This morning Nintendo Australia brought us up to speed on the local details of the Nintendo 2DS and the release dates for many other titles. There were a couple of things missing though.
While The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will release here in Australia on October 5th, the Limited Edition version of the game with the awesome Ganondorf figurine and the Wii U bundle were missing from the list.
We asked Nintendo Australia what was up and we’ve got some bad news. Nintendo Australia has told at us, at this stage they “do not have plans to release these in Australia and New Zealand at this stage.” Seeing as the game is no so close, we can’t see this changing.
We will take this chance to remind you that European versions of the game will work in Australia.
I blame Tony Abbott for stopping the boats. Disappointing.
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And all the diehard Zelda fans will now import the UK copy. Sucks to have to wait longer but worth it for the figure.
Great news!
Nintendo you are doing it right!
I guess I’m getting the digital version then. Any word yet on if it is launching early, like in the US?
Nice way to hurt your sales.
i normally don’t import so whats the best place to go, that figurine is to good to pass up. Time doesn’t bother me have other games i need to complete.
and once again Australia will miss out on my money.
funny how they beg us to buy locally yet dont give us the chance to do so…
Real unfortunate.
With this bundle and say a $50 price drop, I know many Aussies who would have got on board.
The funny thing is, the eshop will sell it for more than the imported copy with the figurine.
Definitely importing this!
Nintendo Australia never cease to disappoint me.
Wow I love you so much Nintendo Australia. You are doing a stellar job!
Don’t you want our money NintendoAU ? Apparently not…
They released the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U/3DS console bundles (being a rather niche game), yet they refuse to release a console bundle which celebrates one of their most beloved franchises? Baffling. Just baffling. I’m pretty sure that the Skyward Sword bundle with the golden Wii Remote Plus sold out pretty quickly, no? I’m sure that a limited edition with the Ganondorf figurine would prove to be just as successful.
Whatever. We could always import EU consoles at a fairly reasonable price. My Pikachu 3DS XL only cost me $251 (including shipping); the same amount as it would have cost me to buy one of the plain-ass ugly 3DS XL options that we have available locally.
I’ll tell you exactly why we will probably miss out on this bundle…because Nintendo Australia hasn’t sold enough of the Wii U stock they already have.
I wonder what the LTD sales are for Wii U in Australia…does anyone know?
Okay. So. Where is the best place to Import this Wii U console bundle from??
Considering the LTD sales for all PAL territories that was listed in their annual report, im guessing somewhere between shizen to appalling.
It staggers me that they are not even coming up with a holiday bundle or even a more aggressive price. They are kidding themselves if they think Pikmin 3 and Wonder 101 are even going to make any difference. They are niche titles and always have been. And now most of the HC community (you know the ones that actually OWN the console) will simply import the WWLE from Europe. Again, brilliance.
They are going to get REAMED this Christmas by the new consoles and I really hope they do. Maybe someone at NCL will FINALLY wake up to what is happening, especially in the West.
This console has been a unmitigated disaster.
Importing the figurine edition and keeping it unopened. Pretty sure it’ll only appreciate in value.
Amazon UK. I don’t know how long it would take to deliver a parcel that size, but the delivery of my 3DS XL was quite quick.
In what way, shape or form is that great news?
Paying European prices to then ship to Australia to then be left with the UK plug and adapters AND waiting times.
Crap. Absolute crap. Nintendo Australia that is disappointing .
James, if you find out, let us know — I’m interested; I played OOT and TP but never WW, so I figured this was a good way to do so. Seems not now.
Ugh, Nintendo Australia sucks. Got my hopes up with that awesome figurine, I was going to break my digital only policy to get it, and they do this. Back to downloading then. But this time, I’m buying a UK download code so Nintendo Australia doesn’t get any money. (and its cheaper)
Vooks, can you do an info article on the best/ cheapest websites to buy the Wii U windwaker console from? I know it’s a bit risky buying from o/seas, but I’ve had enough with NAL and I dont want to miss out on the WWHD bundle.
For those considering importing from the UK, you can pay with an Australian card. It will just convert the currency automatically once the order is processed. I only recall a $1.50 or so processing fee that was charged for the currency conversion. Now, as non-UK citizens, we are not bound by the VAT tax, so this gets deducted automatically for shipments to Australia (that is, if you’re buying from Amazon UK; not sure about GAME UK though).
So a Zelda Wii U bundle should set you backAU $347.12 (correct at time of writing), not including shipping or the UK electrical adapter (they should be readily available locally). Limited edition with Ganandorf figurine will set you back AU $83.30 whereas the standard edition will cost AU $62.47.
Thanks for that, it saves everyone a lot of time. Which retailer has these prices?
@Burak H, can you share where you’re getting those prices from? The limited edition with Ganondorf figure is exclusive to Game.co.uk in the UK so it won’t be available from Amazon.co.uk. You’re looking at about 65 pounds including shipping for the game and figure from Game, which is about $112, so where is the $83.30 coming from? Be happy to be proven wrong, but as far as I understand it there is no alternative for Australian buyers.
You would think this would be the perfect opportunity to sell Wii U consoles before christmas (with SM3DW and Donkey Kong) and next year (Smash Bros, Mario Kart, X, Bayonetta 2).
As for the figurine…that is just stupid. At any rate, I ordered from GAME UK. No clue how long it will take to arrive but hopefully it will be no more than 3 weeks after release. Ozgameshop takes 1 week so hopefully its 1 to 2 weeks. It was expensive but will be totally worth it to me.
Last I checked ozgameshop told me that they were still trying to source some Limited Editions but it is supposed to be exclusive to GAME in the UK so not sure if they will get any.
Well, I ordered 5 copies from Game UK. Only place you can order it from is http://www.game.co.uk .
It’s 60 pounds for each copy which after delivery (5 pounds) works out to $113 for one copy. Or $531 in my case for 5 of them.
If this was at ebgames they would be charging $150 a copy anyway. Still sucks that its only $60 US dollars at gamestop in America.
I actually wish I had’ve bought an American Wii U system instead of an Australian system now. You would save so much money on buying games for it.
Ouch, I actually checked shipping costs from Gamestop. $29.99 USD for one copy. Not much difference really… Works out at around $100 for a copy. Cheaper if you’ve got multiple copies I guess to save on shipping. There’s someone selling the US version on ebay already for $135 plus $60 shipping….
Hi, sorry a random question, have you received your orders from game.uk yet at all??
Hey Jess,
Not yet but I have seen others who have got them in the eastern states just today. So maybe soon!?
This was the only time I was ever going to buy a wii u, and now I won’t be buying one!!
Really not happy
Do game.co.uk charge right away for pre-orders?
Pre-ordered from Game UK. Guess Australia won’t be getting my business, yet again.
I import 90% of my stuff now anyway so a couple of weeks wait is kinda something I’m used to.
Sorry, guys. I neglected to mention that the prices were quoted from GAME UK. Please note that the prices do *not* factor in shipping, and I’ve excluded the 20% VAT from the purchases (hence the $83.30 as opposed to $100+). I cannot confirm, however, if GAME UK will deduct the VAT for non-UK customers (Amazon UK does though).
I preordered from game.uk right after reading this article.
maybe because its a game.uk exclusive, thats why EBGames can’t do this here?
Regardless, its a lost sale for Nintendo Australia from me
So how many thousands of Wii U units will not go down as Australian sales because of decisions like this? Which makes the vicious cycle worse. Why wouldn’t there be a price drop when a console has been out for nearly a year and two new competitors consoles are about to launch.
Is there anyone who actually lobbies on behalf of Australia or is this the result of us being complacent and accepting what Nintendo decides what we can have and when we have it. We miss out on 3/4 of the special editions of console bundles and the like and it’s not a good enough excuse about our low population/sales.
It’s the same as how we get ripped off with digital downloads in general on steam etc, which is a croc.
The marketing monkeys at Nintendo HQ need to know they are neglecting their long time supporters here down under and you can only piss us off so many times before we turn our backs and spend our money elsewhere!
Try Zaavi, they are 10 pounds cheaper than game.co.uk and also ship to Australia.
Just a comment that expresses my hate for this decision.
I bought a 3DS XL from the Swanston St EB Games with the Nintendo Experience, I was on holiday in Melbourne and it was the last day I was there, I was checked out and packed for my flight that afternoon.
I took my Aqua 3DS, and traded it for the new handheld. I then did the system transfer and bought the plastic screen covers all while in the store. The staff were friendly, exuberant and very helpful.
This was around the launch of the XL, so they had recently been out of stock but got a batch in. During my chats with the staff waiting for the system transfer (which worked flawlessly) they said representatives from Nintendo Australia (Scoresby is East of Melbourne?) were expected that day. I would have loved to have seen this.
This was two short years ago. What has changed? What business agreement has changed that consumers like us get shafted when everything else seems to being going great guns? The added lure of new consoles by larger and more powerful companies with more cash to splash?
So i’ve decided to go with Zavvi, about the same price as the Wii U here currently but with awesome zeldary goodness…. NintyAus really lost an opportunity here I think
Well, there is more bad news. Someone emailed Game UK regarding the Limited Edition (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2062906&p=2&#r23)
“Thank you for your email.
As this product is over 1kg we will not be able to ship this internationally.
I apologise for any disappointment.”
I placed an order with Game no troubles. Hope they dont cancel it
It is all good and well to import but will this cause issues like Ninja Gaiden 3 from UK which required for you to have a UK login to play. If your console breaks, then you need to tell NintendoAU S that you got two region accounts on your system and hope they can fix it lol.
I’m Aussie living o/s at the mo, so lucky enough to be able to source most things. I too bought a US Pikachu 3DSXL since I got so jacked with paying almost double for games in Oz. Even the eshop titles are higher! Now I can buy physical or eshop games for half the price. Will be doing the same for the WW Wii U. Could buy and import from the states but adding in shipping and the random possible shafting from (Middle East) customs I’ll be buying it locally for about 400 bucks. It just seems ludicrous to pay so much for games in Aus especially when the exchange rate is what, 95usd to 100aud? Not sure what I’m gonna do when I move home though!!
Ahh i see i see. If you don’t mind me asking when did you guys order? I am also waiting for items from game uk..