Add Nintendo's Wii U to your holiday gadget shopping list this December as the new game console is likely to hit the global market at around the same time that new tech toys were slated to fiercely compete for consumers' attention.

The Japanese game maker has set Sept 14 as the date that specific details of the Wii U will be disclosed.

Known at the moment is Nintendo plans to deploy social networking with Wii upgrade, which will be anchored mainly on its own gaming network the company christened as Miiverse.

All units, Nintendo added, will also come pre-installed with a new Super Mario game, resurrecting the iconic game title that made Nintendo a household brand the world over.

Game watchers, however, were more concerned on Wii U's pricing and hardware specs, which its maker had pledged should be known by tomorrow. What would be divulged could make or break the next Wii version that took Nintendo more than five years to finally roll out.

According to All Things D, Wii U somehow won great deal of attention of last year when Nintendo allowed a glimpse of a the console's new control GamePad, which doubles as a tablet that can connect too to cyber world.

Since the controller comes with a small screen, the new Wii U will become capable of video chat, highlighting the product's new social networking features.

Other leaks also pointed to the likelihood that the Wii U will definitely get hardware boost but according to CNET, what were revealed so far - more powerful processor and graphics, HD capability and higher memory and storage capacity - would still fall short when pitted against the product's nearest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PS3.

Wii U's two rivals have entertained both casual and hardcore gamers, which is hardly the case for the Nintendo console, with its fan base mostly composed of kids and those simply amused by its move-sensor controls, an innovation when it was first introduced.

But the gaming landscape has been radically altered and Nintendo now faces stiff challenges not only from its traditional foes but also from players that normally were strutting their wares in the smartphone and tablet markets.

Potable gaming handsets have been struggling to keep up with the proliferation of Android and iOS devices, which practically rendered the erstwhile leaders Sony PSP and Nintendo's own DS lines obsolete.

These gadgets will get their share of upgrades in the months ahead, with Samsung's Galaxy Player already in the market while Apple's iPod Touch is set to be refurbished for the fifth time by October 2012.

Not to mention that Apple will try to make the small tablet competition more exciting with its new iPad Mini, which also will be pushed out later this year, giving Nintendo another competition in a market that has long ago embraced the notion of gaming-on-the-go.

In the face of a crowded market, the retail price that Nintendo will attach on its new console will definitely play a crucial role on how consumers will react, analysts said. With a reasonable sticker price, the Wii U could still fly off the shelves like its predecessor did six years ago, they added.

And for that to be sustained and reach profitable levels, users' experience need to be ramped up via more exciting game contents, according to Ars Technica, which added that as Nintendo is not exactly known to be an easy partner, such undertaking serves as one of the more serious concerns that the Japanese gaming firm needs to deal with.