Friend Codes exist in some form on Wii U… or not?
Update: Just noticed another tweet coming from GameTrailers editor-in-chief Shane Satterfield. Yesterday, he wrote on Twitter “that friend codes are gone for Wii U.” So, which is it? The only thing I can gather is that the Friend Codes usage will be very different for Wii U if they’re there at all. Let the confusion commence!
Some slightly disappointing news has made it out of a Nintendo analyst meeting at E3 2012 today.
The company briefly touched on the Wii U’s online functionality in addition to other topics. Nintendo previously announced an account system for the system, but hadn’t ruled out Friend Codes.
Today, Nintendo has confirmed that Friend Codes haven’t been completely eliminated and will be returning in some form. Details about its implementation haven’t been discussed, though making friends will apparently be easier.
Other tidbits from the event include:
– 3DS software units have outsold the equivalent of DS software in the same period
– 3DS has reached 70% Internet connection rate
– An average of 5 items have been purchased by online 3DS users
– Wii U home screen includes a recommendation engine built-in, showing users which titles they might be interested in
– Wii U: can access store and communications on smartphones so that you can buy and download content to the console by the time you get home
– “Current share price cannot be sustained, by delivering and communicating hope to rectify, no consideration to go private”
– Nintendo not actively looking into free-to-play games
– No plans for Mario free-to-play game
– Nintendo believes in selling product for value created
– Nintendo won’t compete with Microsoft or others for exclusive franchise support; they want to take advantage of the 190 million Wiimote/45 million Balance Board install base
– No built-in hard drive for Wii U, but USB connections let users use variety of external options like a cheap hard drive
– Nintendo open to pre-installed software for Wii U in some markets
– On Xbox SmartGlass: what they offer is a small facet of what Wii U can do; they clearly see value to follow only 1 year after Wii U
– Nintendo has placed particular focus on Wii U’s latency to ensure a seamless experience; Nintendo thinks Sony/Microsoft will still have an issue (possibly with similar products)
– “This cycle can improve profits driven by digital, miiverse is designed to improve tie ratio, wiiu think will have higher active use rate”
– When asked about Apple TV, Nintendo said that they believe what Wii U offers is the only one of its kind with a second screen integrated seamlessly to the television
