Lisa Eadicicco said, “Although Wii U’s ordinary online services will be free of charge, Nintendo may ask users to cough up some extra bucks. But at least we are not thinking of asking our consumers to pay more money to just casually get access to our ordinary online services. Recently, Nintendo shot down the idea of a subscription-based service similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Live, saying it didn’t fit the Wii U audience.
The Wii U has a wide variety of customers. From the ones who enthusiastically play video games to those playing more casually, who are not always interested in them but try to play a game only when it becomes a public topic or play it just during certain periods, like a year-end season and summer vacation.
It is unclear exactly which types of services Nintendo will charge for, but it doesn’t seem likely that MiiVerse activity will come with a fee. Satoru could have been referring to possible DLCs for future Wii U titles, or other types of online downloads. After all, the Wii U will be capable of supporting various types of entertainment outside of the gaming world, so Satoru could be referring to different apps and services.
Satoru also addressed concerns about those who were skeptical when it came to the non-traditional gaming consoles.
Fans and critics are still anxiously awaiting more information about how much the next-generation console will cost. Rumors have surfaced online that have yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, such as a leak by a German Amazon retailer that listed the Wii U at approximately $500.”
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