Nintendo boss unboxes the Wii U

November 7's Nintendo Direct broadcast saw company CEO Satoru Iwata don a pair of white gloves to partake in one of YouTube's venerable traditions, the unboxing video.

During an unboxing ritual that was at once both meticulous and charmingly ridiculous, and one which encouraged viewers to imagine unpacking a brand new Wii U for themselves, a smart-suited Iwata confessed that it was in fact the first time he had opened one of the Japanese retail boxes.

"It feels like I'm the host on a shopping channel," he remarked with pleasure, displaying the Wii U's console, tablet-style gamepad and accessories.

Like the Wii U Basic Set, the Japanese Premium Set includes a GamePad, a power pack, a charging cable and an HDMI cable.

The old Wii's sensor bar and remotes are not included, but it comes with stands for the Wii U and GamePad, and a registration code for the Dragon Quest Wii U beta instead. Additionally, the Premium Set Wii U comes in gloss black rather than white.

The Wii U launches first in North America, on November 18, and in European (and Australian) regions on November 30, where mini-game compilation NintendoLand -- a Wii Sports for the new console -- replaces the Dragon Quest beta in the equivalent Deluxe Set and Premium Pack.

A Japanese launch follows on December 8.

Iwata then talked viewers through the process of setting up an online Nintendo Network ID, revealing some associated services will be made available via PCs and mobile devices, such as the Nintendo eShop and the Nintendo social network, Miiverse.

Watch the Nintendo Direct Wii U unboxing [Japanese]: nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/direct20121107/index.html
Watch the Nintendo Direct Wii U unboxing [English subtitles]: nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-Direct/Nintendo-Direct/Nintendo-Direct-638747.html