The era of the Nintendo Wii may finally be here.

Kotaku has found a notice on the Japanese website of Nintendo stating, "Manufacturing is scheduled to end soon," pertaining to the Wii. Perhaps the number of Wii U users may be the cause of this.

Wii U already has the capability of playing Wii games, which render the latter console pretty much redundant. This does not mean bad business for Nintendo, as the latest Nintendo Direct conference has revealed a number of games and new features in store for gamers.

A confirmation with Nintendo Europe via Eurogamer has stated that the news applies to Japan, though the timeframe for when the cease of production will ensue has not been specified.

Though the Nintendo Wii's run was short (only six years old compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360, which are still highly active in the market), its next-gen version Wii U, released last 2012, has been making progress in gaming and features.

Nintendo Wii U: Updated for better gaming

With the curtains soon closing in on the Wii in Japan (and it surely won't be too long for other areas), the Wii U is Nintendo's next best bet when it comes to next-gen console gaming.

And the latest update may be the 700MB worth of Wii U update that was just rolled out. The system update brings a lot in tow, including automatic reception of recommended software and demo titles via SpotPass, support for USB keyboards, friend list icon in the Wii U Menu, changes in system settings, and a more stable system overall.

But perhaps the biggest update is that you can now play Wii games using the Wii U GamePad's display. But according to Time, the catch for doing so has a bigger trade off than what you would be willing to play it for.

This is because you would have to use the Wii controllers, as you cannot play the game on the Wii U GamePad controller. A better update on this catch can be a good follow-up, in the event that the ceasing of production of the Wii does extend beyond Japan.

One thing to note though is that if you have any not-so-legal software running in your Nintendo Wii U, better to delete them first before downloading the update. If you have what Nintendo calls "unauthorized technical modification" in your console, whether it is existing or for future installments, downloading the update could render your device unplayable.

New games in store for Nintendo

Nintendo Direct has revealed a number of new games coming in, starting with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, which Polygon reports will be launching on November 22 in Europe for the Nintendo 3DS. Another game coming in for the 3DS is Scribblenauts Unlimited, which will be heading for Europe on December 6.

A new Kirby game was also announced, with a trailer, though according to GameSpot, Nintendo has not yet announced a title for the new game. The release date of the new Kirby has been pegged for 2014.

VG 24/7 draws up a lot of new games for the Wii U, starting with Super Mario 3D World coming out on November 22. The Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2013 Olympci Winter Games will also be coming in for the Wii U as an exclusive, while Super Smash Bros. will find Sonic as part of its team when it releases for both the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS.

Other games headed for the Wii U include Batman: Arkham Origins, Sonic Lost World, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Skylanders SWAP Force, Just Dance, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, all coming in October.

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