Nintendo Promises Wii-U to be Launched by the End of the Year, Bringing Customers Closer to the Nintendo Network

With Microsoft and Sony sailing ahead of Nintendo with their online infrastructures and downloadable options, it seems that Nintendo have finally got the point and started to think about what they need to do to push them back to the front. The new Nintendo Network logo was spotted on the Japanese ‘Theatrhythm’ cover. Satoru Iwata unveiled the ‘Nintendo Network’ in an investor presentation yesterday and said that this will have “competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content,” for both the 3DS and Wii U. Users will be allowed to have their own multiple accounts on the Wii U system, which stops users having their content stamped onto the one system.

It will also entail digital sales of retail 3DS games, “This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure,” Iwata said. “We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it.”

With that on our minds, we have also been told that the WiiU will be released at some time near the end of this year. Games being released on launch day are currently unknown, but this does help push Nintendo further up the front seat, even with the possible future unveiling of the PS4 and Xbox 720. Nintendo seem to have things right this time, the only thing left to reveal is the price, and if they can make sure that the pricing is good on this system and bring about Mario and Zelda as launch titles, this could be the greatest launch they have had. It will also push away the troubles they had with the launch of the 3DS!