GameStop source says new console to ship in time for popular US shopping season; other sources suggest console delayed in Europe to December due to manufacturing issues.

The Wii U may be on store shelves the week of the Black Friday shopping period in the United States, a new GoNintendo report suggests. The site references a GameStop employee's account, which also indicates that Wii U preorders will open sometime next week.

A launch during Black Friday shopping madness could boost sales.

Black Friday is the colloquial term for the day after Thanksgiving. It typically signals the beginning of the holiday season shopping period and has historically been a boon for Nintendo, among others. This year, Black Friday falls on November 23.

Last year, sales of the 3DS during the week of Black Friday surged 49 percent week-over-week. Nintendo software also benefited from launching during the popular shopping week, with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword becoming the fastest-selling installment in the role-playing game series to date after its launch November 20 for the Wii.

A November release date for the Wii U falls in line with what Toki Tori 2 developer Two Tribes said earlier this year, slating the console to "probably" arrive in November.

Separately, people reportedly familiar with the matter have told CVG that the Wii U will launch across Europe in December, missing a previously projected November date. The sources said manufacturing issues with the Wii U GamePad are the reason the system has reportedly been delayed.

As of press time, Nintendo had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

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