Rumour: Mario Kart 8 Wii U Hardware Bundle On The Way

I only hope it's true. It would be a very smart move for Nintendo to release this bundle everywhere they can, considering a lot of gamers are holding out for this and Smash Bros. before getting a Wii U.

Oh, and you're welcome.

Rumour: it sometimes rains.

This better go from rumor to FACT like, today. If Nintendo has any semblance of business logic any more.

Damn, if this rumor is true...

This better be true. It would be smart if Nintendo does this.

It should be bundled, this game alone will hopefully shift a lot more wiiu's off the shelf.

And for crying out loud Nintendo discontinue the wii and wii mini already!

#1. I expect this bundle to be a reality, but I HOPE HOPE HOPE the box art is that awesome.
#2. The game better be a physical copy and not a digital download.
#3. This is what I've been waiting for. My body is ready!

If ever there was a bundle that needs to be released,this is it.

The randomness of the karaoke part of this rumor makes me think it just could be true. Who would think to make up such a thing?

Good move Nintendo

@AJSjedi It's only NOA that still produces Wiis, DSis, and Wii Minis. NOE discontinued the Wii and DSi but oddly still produces Wii Minis. Only NOJ discontinued their 7th gen products entirely.

I noticed the MK8 game box isn't red. Makes me wonder if this isn't an official image....

I think we all assume this is coming. The question is.....will they release the bundle when the game is released or will they wait till September to release the bundle as a holiday juggernaut.

Just black? That's it? I was hoping for a zpecial edition just like the wind waker bundle.

@sketchturner Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the red cases exclusive to North America?

A bundle will probably happen, just not sure exactly when.

NoA still produces Wii Mini's because apparently they still sell, but I think the Wii's still in stores are just back stock. The Wii has not been part of their hardware offerings on their website for a while.

@uneek The Zelda bundle had some designon the gamepad but that was it, the lego city bundle is similar to this though

Shouldn't they wait for this? They'd make more money by not bundling it and I think its safe to say the game will sell well.

That box art seems legit, though... The PEGI rating means it's UK, so I'll wait 'n see if NinEU announces this because usually NinUS follows suit.

EDIT: Wait, the Mario Kart 8 case is supposed to be RED (unless it's blue in EU). This seems REAL suspicious now.

If this is true I honestly think it would sell like pancakes! There's nothing what sells more than a Nintendo console bundled with a Mario Kart game.

If this bundle is legitimate and it will sell Wii U's that will pass the PS4 and XBOX ONE sales then I'm going to rub this in my classmates faces because they are all for the PS4 and I'm the only one at school that supports the Wii U!

@CrazyOtto
I just think it's a dumb move on Nintendo's part when the wiiu is struggling and it's already backwards compatable. The time for wii mini has long since passed

@MAN1AC

Looking at the bigger picture, they'll make much more money long-term if they can sell a bunch of consoles with a bundle like this.

@Laurentiu

You should buy a PS4 and join the cool kids then

Would be awesome if a physical copy of the game was included but I know it will be digital.

I'm sure it's true. Amazing idea and this will help sales tremendously!

@DimetriWarrior - pretty sure the Red Box for Mario Kart 8 is a North American exclusive.

rumour+: it will be gamepadless and cost £150

If this is true, it will be the perfect excuse to finally get a wii U

I kinda thought a Mario Kart 8 Wii U bundle would go without saying. If Nintendo didn't make one they'd certainly be missing a trick, especially after the Mario Kart Wii bundle sold as well as it did.

Nintendo needs to confirm this ASAP. A red or blue colored console would be a nice touch. I just might double dip if this happens.

its a no brainer at this stage - they need to get wii Us into homes without worrying about lost profit opportunities from the software unit. make it cheap enough and they'll move a lot more systems than otherwise. MK has lots of appeal and people getting the system will still buy other games. getting the price down on a MK bundle is crucial.

i thought it was bad they didn't do a 3d world bundle at xmas.

Nintendo needs this

@Gridatttack "excuse"? You make it sound like owning a Wiiu is a bad thing.

I can't wait for a Nintendo Life Mario Kart 8 game night. I have dibs on Donkey Kong!

If this is true, this would be the birthday present for me.

@Dark-Luigi don't worry, it is real... http://mynintendonews.com/2014/04/16/mario-kart-8-wii-u-bundle-spotted-in-europe/ I might be waiting for Super Smash Bros U Bundle...

@sketchturner even if it is a digital download you get $5 plus a few extra points from DDP

I'm sure it's gonna happen, but am I the only one that doesn't get the excitement over a bundle? You can already get the console, the game is on the way, what difference does it matter if the game is inside the console box or outside? People will buy Wii U hardware for this game regardless of if there's a bundle or not.

Nintendo can worry about it's Wii U sales just give me the game so I can play it already!

As the ONLY game that could possibly save the Wii U, they'd be stupid not to release a hardware bundle.

@Peach64 I agree with you.

@Peach64 One word: Affordability.

@Peach64 I think most of the time, it's a financial incentive. A game that's included in the bundle is free or at the very least a little cheaper than buying a game and system separately. Add the fact this is the marquee game some were holding off on buying a Wii U for. Then there's the general Nintendo fans that want to see the U succeed, this is supposedly one of the titles that will move units.

Though for people like you and I who have our Wii U and plan on getting the game anyway, there's less for us to be excited about as it pertains to bundles.

I honestly expected a MK8 bundle to have been announced by now, but better late than never I suppose.

I'm not sure if this game will save the Wii U or not, but I will be getting it for sure. I should go ahead and pre order it already.

Hmmm...if they're doing a bundle, it should be to make a lot of money. So they should in no way in hell have a physical version of this game in there, and it should be retailing for 329.99.

Nah, it makes too much sense for Nintendo.

Heh, they already did this with the Mario kart Wii bundle and Mario kart is pretty popular, so I'm guessing that Mario Kart 8.....

@Cyberbotv2 seriously? the wii U isn't exactly flying off shelves and bundles are meant to drive hardware sales. nintendo should get the cost down as much as possible to sell some wii Us, the market is very price sensitive atm.

priority has to be moving as many systems as possible. it doesn't take much more for it to be profitable, another game or two tops. either way the price will come down to what people are willing to pay. £200 seems to the sweet spot in the UK, the mario/premium bundles sold much faster with sub-£200 deals.

It will happen. Still too early to do a promo but it will happen simply because Nintendo need Wii U sales to improve (i really like mine and enjoy playing Rayman legends on the gamepad when my sister watches other stuff on tv!). Seen a lot of 2ds love on tv recently so i'm wondering if they'll do a montage of Mario games, with Mario Kart 8 as the main game...

@BinaryFragger indeed. My Zombi U bundle was the best deal

@BinaryFragger Well, considering that you got a disc version of NSLU, you can consider the value of NSLU to be $29.99 instead of $19.99, since retail copies are more expensive. Unless you think that having two games on the same disc is a downside to the situation.

Rumour? More like stating the obvious. Seriously if Nintendo doesn't make this bundle, it would be the worst decision they have ever made. Yes worse than the virtual boy.

If they do this, they better decorate the Wii U gamepad Mariokart style! Like what they did with Windwaker HD.

This has to be true. If nintendo do not do it then it would be nightmare for them. I hope then do it after all.

This actually looks very legitimate, and it makes so much sense too!

@HaNks , in a way you're right. But Wouldn't Nintendo lose money if they offered a 299.99 dollar bundle with a disc based Mario Kart? Especially if they don't sell as many bundles as expected. This console market is not exactly popping right now. Maybe a 299.99 model with a digital Mario Kart? I'm not a business man, so if anyone could attempt to clarify, that would be great.

This Is what i'd hope they would do
it makes alot of sense

i could see a mario kart 8 wii u bundle doing very well

@KennyPowers na they're stupid. Also the PS4 isn't innovative at all.

@Laurentiu Same with my friends..,

@Hy8ogen Now THAT'S a bad decision (why did the VB exist, if it didn't come to Europe...)

@Cyberbotv2 sounds alright as a RRP, digital copy would certainly save on costs and shouldn't bother casual buyers. digital MK is actually rather handy, i wouldn't mind it myself.

i guess they can afford to start higher but i think it'll be a good seller once it starts to get price cuts. uk sweet spot is definitely around £200, £250 is really pushing it.

@shigulicious I dibs my Mii if they're playable...

Off Topic Kinda: I also can't wait for a SSB4 night (if there's one)

Why not bundle a digital copy, like wind waker bundle...? Probably because families may find it confusing, but again, mariokart is probably better to have downloaded than wind wkaer, Becuz it's not like u can complete mariokart, so people are less inclined to trade it in after completing "story" mode.

Why not bundle a digital copy, like wind waker bundle...? Probably because families may find it confusing, but again, mariokart is probably better to have downloaded than wind wkaer, Becuz it's not like u can complete mariokart, so people are less inclined to trade it in after completing "story" mode.

It makes the most of sense. I'm sure it'd sell pretty well.

@Hy8ogen lol ikr? Of course they are going to make a bundle for MK8 and, news flash, for Smash too!

I sometimes think people on the internet are idiots

"We've been advised by Nintendo that it has "nothing to announce at this time" regarding this rumour."

I think I'ld be rich if I had a nickle for every time they've said that.

No brainer. I think their only decision is what else, if anything, is in the box, and the price.

If SSB got it's own ND MK8 needs one soon, 1st week of May. And an eShop demo right after it's over. MK8 is still the first thing that comes up on the in store kiosk in Target but still not playable.

"We've been advised by Nintendo
that it has "nothing to announce at
this time" regarding this rumour.
You can take that to mean whatever
you want, but that's the line we've
been given."

It means it is a RUMOUR and not official yet.... lol

Ive got a Wii-U but the M.K bundle makes sense!

They simply HAVE to do it.

Assuming the rumor is true, I might just call this my Christmas present (along with a copy of Smash Bros Wii U).

I really think this would sell well if it comes true.

Wii U would outsell PS4 if this bundle becomes a reality.

I must admit if I did get a Wii U bundle this is the one I would want. Hopefully it turns out to be true!

LOL its true

It'd be an excellent move! EVERYONE loves Mario Kart, even those people that only play games like Call of Duty - get the whole family in one room, and everyone jumps in the go kartin' scene.

They should do it!

I love Sonic and All-Star racing much more than Mario Kart Wii, and I know next to nothing about Sega besides Sonic. I understand this needs to be family friendly, though. I hope at least they give people that same natural feeling while driving.

@JuanitoShet So true.

I'm going to be pretty disappointed if this is really the bundle model, was hoping for a beautiful Mario red.

"[We have] nothing to announce at this time"

Translation: "We are going to release a Wii U Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack but we aren't going to announce it until close to Mario Kart 8's release date."

I would be all over this bundle if I could afford it. It may just be the thing which pushes me to get a black Wii U instead of a white one!

Looking at the current scene the Wii U has been in for quite awhile now, this Wii U + Mario Kart 8 BUNDLE would be a great start for Nintendo if it comes to UK first. Now, if this does wind up happening, then there's no reason AT ALL on why this shouldn't hit the US also imo. As for some out there wondering about the whole RED cases situation regarding Mario Kart 8. If I recall correctly before, then I believe I read somewhere that the RED casing is a North America EXCLUSIVE. I don't really know if UK ever claimed it for their region also, but ya, only region I know who has so far is US.

@shigulicious The meaning depends on the reader, even though I never meant it like that
I simply meant that its time for me to stop saying that I will get a wii u later (hence the excuse ) and need to get one with this bundle.

Only sensible move.

Quite many outlets that have taken the Wii U off the shelves by now are STILL stocking the Mario Kart Wii bundle. Even the Wii Mini with Mario Kart I see around.

A Wii U bundle would of course be double the price or more, so maybe retailers won't exactly jump at it.

if there is a bundle, I hope it has specially colored console and gamepad to warrant extra purchase from collectors too. After all the collectors market for 3DS is surprisingly vibrant.

This is the smart thing to do! But Nintendo doesn't understand how to outsell the PS4! This is the year of Nintendo... Smash Bros, Mario Kart, X, Bayoneta and more! This is Nintendo's chance to win the console war!

They should at least try a super cheap bundle with no gamepad.
The game doesn't really use it anyway.

I'm counting on this being true! I've been holding off getting a WiiU, waiting for this bundle. Would be awesome if it came in a different colour/design.