Wii U Controller Will Have Functionality Like Skylanders
There is a lot of skepticism concerning the Wii U, and I can’t rightfully say whether or not it’s well founded. Back at E3 last year, I did have a chance to play with one, and watch a video on it’s possible capabilities, but I don’t know how that is going to translate to the actual product when it releases. The demo version was rather delightful to play with, but there was only so much you could do with it at the booth.
During the latest investor conference for the company, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told us that “NFC functionality” would be a feature of the Wii Pad. This Near Field Communication is best described by the recent Skylanders game, which used a peripheral to read physical toys and put them in the game. Using this wireless distribution of information, you can integrate all sorts of different planes into one gaming experience as Iwata explains:
“By installing this functionality, it will become possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via noncontact NFC and to expand the new play format in the video game world. Adoption of this functionality will enable various other possibilities such as using it as a means of making micropayments.”
While we don’t know the full capabilities of this function just yet, it makes me think that Nintendo is going to deliver on all the hype they’re giving it. You can expect to see the Wii U popping up on shelves around the holiday season of this year. There’s still no word of pricing just yet though as we have no idea what the hardware is going to be like.
