Iwata Confirms Nintendo Network, New Wii U Controller Functions 111
New submitter DeanCubed writes "In a Nintendo investor meeting, CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed a new Nintendo Network for the company's 3DS and upcoming Wii U game systems. This includes multiple user accounts per console (not tied to hardware, a first for Nintendo) and digitally distributed retail software releases for their online store. Iwata also noted that the Wii U's tablet controller will feature NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, allowing the ability to use figurines and cards to input visual data to the console. They are hoping to use this to make micro-transactions for paid DLC easier."
Re:Online network OK. But what about the Wii-U? (Score:4, Insightful)
at best it will bring functionality on a par with Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.
And probably not even that. Though Wii has WiiWare, which compares to Xbox Live Arcade, I don't see Nintendo introducing a counterpart to Xbox Live Indie Games any time soon.
I think the Wii-U is a cause for greater concern. It's going to be launching in difficult economic times.
I was under the impression that toys were one of the more recession-proof sectors of the economy. What kind of economic times was the Super NES launched into?
It's a home console which has some tablet-ish features.
As I understand it, it's the evolution of the GBA-as-a-controller concept that the GameCube tried
But how will it work with a room full of people?
Only one player can use the tablet. Other players can use a Wii Remote+Nunchuk or the Classic Controller. How does the PC work with a room full of people?
What will the tablet actually add to the games?
For one thing, ability to play while the TV is in use. For another, the same thing that the second screen of the DS added in 2004.
And how is it going to be fun at a party with a room full of people with a few drinks inside them?
Developers of games for Xbox 360 and PS3 have allegedly already been ignoring this market, making games whose only multiplayer is online because they can sell more copies that way [cracked.com].
Disappointing with no Wii support (Score:4, Insightful)
I feel like the online component is a place where Nintendo had an opportunity to excel and they completely dropped the ball. The Wii had connectivity all along. It's storefront worked fine. But that was all. The Opera browser sucked, and still sucks. First they charged for it, but because it sucked they finally gave it away. You could add friends somehow, but it was some convoluted confusing manner of trading codes with each other and typing them in onscreen. They had downloadable games but no support for downloadable content (I'm looking at you, myriad of trivia games). Why? The Wii could have been a pioneer in living room web browsing and content but had nothing of it. It seems like Niintendo didn't thing this 'Internet' thing was going to take off or something.
And so now, they start to make an attempt at an online component but it's not going to be available to the millions of units already out there. Sigh....
Re:Nintendo.. (Score:4, Insightful)
That has not happened. Go into any Toys R Us, Target, Costco, Gamestop, K-Mart, WalMart, etc... They all have very large Wii sections. This is even now when the Wii is at the end of it's life, and it's successor has already been announced. Making the claim that all of these stores have been dedicating huge amounts of valuable shelf space to a product line that doesn't sell is a might extraordinary claim, and thus needs more evidence than an anecdote from members of a minority group.
My own anecdote is that I got my household a 360 for Christmas this year. On Christmas day, we spent about 45 minutes enjoying the 360, and appreciating how cool the Kinect is. We then spent about 3 hours playing Fortune Street on the Wii.
The Wii was terrible like the 2600 was terrible.