Nintendo Wii U price and release date will likely be announced tomorrow

The week’s biggest tech story is no doubt going to be Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5, but Nintendo (NTDOY) is preparing to make a big announcement of its own. It’s believed that Nintendo will finally announce a firm price and release date for its hotly anticipated Wii U console. The latest rumors suggest the Wii U will be priced between $249 and $349 and launch in mid-November. Nintendo will be streaming the event live from New York City on its website. Always the odd ball, Nintendo is once again betting on its ability to provide new and innovative ways to control games. With the Wii, Nintendo popularized motion controls; the DS, dual screens and touchscreens; and the 3DS added glasses-free 3D. It remains to be seen if the Wii U’s unique controller and its built-in 6.2-inch touchscreen, NFC and TV remote controls will be enough to distract from the console’s graphics, which are only on par with current-generation consoles. Nintendo’s Wii U event begins on Thursday, September 13th at 10:00 a.m. EDT.