As part of the Wii U preview event Nintendo has unveiled a surprising new service and feature for the Wii U. It’s called Nintendo TVii, and it can be summed up as TV made social.
What Nintendo has done is allowed you to use the Wii U as your gateway device to all your TV and video services. That means Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, and YouTube are just some of the services that can be directly accessed on the Wii U using the GamePad’s touchscreen as the interface.
Nintendo is treating NTVii as a “second screen service,” and with good reason. The GamePad display is where you will see all available content before choosing to play it on your TV. You’ll be able to perform searches, login to your different accounts, and control playback on your TV using the GamePad.
One novel feature this content system adds to the experience is something being referred to as Moments. As you watch any content on your TV the GamePad will log key moments from what you are watching and present them as snapshots on the tablet controller. You can then go back through them and access more detail on each or share them with others.
Social also seems to be a big part of the NTVii experience. Nintendo doesn’t just want you watching content on its new console, it wants you to talk about it with your friends by sharing moments, and having a chat while you watch.
Nintendo tweaked the moments system for sports due to the different types and amount of information there is available to view while you are watching the game. The screenshot below gives you some idea of what you can expect to see for sports coverage, and it’s certainly going to be interesting watching and chatting about a game with friends through the Wii U.
The content you watch also feeds into your profile. There won’t be recommendations made for content to watch, but the Wii U will inform you what you like to watch and what your interests are, all generated from using the NTVii system.
Initially Nintendo TVii will be available to Wii U owners in the US and Canada, but hopefully that will expand to other regions and across Europe, too. A key point Nintendo made was that Nintendo TVii is a totally free service. You may pay monthly fees for your streaming services, but accessing them through NTVii comes at no extra charge.
Is NTVii a killer service for the Wii U? That depends on how easy and intuitive of a system it is. But one thing is for sure, older gamers, and in particular parents, now have a reason other than games for picking up a Wii U this Christmas.
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