Gadgets

Wii U: NintendoLand Is This Generation's Wii Sports, Nintendo President Says

Jonathan Charles

Wii Sports proved to be a phenomenon for Nintendo's Wii, bringing in 'casual' gamers who had little or no experience with gaming consoles. Part of the reason for its success was that traditional controls were not required, making the game more accessible. Wii U can replicate that success, at least according to Nintendo of America's President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime.

"I think it [NintendoLand] will pleasantly surprise people. As the network grows and install base grows, it will prove to be a true killer application for the system, and I say this loving what we have done with Nintendo TVii and loving all the games. Until you try and experience it, you may not understand it," Fils-Aime said to AllThingsD.

Fils-Aime added Wii U is competing for consumers' time, whether watching TV or spending time on social networks. The market has changed since Wii's introduction in 2006. The rise of tablets and mobile form factors creates an unexpected gaming platform, creating the accessible and affordable games Wii offered.

"I already compete with that stuff, and now you can do it in a new and interesting way," he continued.

Fils-Aime thinks that Miiverse, Nintendo's own social network for Wii U, is a "key differentiator" to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Rather than presenting a left-to-right user interface like competitors, Nintendo decided to create a Dark Souls-esque hub where players can share comments on games. A video on the service depicted a user chatting to an older player via video chat, though whether it works in practice is unknown.

Dark Souls allows users to share tips via notes left in the game, misleading or not.

"Miiverse is going to be embedded right on the game platform, so literally some of the activity will be able to happen immediately as people experience it," Fils-Aime added. Nintendo was reportedly going to moderate Miiverse comments before approval, though that is no confirmed.

Wii U launches on Nov. 18 in the U.S., and Nov. 30 in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

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