Legendary games developer Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed to Kotaku that the Wii U controller will feature an built-in web browser. Apparently Miyamoto considers this addition to the Wii U tablet controller the biggest design accomplishment Nintendo has managed for the new console. Do you imagine that you will use the Wii U tablet controller to browse the web when you’re not gaming?
“You have a screen available at any time that you can check,” he explained. “This dedicated second screen, and the way people may use it, not just for gaming, but to do things like browse the Internet, is the Wii U’s single, biggest design accomplishment.
“When you look at most TVs in home nowadays it takes awhile for them to turn on. That becomes a barrier for people.”
awesome sauce
How damn much will that controller cost?!
We’ve been over this on numerous posts and various websites before. I’m sure you’ve seen at least one discussion on this very topic before. The controller will come packaged with the system, like controllers always do. You will get one. There will not be any more for sale separately, so the controller is effectively free (though I’m sure it will bump up the initial cost of the console).
Fear not, though. If your controller breaks, you will not be screwed. Nintendo has one of the best customer services out there. You’ll be able to send in your controller and they’ll fix it, just like you’ve been able to do with any official Nintendo hardware to date. Then again, I’ve never had a single piece of Nintendo hardware break (excluding the shoulder buttons on my DSi) seeing as they’re made of Nintendium. Anyway, what I’m saying is that you shouldn’t have a problem with the controller.
Nintendium…heehee, good one.
You do not know if they will sell separate controllers or not. I imagine they eventually will. Make them a few extra bucks. And who wouldn’t want a few extra bucks. Granted, there is demand.
Hi, I’m “Two Weeks Ago,” nice to meet you.
Your information is wrong, sir. The whole “it won’t be sold separately” was never confirmed. It was ASSUMED. And you know nothing of how to replace a controller, so don’t pretend like you do. The console is almost a year away from launch; you couldn’t possibly know. Stop trying to sound like a know-it-all and just wait and see like the rest of us. It’s people like you that spread false information and confuse the hell out of everyone who doesn’t know any better.
It’s true that nobody has specifically said something about it, but it’s only logical to assume that the console will come with it’s own controller, it has always been that way hasn’t it? Don’t think about it as an accessory or a special controller; it’s THE controller for the Wii U, not necessarily a product in itself.
Holy crimney. This just keeps getting better and better. :D
One question: does it support Flash and all that other expensive stuff? So we can play (some) online games? You know, for when you don’t have a game to play, or you completed them all?
this is nintendo … so no
I don’t think they’d leave out such an important feature on Web browsing as Flash is. For example, one of the most visited sites would be Youtube. It requires Flash to play the videos, and if Wii could do that there’s no way Wii U couldn’t.
Apple has gotten around Flash. Nintendo included Flash on the Wii Browser, so it is possible.
I could see using the Wii U controller to look up Game Faqs while trying to get 100% on a game.
My only wonder is if you can use the web browser while playing a game. Say on the TV Screen you got the game and are stuck at a point, can you use the controller to browse the net to get help for that part of the game without having to turn off the game? It’d be really helpful if you could. Like tabs maybe. 1 Tab on the controller for the then open another for web browsing and such. I think this has a LOT of potential to be really good. But also could fall flat on its face.
I like this very much. Integrating easy access help on tricky puzzles would be awesome and you wouldn’t have to leave your seat!
In no way does that confirm an internet browser -.- He just says it could possibly be used for it
He says it will have a browser dude.
I highly doubt that he would have mentioned that specifically if there weren’t plans for it. Anyway, pleaseee let there be flash support.
Did you forget the part of the conference where there was the trailer and someone was browsing the internet on their TV and Wii U Controller simultaneously?
Granted, that doesn’t confirm it’s in the controller, but I’d say that confirms browser support. Also, I don’t ever remember him saying “could” in that quote.
I keep hearing about all these great features but that just makes me wonder how much is this going to be????
YouTube pretty please Nintendo! YouTube works on the Wii.
Remember that part of the trailer where a video was shared? YouTube is coming. Don’t worry about that. They haven’t made an announcement, but YouTube should come unless an unforseen tragedy strikes.
If it’s anything remotely as crap as the 3DS browser, then I don’t really care.
“This dedicated second screen, and the way people may use it, not just for gaming, but to do things like browse the Internet, is the Wii U’s single, biggest design accomplishment.”
You’ve kind of misread the quote, he didn’t say the internet browser itself was it’s biggest design accomplishment, but the way people use the second screen to do things other than gaming, in general…
Yeah, he tends to misinterpret quotes quite a bit.
Just need it to play games.
What tv’s take so long to turn on?
That’s an odd thing to say.
HD TVs
I have an old CRT tv for gaming and it also takes a while to turn on.
Yeah probably a year after launch on the 3rd system update they’ll have a web browser ;)
LMAO… Good one, I about died laughing. So true.
Hmmm… I bet it will be slow as snails, it won’t have flash, and we won’t have the internet browser until 5 months after the Wii U launches.
I guess it should be similar to the 3DS in that you can press the Home button and launch the web browser and return to the game after that. I guess I’m happy for this feature, but I hope they don’t forget that it’s games what we want the most out of this system. They should concentrate on thos and on their online infrastructure and an online shop before they can work on a browser that you can get with pretty much every other device, and maybe better with flash and stuff.
This is missunderstanding. The controller won’t have its own web browser is the console’s the one you’ll be using on the controller.
Not bad, it will come in handy.
if it has flash ill be impressed
I gotta say that I’m….sorta stoked?!? I mean it seems like NINTENDO is pumping out some crazy hardware and I agree that first and foremost I’m more about the games and then second for whatever utility’s the hardware may offer. This controller does sound pretty cool though. I’m wondering if the Internet capabilities are tethered via infrared…etc…to the console or does the controller itself have dedicated wireless capabilities. Cuz man if it’s a wireless Internet device outside of console use…..that’s pretty slick. No reason why it couldn’t be used as a tablet and have quite a few practical uses…..if NINTENDO delivers that is. ( I know I sound a little pessimistic but I am a solid NINTENDO fan who actually does play and support other game producers….yes we do exist. Seriously I love NINTENDO but my money’ll go to whoever can deliver what it is that I as a consumer am looking for.) Sorry NINTENDO I love ya but I’m a little less than impressed with my 3DS and am waiting for that dropped ball to be picked back up.
THERE WILL BE NO FLASH…..AND YES THE WII U WILL HAVE ONE CONTROLLER AND IM NOT MAKING THIS UP…NO NEED TO MAKE SHIT UP….NINTENDO SAID THIS WEEKS AGO..BUT ADDITIONAL CONTROLLERS WILL BE EXPENSIVE BUT CAN HAVE MULTIPLE CONTROLLERS..
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The wiiU will fail just like the Gamecube, if you consider the Gamecube a failure.
(quote from source link)”The controller’s screen is not actually able to process information, it just relays it”
Guess no one here reads. its still streaming from the console.
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Internet browsers are so crap on the handheld systems that it wouldn’t surprise mr if they were that that bad on the Wii U controller to. It won’t even have any type of support format to play videos or any other such features except taking forever to load text and so on. When they said the 3DS was more powerful then the Wui I assumed that at least the browser would do some justIce. So not excited.
Even the most powerful computer can have trouble with internet browsing. It requires a powerful browser and a fast connection.
Would you want to play MMOs on Internet Explorer?