So long as children who buy anything digital on their Nintendo Network account understand that they are, atm, buying those only for that one console, I don't see a problem.
Nintendo Network ID tied to single console
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Company confirms account can only be used on Wii U system where it was created; future support for other devices planned.
Nintendo Network accounts can only be used on the Wii U system where they were created. The company confirmed the news in a Wii U support page. This means players cannot access their accounts from a friend's console or transfer information to a new Wii U should the system break, at least for now.
"A Nintendo Network Account can only be used on the console where it was created," reads the statement. "In the future, you will be able to use your Nintendo Network Account with future Nintendo consoles and other devices, such as PC's."
The Wii U supports up to 12 specific Nintendo Network accounts per console. Each member can have their own unique identity on the console, tailoring items to their specific liking.
The Wii U launched yesterday in the United States. For more, check out GameSpot's coverage of the Nintendo World launch event and reviews of Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
86 comments
1 Like I feel the biggest disappointment right now is the virtual console, and old wii games, not being able to be played on the gamepad...which was the biggest selling feature. As they update these old VC games to be played on the gamepad they better not expect the people that have already spent money on these games to re-spend their cash. I hope they offer some kind of $1 per game to upgrade to the Wii U version of these VC games.I just want to play Final Fantasy 3 and Super Mario World on the can!
I have two Wii U's like I have two 360s and three PS3s. There is a problem right there.
I can't put my ID on my second Wii U. That's a big problem. Console stolen? Problem. Console breaks? Problem.
I have multiple PCs and I have my steam account on all of them. I have my PSN account on all my PS3s and I have my Gamertag available on any 360.
This is a problem.
I don't understand why people are attempting to downplay this without thinking about it for at least a minute. This is clearly a problem.
2 Like @franzito everything you buy or play on the WiiU that is tied to your account is gone when your WiiU inevitably breaks like any modern console, be it 1 year from now or 7.
2 Like @franzito The ID's not the issue(at least not yet) It's the console the ID's tied to. Imagine if you broke a 360, and found that your gamertag was unable to be moved to a new one....including your gamerscore, saves, achievements, and downloaded content.
3 Like I think Nintendo lives in their own world, sheltered from everything else that goes on around them. Ever heard of the cloud, Nintendo?
Honestly, I don't even think Nintendo thought about this as an important thing until it was brought to their attention.
2 Like Great more news that the wii u is not even as good as the current gen let alone have any business being a next gen system. So I can have a 32 gb harddrive versus 250-500 for ps3/xbox, and am stuck to one console. Good game nintendo.
PS4 and Xbox " " will smoke it in the dust. The Wii U is a generation late. The Wii was lucky because it was different. Most people that bought a Wii didn't use it longer than 2-3 months before it collected dust. It was a fad, and people ate it up. Let's see if lightning strikes twice. Hopefully people have gotten smarter, but I doubt it.
P.S. The glory days of Nintendo are over. Long live Nintendo N64 and it's predecessors before it. Everything after, forgettable.
Does this mean I can't transfer Virtual Console games over to the new system from my old original Wii?
1 Like Yeah because being able to bring up my Live account at my friends when we play games really sucks. One can only hope they fix this. Common sense would tell you they will, but that statement from the company didnt really lead you to think they will. Its looking more and more like the next gen of consoles will try to put so many gimmicks on the systems they just might outsmart themselves out of buys.
This is obviously temporary and will be fixed soon. I mean seriously you're dumb if you think nintendo is that stupid to lock up their system like this. They gave us external hd's and sd card's to use as memory for crying out loud! I know they will fix it so I ain't even mad.
Should be available on day one. You would think you spend all that money on R & D only to not have this important featured put in the back burner for a future update. WTF. GTFO if you think is okay then you sir, are sheep. What if your system fails tomorrow? ....
I didn't say its ok I just know it will be fixed. and I consider myself more of a hermit really. LOL
1 Like ...All I can see here is a needless limitation and it smells too much like Microsoft licensing gimmicks...
Weird. I figured it'd be like most other things with a specific login tied to an account online, that could then be used on multiple devices. It would be strange to have it tied to a specific device.
1 Like Lol it doesn't matter? I guess you have a money tree in the backyard. Good for you sir.
4 Like @ToTs_00 I have a Wii U and I think it matters because official word came out after I payed for my $350 console..
Pathetic! So, if my Wii U get an YLOD-like hardware failure (which pretty much happens to all consoles now), I lose everything, including all my saves and all my purchases? This is so wrong!
1 Like @nurnberg YLOD is rare among ps3... Console deaths were only common with the original 360 and early fat ps3(mine hasn't crapped out yet). I don't see the Wii U having reliability problems could be wrong though.
So you're going by it "probably" wont fail. The fact is.. your Wii U isn't the only one in the world and there are MILLIONS of Wii U's out there and some WILL fail. Are you one of those people that say, "If it doesn't happen to me... it's fine?" That's a terrible brain you have there.
6 Like I would call this a big deal except nobody I know is even considering getting the Wii U, and at this point I doubt I will either so I don't even give a shit.
3 Like While this is a little disappointing, it's not a big deal for me. I am careful with my systems and I do not go and play games at others' homes often. I do hope they make it to where you can transfer later on.
Still getting a Wii U.
1 Like @Flint247 im careful with my PS3, i i make sure i dont move it from place to place, i made sure i keep the area clean and clear of dust, i made sure the PS3 was clean and did my best to keep dust off it, and it YLOD
@msfan1289 @Flint247 Look up the fail rate for the ps3 when it happens you are among the elite few that have this problem. Also the Wii U is built more like the ps3/360 slim efficient design that doesn't require much cooling.
1 Like @msfan1289 @Flint247 Okay, I may have used the wrong term with "being careful", but even still, it is good to be careful, anyways, even the system has problems you did not intentionally create. None of the machines are perfect.
I do hope this issue can be solved in the future.
@Flint247 @msfan1289 I put my ps3 in the washing machine to clean it and now it won't work. I dunno what the heck is wrong.
Some have said that when their Wii crapped out on them, they sent it to Nintendo paid, then Nintendo sent back a new Wii with all their stuff on it. So I imagine you won't lose everything forever.
1 Like @Spacerac that was the Wii, we are talking about the Wii U.
like the PS3 if you didnt back up your PS3 and it crapped out, and you send it in, you lost everything.
@msfan1289 but everything is tied to your PSN account... it's insanely easy to recover.
WiiU content is tied to the console... there's a huge difference.
@msfan1289 My implication was it will likely be the same with Wii U, and this is also likely temporary.
I know about that with PS3, because I lost protected saves I didn't have backed up with plus, and saves that I didn't back up when I had to ship my old PS3 off earlier this year. I was able to re-download all my games though. This time around I've got all my savedata backed up.
This comment has been deleted
@Suikogaiden They want to play the next Mario, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, and Super Smash Bros.
4 Like @Suikogaiden So you are saying all the consoles that preceded modern generation are all garbage since they didn't have online gaming or network accounts? Great logic. They just said it will be fixed in the future: ""In the future, you will be able to use your Nintendo Network Account with future Nintendo consoles and other devices, such as PC's."Reading comprehension fail?
1 Like @BestJinjo @Suikogaiden The thing your forgetting is that although the PS2 and GCN didn't have user accounts they did have memory cards which allowed saves to be used on any console. The Wii U locks saves and accounts to one console which means it is a step back from even PS2 standards.
@Zepthire95 @BestJinjo @Suikogaiden It should save everything to the massive controller instead.
1 Like What kind of argument is this? Are you seriously comparing modern consoles with PS2s? There is a good reason why PS2 is obsolete and discontinued. What a bad argument.
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