The Wii U's online was recently revealed, but what is in store for us?
Miiverse will become available to Wii U owners on day one through a downloadable patch. While there was limited information up until the recent Nintendo Direct, Miiverse and several other facets of the Wii U’s online infrastructure have been detailed. Check out some of the things we know so far.
Account System
Friend Codes are finally a thing of the past. Each Wii U system can have up to 12 accounts enabled, which in turn can be affiliated with a Nintendo Network ID. The Nintendo Network ID is no longer a string of numbers and can be a string of characters chosen by the user. Purchases made on a Wii U from one Nintendo Network ID are accessible from all other users on the system.
Nintendo eShop
The eShop was the most recently detailed feature of the Wii U’s online network. On the service, it has been confirmed that demos will be available, as well the ability to rate games and leave Miiverse comments. A keyword search is also available to narrow down your search. The eShop will see the release of both digital-only titles as well as digital copies of retail games. Overall, it is now safe to assume that the Wii U eShop will function similarly to that of the 3DS. Owners of the Deluxe Wii U bundle can make use of a digital promotion—games you buy digitally will in turn earn you some redeemable points.
Wii U Chat
Wii U Chat is the video chatting functionality built into the Wii U. By connecting with one of your friends, you will be able to communicate face-to-face. In addition, you will also be doodle on the screen for others to see. If you are in the middle of playing a game and the Home Button on the GamePad lights up, it is indicating that you are receiving a call from the Wii U chat feature.
Miiverse
Miiverse is definitively the most expansive of all the Wii U features. With Miiverse, you will be able to communicate and find out what your friends are doing on the fly. Players can leave messages that can then be viewed by friends, followers, or anybody else. Using Miiverse, you have the ability to follow others and find out on a regular basis what they are talking about.
Certain games will take advantage of the service more than others, but all games will support it in one way or another. With games that feature sensitive spoilers, you are able to mark your post as a spoiler, and others can do the same to your posts. Miiverse will one day come to future Nintendo platforms, and is currently scheduled to be supported on PC and smartphones at some point in 2013.
