Nintendo's official Wii U blog in UK has revealed Wii Karaoke U will be hitting Europe this year.
Developed by Joysound, and bundled with the Wii U in Japan at launch, Wii Karaoke U allows people to sing Karaoke with their Miis, having control of their costume, surroundiing, and having them perform live in sync with you as you sing. Players can use their Gamepad as a microphone, although you could also use the official Wii U microphone, or any other conventional USB microphones. It became so popular Japanese karaoke machine maker Xing designed a bespoke karaoke Wii U machine called the Joysound Festa, for use in hotels and restaurants.
As is the case in Japan, Wii Karaoke U in Europe will be a free digital download. Users can then choose to buy tickets to use it for an hour, a day, or 30 days. Nintendo promises to have an extensive library of songs available, although none have been announced.
Wii Karaoke U will come with three modes to encourage competition with other players. The first mode will give you a score at the end of each performance. The second mode provides an analysis of the whole performance, so you can actually work on your strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the third mode will place your score on an online leaderboard. You will also be able to post screenshots of your performance to Miiverse to share with others.
Nintendo has a history with karaoke dating back to the Famicom. Karaoke also remains popular in the UK, so its reception there may affect whether this game will get released in the US or other regions.
