Finally, we can all breathe a sigh of relief! Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U will not use the dreaded Friend Code system, and will instead rely on a much simpler account ID system, much like Xbox Live and every single other user account system on the planet. This will be one’s Nintendo Network ID, which will likely also be carried over to the 3DS in the future.
The Wii U will feature an improved online functionality compared to the original Wii, and will employ Nintendo Network for many of its online features. Such features include online multiplayer, the Wii U eShop, Miiverse, and more. It was recently confirmed that players will have to download many of the online features via a day-one software update from Nintendo, when the Wii U console boots up for the very first time.
