Wii U Controller to include NFC Technology

Nintendo’s latest quarterly report didn’t paint a very rosy picture for the company. Profits were down 61 percent from the last quarter, a scary sign since Christmas is traditionally a good time for videogame companies. But Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata told investors not to panic. The Wii U is just around the corner and Iwata promises it will pack a punch, sporting new technology we haven’t seen in consoles to date, including near field communication.

NFC is a technology which is starting to show up in many smartphones. Small chips are able to communicate with each other through close proximity, essentially they create a virtual handshake and transmit data to eachother. Google Wallet is a prime example where customers can make purchases with their smartphone by bringing their phone near an NFC terminal at the cash register. Nintendo claims this technology is being incorporated into upcoming Wii U.

So how would Nintendo make use of this technology? Iwata says it will be used to “expand the new play format in the video game world”. He suggested small figurines (like we saw in Spyro Skylanders) that can electronically read and write data could communicate with the Wii U controller. Iwata also mentioned micropayments for game add-ons.

Iwata also mentioned the Nintendo Network, an online service gamers will use to compete, communicate and make purchases. Finally, a solid online community which doesn’t rely on friend codes.

Without a doubt Nintendo will be quick to show off these new features of the Wii U at this year’s E3 in June.

And for those of you who doubt the Wii U will surface in stores this year as promised, Iwata was quite clear it would not only make its way to the US (Canada included) before Christmas, but to Europe, Japan and Australia. It’s a bold promise when you consider the initial demand we saw for the Wii.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Wii U? Are you planning on buying one?

[Nintendo]

This post was originally published on the Future Shop Blog