Earlier this morning, Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct presentation that featured various aspects of the Wii U. We got to see an un-boxing, learned how video chat would work, saw that our Virtual Console and WiiWare games – as well as our Wii save data – could be transferred over to the Wii U, and Nintendo Network IDs were introduced.
But let’s start by watching Nintendo President Satoru Iwata awkwardly un-box the Wii U:
As stated at the end (at least for Europe), additional content will also come for the western Wii U Deluxe Edition.
Iwata also talked about the account system that Wii U will be using. Anyone who plays on the Wii U can have a user account, with up to 12 accounts per Wii U. Save data will be specific to each user, although some can be shared between users. Users will need to register a Mii to represent them. And when you turn on your Wii U, you will select your Mii. According to Iwata, this will allow you to play without ruining data of other users.
He then talked about Nintendo Network IDs. This will be needed in order to use the Nintendo eShop, Miiverse, and video chat. Purchases will be managed by the ID and will be available to the other users on your Wii U. They are also setting up a service where if you share your ID with software developers, you’ll be able to use their service. You can also share your ID, similar to that of the friend code on the 3DS.
Nintendo Network IDs will be used on all future Nintendo consoles. In addition, starting next year, services will be made to use your PC and/or smartphone to access Miiverse and the eShop through the Nintendo Network.
A downloadable patch will be made available on launch day. This patch will allow Wii U owners to use most of the Network services. Iwata warned that the file will be large and could take some time to download, depending on bandwidth and traffic.
Miiverse was shown and will be supported by all Wii U games (implementations will differ). In its basic form, you’ll be able to leave comments about sections of the game and read what others have to say. There will also be a spoiler blocking feature you can enable when posting.
Although specifics weren’t given as to how it would work, Iwata confirmed that Wii save data, Virtual Console, and WiiWare games will be transferable to the Wii U. From the looks of things, it will be through an SD card.
Iwata said that more details on this would come later. However, it appears that other sites have figured it out. First things first, make sure that the Wii and the Wii U are hooked up to the TV and have access to the internet. Put an SD card with at least half a GB into the Wii U and select System Transfer. From there, move the SD card into the Wii and begin moving your save data, Virtual Console and WiiWare games onto the card. After that, put the SD card back in the Wii U to finish the transfer.
Finally, Wii U Chat was shown, with the help of Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. From what was shown, there will be a bit of a delay during the conversation (which is expected, especially on a long distance call from Kyoto to Redmond, Washington). You will also be able to draw pictures on the touch screen during the chat to show off. Also, if you have Chat turned off, you can be notified of an incoming call as the home button will begin flashing.
(Embedding has been disabled. If you would like to see the conversation between Iwata and Reggie, including Reggie speaking Japanese, click here.)
If you wish to watch the entire Nintendo Direct presentation (non-translated), click here.
