Nintendo‘s answer to the interactive experience found in Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Sony’s PlayStation Network for the Wii U has finally been unveiled, and it’s not what we were expecting. Dubbed the Miiverse this Mii-centric online experience will be a place for players to get together, as represented by their Miis, and is essentially a much more fully featured version of the Wii’s Mii Plaza.
Players will be able to find other players (known and unknown) and see what game’s they are playing and communicate with them. There will be features implemented to prevent players from “spoiling” another’s gameplay experience, but ultimately it will be a way for gamers to interact with each other in ways they haven’t before.
Along with being a new addition to the Wii U user interface the Mii Plaza is reportedly also coming to the 3DS and mobile devices like those using the Android and iOS operating systems. No word on when this service might be rolling out but our guess is that it will launch alongside the Wii U this Holiday.
In addition to the Miiverse, Nintendo also unveiled some cool potential features for the Wii U as part of their Nintendo Direct pre-E3 address. The console will integrate with smart phones allowing gamers to see what others are playing and to chart their progress in Wii U titles like Zelda or Mario.
It’s something that has been available for gamers on the Xbox and PlayStation for quite a long time now, but it’s been an oft-requested feature on all of Nintendo’s platforms, both handheld and otherwise. Hopefully with the introduction of Miiverse Nintendo can earn back the trust of their hardcore fan base, but the inclusion of Miis as a way of interacting still makes us skeptical.
What do you think of Miiverse, Nintendo’s player interaction feature for the Wii U, 3DS, and smartphones? Is it too little too late for Nintendo to roll out a service like this?
Source: Joystiq
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Nintendo is the man
I dunno, I wasn’t really crazy about it, the way they presented it; but I imagine seeing it and experiencing it first-hand are two different things. So I’ll refrain from judging it just yet. And if nothing else, it is nice to see Nintendo try something significantly different, and that single player annotation thing is pretty interesting… although there better be an option to turn it off.
The feature to video call someone to discuss their tip is a great feature by far(shown in pre-E3 Nintendo Direct). Plus, now there will be full on accounts for the system. Nintendo is really trying to remain top, but is it too late? Most 7-10 year old children have moved to Xbox and Call of Duty anyways. Give something hardcore gamers can enjoy.