user-base with out a hard drive made it hard for developers to take advantage of it.

Also, I hope all this leads up-to a price drop as well.

Just to add to this, Nintendo of Japan (along with announcing some accessories) announced a Wii U Premium in white, so they're definitely being manufactured. I could see a switch-up with the bundled software for the West.

I'm happy for whatever adds momentum to Wii U sales. I actually think it's a super neat console with some cool ideas (Miiverse) that just needs a little OS cleanup and, of course, some damn games. I'm looking forward to the potential Fall line-up, hopefully with some kind of Wind Waker HD bundle I can jump on.

Good, buying a wii u basic sounds like buying an xbox 360 arcade. It'll cut costs and possibly give them the price cut that they need.

Makes sense, there's like no reason any reasonable consumer would get a Wii U basic anyway. You more than make your money back getting the premium.

I'm willing to bet that the "price drop" will be the deluxe Wii U going to $299.

Until the 3-4 hour battery life of the controller is fixed I will be staying far away from a Wii U.

It's really not that bad. Not unless you routinely play games in excess of four to five hours at a time while seated too far from a power outlet to make use of the AC adapter.

I think you've misunderstood a bit, I believe jazgalaxy meant the hard drive, not high definition.

A price cut wouldn't be surprising, it's going to need it if new consoles end up being priced reasonably.

Because neither model has enough storage to get by without some external hard drive, and Nintendoland is like 20 bucks now, the basic model is actually currently a better deal. Unless you really care about a charging cradle.

It turns out Nintendo isn't discontinuing the basic SKU. They're rebalancing their current stock of Wii U's to reflect the demand.

"There is a current misperception about Wii U hardware. To clarify: Nintendo is working with its retail partners to simply rebalance the stock of the White 8GB and the Black 32GB Wii U models in the market. Consumers looking for either model will continue to find them available." - Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America's senior director of Corporate Communications

It's obvious that the Deluxe SKU is the one most people want since the basic SKU really isn't worth saving $50 over.

The basic Wii U is what led me to buying all new consoles after seeing how much better the shiny white looked in my living room compared to the black of the PS3/Xbox. Trying to save fifty bucks really came back to bite me in the ass.