Nintendo Axes Wii U Basic Model in Japan, But "No Plans" for West

Nintendo has announced it will no longer sell the 8GB Wii U in Japan.

According to Nintendo Everything's translation, the Nintendo website states the basic white model is "slated to go out of production shortly" which means only the black 32GB model will be available to purchase.

However, due to Nintendo's commitment to continue shipping Wii U Basic models across western territories, it is unlikely that production has completely ceased.

Speaking to GameSpot, a Nintendo spokesperson said it "currently has no plans to discontinue the 8GB model outside of Japan."

In March Nintendo announced its next generation games system is codenamed NX. Company CEO Satoru Iwata siad the NX represents a "brand-new concept," but did not go into detail about what this means.

More recently, Iwata clarified that the NX is not intended to be a "replacement" for the Wii U or 3DS.

"Though I cannot confirm when it will be launched or any other details of the system, since I have confirmed that it will be 'a dedicated video game platform with a brand new concept,' it should mean that we do not intend it to become a simple 'replacement' for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U," Iwata explained in Nintendo's latest earnings report.

Nintendo has said it will not reveal any new information or show NX at E3 2015 as it is "not planning on talking specifics about the NX until 2016."