Although arriving later than promised, Nintendo Tvii is finally here…at least in North America. Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime has gone on record stating, “After Dec. 20, you’ll never look at your TV the same way again.”
Nintendo Tvii promises to be an all-in-one entertainment hub of sorts, brining together your video streaming services like Amazon Video and Hulu, along with your cable channels, into one streamlined interface on the Wii U gamepad. This initiative into the broader world of entertainment is quite different for Nintendo, which have historically been strictly about video games and the gaming experience offered on their consoles.
Many view this is a necessary move for the company. Nintendo already got away with a 2006 Wii launch that lacked DVD functionality, fast-forward to 2012 and failing to address the ever growing number of entertainment services – and the wants and needs of their subscribers – could have been a massive oversight. If Nintendo wants their system to be the prevalent device of choice in living rooms, then the TVii initiative is definitely a step in the right direction.
TVii also offers the ability to post to Facebook, Twitter, and MiiVerse in real time on the Gamepad while viewing content on the TV screen.
Netflix functionality and Tivo support are two missing pieces of the TVii puzzle, but other than that, Nintendo has mostly delivered as promised. The absence of Netflix doesn’t seem like too much of a big deal as a Wii U app for the service already exists.
What do you guys think of TVii so far? Let us know in the TVii Forums on WiiUForums.com. We’re really interested in hearing your feedback! Be sure to check back later for our full and imminent review of Nintendo TVii.