Japan's collective bodies are ready

You may not realise it, but the Wii U hasn't actually launched in its native Japan yet. Us lucky westerners may already be knee-deep in Mario, ZombiU and Miiverse, but in the Land of the Rising Sun the system doesn't hit store shelves until the 8th of December.

While the Nintendo Direct presentations for North America and Europe later today will focus on games coming out later this year and in early 2013, you can expect the Japanese version to focus more on the release of the console itself.

You can watch the video live here, and we'll be providing commentary where we can. Enjoy!

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12:33

Our news stories from this broadcast are now going up on the main page. What are you waiting for?

11:44

And that's a wrap!

11:41

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We'll just leave this here.

11:40

Iwata is spying on Reggie!

Iwata is spying on Reggie!

11:39

Wii U Panorama View has integration with Google Maps, it would appear?

11:36

So you can watch Pokemon (naturally!)

11:36

Also supports Hulu on-demand streaming service

11:36

Japanese TVii looks a lot different to the NA version, no?

11:35

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11:34

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11:33

Nintendo TVii being discussed now...

11:30

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Dragon Quest is on now!

11:28

Being published by Square Enix in Japan, of all people!

11:27

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Call of Duty Black Ops 2 now...

11:25

ZombiU is currently keeping several members of the Nintendo Life team awake at night. Fantastic game!

11:24

Rayman Legends! 2013 feels so far away!

Rayman Legends! 2013 feels so far away!

11:20

Pikmin 3 looks amazing in HD. Can't wait to play this one

11:20

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11:19

Pikmin 3 now...

11:19

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11:15

This is really looking like an essential purchase! Go, Wario!

11:15

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11:14

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11:13

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Fruit!

11:12

Game & Wario is already the best thing ever

Game & Wario is already the best thing ever

11:12

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11:11

Game & Wario now!

11:11

Iwata is discussing connectivity for NSMB U across Miiverse, phones and computers

11:10

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NSMB U Channel!

11:09

Wii Fit U!

Wii Fit U!

11:09

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2! You're already dead, etc...

11:08

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Party time! Looks like a Japan-exclusive from the Simple series.

11:06

BAT-A-MAN.

11:06

Assassin's Creed III now. Looking sweet!

11:05

Only kidding. It's clearly Mario and his chums. Have you checked out our review yet?

11:05

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WHAT IS THIS MYSTERY GAME??

11:04

Damo: "High speed ninja action". That's the BEST kind of action.

11:04

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Monster Hunter Tri G HD Version!

11:03

Damo - Looks like this is just going to be a run-down of all the Wii U launch titles in Japan

11:03

FIFA 13 now!

FIFA 13 now!

11:02

"FIFA 13", or FIFA 12 U as we know it.

11:02

Iwata totally just exploded

11:01

Lego City Undercover looks ace, but we know about it already, Iwata!

11:01

Ant - This looks like LEGO GTA

11:00

LEGO IWATA

LEGO IWATA

10:59

Our bodies are ready. (We're contractually obliged to say that now).

10:53

Less than ten minutes!