Nintendo will start shipping Wii U consoles with the latest firmware installed along with Nintendo Wii Fit U next year.

Buyers of Nintendo's Wii U console were surpsised when they found out that they had to download a huge software update for the device. In an interview with gamasutra, Nintendo's CEO, Satoru Iwata, said he regretted the problem, adding that new customers will be faced with the same task until some point in 2013 when the console will start shipping with the update pre-installed.

In related news, Nintendo Wii Fit U will launch in the first half of 2013. Acccording to a video posted online by Nintendo, the new software includes a pedometer dubbed the Fit Meter.

This additional peripheral will most probably be clipped to users' clothing, gathering movement data that will eventually be transferred to the Wii U console for use during gaming.