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Nintendo: Miiverse is Wii U's 'killer app'

North American president Reggie Fils-Aime believes system's new social network will "pleasantly surprise people," says gamers may not understand until they try it.

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Nintendo has long touted the Wii U's new tablet-like GamePad controller as a feature that will set the system apart from the competition. However, in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said the system's new Miiverse social network stands to be the console's "killer app."

Nintendo has high hopes for Miiverse.
Nintendo has high hopes for Miiverse.

“I think that [Miiverse] will pleasantly surprise people,” Fils-Aime said. “As the network grows and the installed base grows, it will prove to be a true killer application for the system, and I say this loving what we have done with Nintendo TVii and loving all the games. Until you try it and experience it, you may not totally understand it.”

Fils-Aime added that what makes Miiverse special is that it is the only social network exclusively built for gaming. And this, he said, will make the network a "key differentiator compared to other companies in our space."

Nintendo's Miiverse is the first thing players will see when they boot up the Wii U. On this screen, players will be able to see games, apps, and other entertainment content that either they have used or expressed interest in, or that their friends are using. Gamers can also share text and visual messages with other players through Miiverse.

Miiverse will be exclusive to the Wii U at launch next month, but will later be available for the 3DS, PC, and any smartphone or Web-enabled device. The Wii U arrives with 23 games in North America on November 18 beginning at $299. The system hits Australia and Europe on November 30 and comes to Japan December 8.

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Trouvo

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Now i can watch netflix on a tablet!!! can't wait....oh...*looks at laptop, cellphone, computer, and tablet....ok a tablet with a joystick!!

On a serious note tho i am excited for the wii U, i have always been intrigued by Nintendo's ingenuity.

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DeViLzzz

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There is so much bad tv and movies these days. It really is too bad that Nintendo has to tie themselves into it.

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DeViLzzz

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Edited By DeViLzzz

So much of this won't work in Canada so why should we care ? I have trouble buying a video game/entertainment system that has features I can't use.

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Somebody89

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lol

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StaticPenguin

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Edited By StaticPenguin

Soooooooooooooooooooooo.............. It's Nintendo's Playstation Home?

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deactivated-67e0b9b4792de

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@StaticPenguin Didn't everyone say that Home was Sony's Mii's when it was announced? Funny how things come around like that.

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abHS4L88

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@StaticPenguin

Did Home integrate itself into PS3 games? Were you able to leave tips and be able to access information others left during gameplay?

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StaticPenguin

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Edited By StaticPenguin

@abHS4L88

Nope, but I was just picking on the whole "IZ GONE BE A SUPERDUPER SOCIAL APP!" That's what they said about Home.

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dawnofhero

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Look on the bright side, at least Nintendo has this option available for us. Sure, I don't use Netflix, Hulu or Amazon video on my PS3, but it's nice to know that it's there in case I DO want to use it.

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RussellGorall

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Edited By RussellGorall

Welcome to 2006.

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Foppe

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Edited By Foppe

@RussellGorall So exactly what console in 2006 had something like this?

It was still years before Playstation Home and the only thing you could do with your Xbox 360 was to send messages to ur friends.

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abHS4L88

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@RussellGorall

Uh no

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jasongm

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Um that's cool Reggie, I'm sure children everywhere will love it like they do for the Disney channel, cause they like cute adorable cartoons... but what about us the hardcore gamers? Looks like Nintendo still needs to "Grow up" and cater to all gamers and not "Family" oriented gamers.

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DevaGolgotha

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@jasongm All gamers play shooters like CoD and shit? Nuh-uh, man. Nintendo's doing that, anyway. They're coming out with M-rated FPSes and shit. In any case, their "Family" games appeal to a lot more people (in, say, Japan) than most bloody, mindless shooters. Ironically, I feel and know that the most hardcore of any gamer is a Nintendo fan.

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abHS4L88

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@DevaGolgotha @jasongm

Agreed, I still don't see what's wrong with appealing to EVERYONE. Plus of course MiiVerse has to be appealing to everyone, when Microsoft and Sony start making a "hardcore" and "family friendly" interface then you can complain but as it stands, that's how it is, family friendly or nothing when it comes to the interface of each home console.

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Chico86_basic

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@jasongm What?

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TheArcade

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FAIL.

How about make Kingdom Hearts 3, Tobal 3, Guilty Gear X3 and talk about Bayonetta 2 more. Either of those would be killer apps.

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ShonenNinja

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@TheArcade Ummm, except for Bayonetta, Nintendo has no association with those games. Talk to Square Enix and Arc System Works if you want those games...

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abHS4L88

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@TheArcade

Those aren't Nintendo games so how is that a fail? They can't force these developers to make games for their systems.

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TTDog

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Hardcore gamers.... couldn't really care less.

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DevaGolgotha

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@TTDog Hardcore gamers... play Nintendo.

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TTDog

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@DevaGolgotha: You spelt "children" wrong.

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TTDog

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@Rovelius: You're being sarcastic right? Game developers generally bemoan a console isn't powerful enough to do what they want to do... and thats with a PS3 or a 360 not the under-powered Wii.

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TTDog

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Edited By TTDog

@DevaGolgotha: I wouldn't touch COD anymore than I would touch the Mii Universe... I have standards after all. On the childish front which console manufacturer released a console with a carry handle? Or one that looked like it had been designed by Fischer Price Toys? Nintendo don't help themselves with these things do they.

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DevaGolgotha

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@TTDog Ironically, you're probably more of a child than I if you think Nintendo is for all little kids. What, are you a conservative COD noob or some shit?

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Rovelius

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@TTDog Don't judge a book by its cover... ever heard that? Graphics don't make games, Nintendo's stuff is the best of the industry and any game designer worth his salt would say the same.

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abHS4L88

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Edited By abHS4L88

@TTDog

Then I bet when you try it out, you'll hope Sony and Microsoft will do something similar.

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simomate

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@abHS4L88 @TTDog

I have to agree with TTDog. I hope all companies adapt something similar or.. better even create a universal one for all 3 consoles... but that will never happen :(

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simomate

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@abHS4L88 @TTDog

LOL I mean
@abHS4L88

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GamespotSux_IKR

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Yep! If Miiverse is a big deal. Sony/Microsoft WILL make something like it

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TTDog

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Edited By TTDog

@abHS4L88: As a mainstream/hardcore gamer... why woukd I be wasting my time on childish crap like that when there are games like Borderlands 2 to play?

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Jecoh

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@TTDog @u1tradt Yea I bought a Wii, 360, and PS3.. after I get my Wii U I will be selling my PS3,360 and giving my wii to my neice... Why you might think what kind of insane childish gamer are you? Oh you know I'm the kind of gamer that realizes that all the worth having exclusives are on Nintendo, I grew up with Nintendo and anything that Nintendo cant do my PC can, so why the hell do I need a Xbox or a Playstation? It is just cool to hate Nintendo these days, this whole new generation of gamers that grew up on Playstation and Xbox psh... I looked at the "Exclusive" games I have for either 360 or PS3....for 360 i have a total of 0 not a single exclusive on that console that i had to have or warranted a buy from me. Then I looked at my PS3 games I have 3 Uncharted, God of War and Metal Gear Solid...(even though MGS isnt even exclusive anymore) thats it. but if I look at my Wii I have 18 or more.... so yea I'm an adult they just have better exclusives that just what it is, a good game doesnt have to have mature content in it to be good. I like mature games as much as the next guy but that doesn't automatically make them good, a lot of times those mature games that come out that I think are gonna be good end up being no good at all and I get bored of them pretty fast.

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TTDog

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Edited By TTDog

@u1tradt Not really... they amount to the same thing... both massively different from the casual market that aided the Wii but could kill the WiiU as only a tiny percentage of casual Wii owners upgrade.

And that's Nintendo's biggest problem... casuals don't need to upgrade, the Wii can still do everything they bought it for, if they still use them at all... and any seriosu gamers were unearthed by the Wii then they'll have already realised that the Wii wasn't up to their needs and bought a PS3 or a 360... so they won't need another Nintendo console.

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u1tradt

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Edited By u1tradt

@TTDog How can you be a mainstream and hardcore gamer at the same time? That's a total contradiction.

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TTDog

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@abHS4L88: I won't be buying a WiiU as I already have a current gen console, unlike Nintendo I didn't wait 6 years before upgrading. Nintendo really need to work out what they are doing with the WiiU (aside from gimmicky pads) as on one hand they are desperatley trying to woo back hardcore/serious gamers with more mainstream releases and then go and say something like this to alienate them.

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abHS4L88

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@TTDog

Great attitude you got there. Yes it has a family friendly look to it but I see how it's clearly meant for gamers. Why don't you try it out first (if you are getting a Wii U) before writing it off?

That's how so many great games get unnoticed, because people automatically write it off as "childish crap" without even bothering to look at what it really is just because it doesn't look "hardcore."

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anhnhay

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SUCK

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IvanKavinski

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People saying this is just like the Xbox or PS3 online features must not be paying attention.

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abHS4L88

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@IvanKavinski

I know right? Driving me nuts seeing these comments saying that it's basically the same when it's clearly an upgraded version of it.

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TheologicVs

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Thank goodness . People may not see the value in it now but I know that sometimes the console propels the gaming experience so much that people may not want to leave. Something as little as the addition of "Party Chat" on Xbox Live made a world of difference for the online users. I hope all Next-Gen consoles will have much better online services/features.

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tightwad34

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If I was ten, I might care about a Mii and their verse.

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DevaGolgotha

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@tightwad34 Oh hey: another person who obviously didn't experience the golden age of gaming.

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tightwad34

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@DevaGolgotha

Wait, don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I have been gaming since the Atari way back in the 80's then I moved on to the NES as most everyone did. There were a few years there where I neglected my PS2 because I was more interested in partying and such. There were quite a bit of games I missed out on, but I am on the ball now. As for me not caring about having a Mii, what does that have to do with missing out on the golden age? There weren't any Miis for the NES or SNES(I was a Genesis guy) from what I remember.

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tightwad34

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Edited By tightwad34

@DevaGolgotha

I'm a very easy going guy and it takes a lot to truly get under my skin, unless you are some stupid bitch(females) who think they own everything and can get away with whatever they want. We need to stop kissing bitches asses just because we think they are hot. Then they won't be able to get away with everything. Whoops, sorry I went on a little tangent there. Anyway, we are totally cool.

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DevaGolgotha

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@tightwad34 Quite, quite. In fact, I'm surprised I lashed out as much as I did. Okay. We're cool here, I think.

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tightwad34

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@DevaGolgotha

Whoa, I am not trying to rile you up or anyhting. I tried to make my response civil. Anyway, I don't think you are a fanboy of anything(as far as I know). I am not trying to put words in your mouth because I hate it when people do that to me or anyone else. I know my first comment did make me sound a bit childish, and yes maybe a bit ignorant too, which I am definitely not. So whatever you disagree with me on, so be it. We can dissagree and still get along, right?

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DevaGolgotha

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@tightwad34 Oh. Okay. I feel entitled to jump to conclusions, considering you seemed like an ignorant fourteen year old. I suppose I apologize, but then again, who fucking cares if Nintendo developed Miis? I don't So don't jump to conclusions that I'm a super Mii fanboy or whatever. For God's sake, I have Giygas as my avatar. I think I've lived before the Wii.

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FallenOneX

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As a gamer whose second console was an NES, I like this idea. So far it sounds like what Sony was trying to do with Home, but with a Nintendo spin, but nothing like whats on XBL. Nintendo taking a note from Sony's book for once is enough to make me want to at least try it out.

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rarson

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Edited By rarson

I just had an awesome idea, Nintendo. You have video chat, right? Well how about a feature that allows you to stream your game screen to your buddy? "Hey man, I just got this new game and it's sweet, check it out." That would be pretty cool.

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