Hey all! Did you have a good weekend? We're back with another post on the upcoming Wii U console.
Much time was dedicated during the recent Nintendo Direct to a Wii U feature dubbed Nintendo TVii. Using the Gamepad in conjunction with the TV screen, users can access TV, movies, and sports from sources such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video. A short, three-step process illustrates the convenience of Nintendo TVii: first, find something to watch (only those things from your available sources will appear). Second, choose a source and watch it. Third, engage with what you're watching. The Gamepad can provide instant access to IMDb while watching a movie, for instance. Or you can access stats and player info. while watching football. Thanks to the Wii U Gamepad, the possibilities are extensive, to say the least.
I'm dedicating a whole post to just Nintendo TVii because I think it's a great concept. Leading up to this most recent Nintendo Direct, the company made some pretty big statements about how Wii U will change the way we interact with not just video games, but entertainment in the general. Nintendo TVii is shaping up to be an admirable fulfillment of that promise. What do you think?
More Nintendo Direct 9.13.12 Posts
I think it's a very unique take on the other-media portion of game consoles.
ReplyDeletePeople have been wondering why Nintendo hasn't been placing CD players and DVD players into their recent consoles... and most just thought it was because Nintendo wanted to keep consoles mainly for video game purposes.
Which is half true in my eyes - I honestly thought they just couldn't fuse other-media entertainment as smoothly into a game console. Not saying they COULD NOT do what Sony and Microsoft did, I just believe they didn't want to go that route. In a way, Sony and Microsoft's integration of other media isn't as intuitive or melded as it should be.
We see our movies and our games as two completely separate things within our 360s and PS3s. That's even with Amazon Instant Video and Netflix. When we put in a disc or started up a program, we didn't feel like the PS3 or 360 controller was a natural controller for them. We'd wish they were easy to navigate, but really we only felt comfortable with the Pause, Play, Stop, Previous, and Next buttons - everything else felt awkward.
...but with our Wii, we treated our Wii Remotes like an actual remote for Netflix. We saw our Wii console as the portal into Netflix, like how we see our satellite or cable boxes as our portals into television - so that melded perfectly in my opinion.
Nintendo TVii seems to aim to do just that with the Wii U Gamepad. And I honestly welcome it.
It isn't a major reason why I'm getting a Wii U though. I'll definitely use it... but I'm just excited to play Wii U's games.