Okay guys, discuss your thoughts on the matter.
It has been confirmed that the WiiU will not have an internal HDD
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/30582
The price of an HDD is easily in the 60$. The WiiU is a system that gives consumers a choice, whether to make their game purchases digital or retail. In that view, it makes no sense to charge a customer 100 to 200$ for a feature they won't use. Also, it gives anyone interested in digital downloads to choose whatever External HD capacity he or she desires.
Maybe some will only buy retro games, some will buy WiiU digital games, but ultimately the idea of Nintendo's pricing and design is one of giving consumers a choice, without having prices dictated by the console manufacturer (like Sony and MS).
That's my view on it. Share yours
