Wii U Gets Pre-Loading With Smash Bros.

Following Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Nintendo has announced that it will introduce pre-loading functionality for Wii U and 3DS games. The feature will be implemented first on Wii U with Super Smash Bros. next month, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in prepared comments released today.

The pre-loading functionality will later be rolled out to 3DS sometime in 2015, though Iwata did not say which game will be the first to support the new feature.

Pre-loading, long a staple of PC gaming and more recently introduced on consoles, allows users to buy a game ahead of release and download most of the content before the title is actually released. Of course, the game can't be played until its official release date, but gamers tend to enjoy the feature because it allows them to play games as quickly as possible.

Nintendo's pre-loading system will be available for games purchased through the eShop as well as via download cards sold at brick-and-mortar stores.

Iwata explained that the pre-load feature for Wii U and 3DS is just one of the "various approaches" Nintendo is taking to make its digital business more user-friendly. Nintendo also recently started allowing users to buy digital games through Nintendo.com.

We recently got to play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. You can see new footage of the game and hear our thoughts in the video above. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U launches November 21.