Nintendo Network for Wii U and 3DS revealed

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 27 January, 2012

Nintendo's answer to PSN and XBL.

Nintendo has pulled the curtain back on the Wii U's online functions, announcing its new Nintendo Network.

This is different than the much-maligned Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that governs previous Nintendo hardware, and is designed to cover both the 3DS and Wii U. Indeed we've seen it in action already in Mario Kart 7's online functions.

"Unlike Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which has been focused upon specific functionalities and concepts, we are aiming to establish a platform where various services available through the network for our consumers shall be connected via Nintendo Network service so that the company can make comprehensive proposals to consumers," Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata said.

"For example, competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content, will be covered within the Nintendo Network."

Nintendo Network includes a number of features Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers will be familiar with, including add-on content sales, the digital distribution of boxed games and, in the case of Wii U, the introduction of personal accounts.

The personal account system is designed to help gamers share the same Wii U. "With this, for example, the ease of using a video game system when the hardware is shared by multiple family members, which has been a challenge we needed to tackle, shall be improved, and we will also be able to construct and offer the system by combining a variety of different services and content," Iwata said.

"Whether it's our first-party titles or third parties' titles, for a number of games, we will actively attempt to achieve compatibility so that our consumers can enjoy our online services that we will deploy under the name of the Nintendo Network."

On the digital distribution of boxed games: "This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure," Iwata explained.

"We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it. The decision must be made by taking into consideration such factors as the relationship with the wholesalers and retailers, and the best way to be embraced by consumers, as well as the environment surrounding the market and consumers, such as the required memory capacity on consumers' SD memory cards.

"However, as an option for the future, the significance of this business field will increase."

On the DLC side, Japanese 3DS game Tobidasu Pricla Kiradeco Revolution is the first for which gamers can buy add-on content for a boxed game. Final Fantasy spin-off Theatre Rhythm is the first game to sell music as DLC.

"While we are on this subject," Iwata added, "when we discuss anything relating to add-on content, our remarks are very often reported by the media by their attaching such modifiers or notes as 'the ones used for social games.'

"Please note that Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase.

"As a software maker, Nintendo believes that its packaged software should be sold to our consumers in a form so that the consumers will know in advance that they can enjoy playing the software they purchased just as it is.

"We believe that our consumers will be able to feel more secure if we offer our add-on content as an additional structure in which those who love the game will be able to enjoy it in a deeper way for a prolonged play time."

Nintendo Network uses the NFC (Near Field Communication) function in the tablet controller to enable micropayments.

This will let Wii U owners create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via non-contact NFC - a bit like Activision's Skylanders toy and video game sets.

Meanwhile, Iwata said Nintendo will ensure the Wii U will shine at launch, set for Christmas 2012, and avoid the mistakes made with the launch of the 3DS, which was criticised for a lack of compelling games.

"The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of the entire system and prepare sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch," Iwata said.

"Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."

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About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 3 weeks ago

  • varsas #1 4 weeks ago

    The proof will be in the Nintendo Network pudding! It's good that they have re-stated their belief that games should be sold complete but I wonder what the reality will be post-launch.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/12 @ 10:23

  • elaniel #2 4 weeks ago

    the introduction of personal accounts.
    Thank fuck for that! Maybe we can have an actual gamertag kind of thing now rather than having to add a friend who has to add us back.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/12 @ 10:24

  • mastablasta #3 4 weeks ago

    Ha ha ha. What a joke. Too little too late.

  • nickthegun #4 4 weeks ago

    - EVEN LONGER FRIENDS CODES
    - NO IN GAME CHAT

  • NotSoSlim #5 4 weeks ago

    Finally maybe we wont lose content we buy if we sell console and rebuy it down the line.

    Nintendo finally waking up

  • X201 #6 4 weeks ago

    "For example, competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content, will be covered within the Nintendo Network for Japanese and American users, European users will receive a free wallpaper."

    Fixed!

  • GamesConnoisseur #7 4 weeks ago

    Excellent, but still bemused that it took them six years to do it, but then again there wasn't just the right hardware until 3DS and Wii U to do Nintendo's online service a full justice.

  • lolercopter #8 4 weeks ago

    What about the friend codes on 3DS? Are those going away? Or would that be linked to a Nintendo Network account name you could give your friends instead of the number? It's not impossible to achieve, the 3DS can have its system software changed.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/12 @ 10:28

  • JeroenZM #9 4 weeks ago

    "Please note that Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase."

    Bad news for Capcom.

  • PixelEdged #10 4 weeks ago

    Hmmm the hidden potential bad news here is that if Nintendo like how DLC works we will probably end up paying for tracks in F-Zero/Mario Kart, characters in Mario Kart/Smash Bros, Mini games in Mario Party/Wii Party/Wii sport etc etc

    Lets just hope Nintendo stick to releasing full games despite the lure of DLC $$.

  • Sicho #11 4 weeks ago

    looks like they are on the right path

  • MattEdWithCheese #12 4 weeks ago

    Wait what? Looking into distributing boxed games? Good on ya guys, it was one of the reasons I loved the PSP so much! Should give game retailers vouchers with download codes on them to keep them happy!

    I LOVED the fortnightly competitions of Mario Kart wii and I hope they do end up doing a similar thing. If Nintendo sticks with the ethos towards DLC they've outlined here then this could end up being the best of the console networks, for me at least...

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #13 4 weeks ago

    Slow clap.

    Welcome to the Noughties, Nintendo!

  • frunk #14 4 weeks ago

    "Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."
    Nice to see some frank and honest language coming from Ninty. They seem to have "got over themselves" pretty quickly. Sony took a few years to swallow their pride after the PS3 launch. Microsoft are now in a bubble built of their own arrogance and need a gentle kicking like Sony and Ninty have suffered.

    Nintendo are late to the game but are here now!

  • kirinnokoshin #15 4 weeks ago

    @frunk

    Late to the game and still more successful than their competitors!

  • eviroboy #16 4 weeks ago

    @nickthegun They already have in-game chat.

  • sega #17 4 weeks ago

    That's great news about how they're handling additional content. I'm so put off with gaming at the moment as nothing ever feels like a complete purchase.

    I do like DLC when it just adds something extra to the game when it starts to grow stale - something not essential to the game. It just drives me mad when an area of the game/character is locked or made unavailable unless I pay extra - I hope Nintendo helps kill this off for good.

  • eviroboy #18 4 weeks ago

    What people seem to be forgetting is that Nintendo have always worked a different, yet hugely successful way, that was somewhat closed yes but when MS released the Xbox it revolutionised online. It took Sony a while after the PS3 was released to 'copy' [or attempt to] with PSN, which people still kick and scream about. Nintendo could easily have just copied that system straight off, but if they did all you idiots would still be sat here kicking and screaming that your precious XBL is being ripped off, much in the way MS and Sony have done with motion gaming.

    Bring on the revolution.

  • wizlon #19 4 weeks ago

    Achievements please Nintendo, I'm not an achievement whore by any stretch, I just think they are fun and when the toast appears I feel warm inside.

  • Toothball #20 4 weeks ago

    Well it sounds better than the current service. I'll reserve judgement until it materialises though, as it wouldn't be at all surprising to find it crippled in some new and imaginative way.

    I really would like to see this Network catch up to the competition though. I all but gave up on it when I lost all my Wii downloads when my Wii was stolen and they were unable to do anything about it.

  • Raiko101 #21 4 weeks ago

    The one thing missing, that'll make me a happy chappy, is the guarantee that all out VC downloads on the Wii and 3DS will be transferable to future consoles. I don't want to repurchase a ton of old games again, so hopefully they'll have something to say about it at E3.

  • DAN.E.B #22 4 weeks ago

    "sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch," Iwata said"

    If thats the case youve got yourself a customer
    passed on the Wii so I havent played any Nintendo games since the Gamecube.

    Interested.

  • RedSparrows #23 4 weeks ago

    I'm fairly sure I was playing PGR2 with all the same features.

    Still, good stuff.

  • Darren #24 4 weeks ago

    Good news that Nintendo are now taking online functionality seriously as well as games. The only thing that would get me to buy a Wii U at launch though would be a new Super Mario game and/or a new Zelda game. In fact, I was disappointed that last year's E3 Zelda demo was just that, a tech demo, and not evidence that Skyward Sword was coming to the Wii U. It's a great game on the Wii but the rough 480p graphics even through component video do take the shine off the otherwise impressive art work when played on a large screen HDTV.

  • Buenos_Estente #25 4 weeks ago

    @wizlon I wonder if the "Accomplishments" you get on the 3DS in the Mii plaza games was testing the water for this...

  • UKwoods #26 4 weeks ago

    Now in a Mario game, you really will have to collect coins to get the most out of a game, albeit ones with a £/€/$ on the back!

  • beatwolf #27 4 weeks ago

    Welcome to the 0´s Nintendo. Cunts.

  • Kami #28 4 weeks ago

    @DAN.E.B; As much as I love the idea of the Wii-U, I think the warning should be a lot of the Wii-U's launch will be multi-platform third-party stuff; Darksiders 2, DiRT, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3, Battlefield (and arguably the new Call of Duty), Batman: Arkham City - and that's the tip of the iceberg, so to speak - I'd be surprised that closer to release we don't see Resident Evil 6 on the Wii-U, seeing as Capcom and Nintendo have a loving history together...

    On the other hand, I'm not sure if its by design or by chance but this means Nintendo, from launch, will have one of the strongest third-party launch line-ups ever. If peppered with the usual Nintendo big-hitter (I suspect this may be Super Smash Bros., there's been big hints that will be sooner rather than later), the Wii-U will have some serious day-one support.

    I suspect we'll see more multiplatform games due this year announced at E3. I've read in multiple magazines about Mass Effect 3 Wii-U (yes, I do still read gaming magazines!), but I suspect that "grand reveal" will be a big part of E3 - as Nintendo start rattling off some of the biggest games of the year getting Wii-U versions, mixed in with some news on a new Mario/Zelda/Metroid (delete where applicable).

    So, chance or design, Nintendo have a right to take a brief smug moment - but only a moment, because their projected 3DS targets were totally insane in almost every regard. One could say perhaps the projections were moved slightly because the console budget went a bit overboard...

    E3 will be fun.

    And if Nintendo don't use Queen's "We Will Rock You" as an opener, they have absolutely no taste for cheap jokes...

  • Lemming81 #29 4 weeks ago

    No mention of Wii Virtual Console and Wii store downloads carrying over though....That's worrying.

  • Eoin #30 4 weeks ago

    "We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it."

    The best time would be....oh....about 6 years ago.

    I think it's worrying that in that entire article, there is only one single thing that Nintendo have said that they'll do that Sony and Microsoft haven't been doing for years, and that's a gimmicky "micropay through the controller" thing. It's not a bad idea, it just doesn't seem very interesting.

    What about messaging? Are there achievements? is there cross-game interaction with other players? Can we have a unified account across 3DS and Wii U? What about re-downloading games onto multiple machines?

    Nintendo need to match at least the standard of the PlayStation Network. They should have announced that every single feature that Sony have today, they'll have a year from now, and that they're working on getting a similar level of developer support compared to the current trickle.

    Instead, we get statements like:

    "Whether it's our first-party titles or third parties' titles, for a number of games, we will actively attempt to achieve compatibility"

    "A number of games"? Not "all games"?

    They'll "attempt" to achieve compatibility? It's their own system? Why can't they guarantee compatibility?

    Sorry. I know a lot of you are optimistic about this, and that this was a decidedly negative post. However, rather than sit around and applaud Nintendo for making improvements, I'd rather ask why they're still not aiming for par with their competitors.

  • Nanakai #31 4 weeks ago

    I hope they learned the overpriced mistake from the 3DS, because it sure wasn't just lack of games

  • TheEarlOfZinger #32 4 weeks ago

    Big whup. Welcome back from your coma.

  • CallousB #33 4 weeks ago

    I wonder if this NFC (Near Field Communication) function in the controller might also be used as an additional method to combat piracy of retail software?

    Include an electronic label on each game box which has to be scanned by the controller (just once) while in range of your console.

  • ExcellentBenji #34 4 weeks ago

    High time this was implemented. And I'm looking forward to Gamecube downloads (a virtual certainty), as some second-hand games are quite expensive.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #35 4 weeks ago

    Sorry Nintendo, its far too late to get me back. I'd agree with Eoin/Kami though, that what we have here, while some is positive doesn't fill me with confidence, because Nintendo love to do things half baked, like matching the competition, toe to toe, is below them or something. The 3DS price drop might have shaken them awake of their dangerous complacent ways, but they still act untouchable, which is why they need more failure their way.

    While I miss playing certain Nintendo gaming magic, playing games on 360, PC and PS3 has given me a wider scope of what's possible from games I love.

    I hope Wii U bombs for Nintendo, but it'll probably do just the opposite.
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/12 @ 00:06

  • ilmaestro #36 4 weeks ago

    DD of 3DS software was all I really wanted, good stuff.

  • smelly #37 4 weeks ago

    >- NO IN GAME CHAT


    That's me sold! I hate listening to annoying little shits while playing games online.

  • smelly #38 4 weeks ago

    >playing games on 360, PC and PS3 has given me a wider scope of what's possible from games I love.



    So you love fps games then?

  • DDevil #39 4 weeks ago

    @smelly Stop your trolling with such obvious flame-bait please.

  • Snake_2011 #40 4 weeks ago

    kirinnokoshin with an anticipated loss of ¥65 billion ($839M) this year there not doing that great.

  • zedzee #41 3 weeks ago

    "Please note that Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase.

    "As a software maker, Nintendo believes that its packaged software should be sold to our consumers in a form so that the consumers will know in advance that they can enjoy playing the software they purchased just as it is.

    "We believe that our consumers will be able to feel more secure if we offer our add-on content as an additional structure in which those who love the game will be able to enjoy it in a deeper way for a prolonged play time."

    Can someone please explain what the F*CK do the above three paragraphs ACTUALLY mean...?!

    Aside from Nintento Network being almost a decade behind the other two vendors, I really don't glean much from this announcement.