MiiVerse Is The Wii U's Secret Killer App

Dealspwn.com explains why MiiVerse is one of the Wii U's most important features and deserves more attention.

Dealspwn writes: "Though it failed to light up the UK charts since November 30th, the Wii U has definitely become a talking point. Pundits, developers and gamers are obsessed with its power and specifications; arguing about whether it has enough grunt to be considered a next-gen console. We've been talking about the excellent Gamepad peripheral and how it could potentially lead to some revolutionary games. We've praised the launch lineup - which includes the excellent NSMBU and ZombiU - but complained that Nintendo's new console doesn't yet have a clear killer app.

What most people haven't been talking about, however, is MiiVerse."

[SIANSLOW]

I have to say that MiiVerse is a really nice place to be and some of the drawing is absolutely amazing

[AO1JMM]

I love it

[wiiulee]

miiverse is absolutely fantastic......then again all wiiu's features are incredible, nintendo need to do some quick tuning up because we're already know the followers will be copying everything about the wiiu soon.

[Riderz1337]

You had a great comment up until the last couple of words...why would you do that?

[Theyellowflash30]

Microsoft and Sony will do something like MiiVerse though. PlayStation Home came first, but its a little to much for its own good. I don't need second life. I just need a place to post and check out the communities of my favorite games. Which MiiVerse does very well.

[metroid32]

Chillout stop sticking up for Sony their doing everything wrong at the moment.

[Kos-Mos]

Because Nintendo innovates while the other companies copies like every generation.

[Drainage]

Yea its great but I hope they can do more with it. Its basically gonna be the Nintendo Fan Art gallary and will eventually get old if they dont update it with more game features. I like the ability to help others in games like ZombiU but most games arent that hard so we wont always have that. The NSMBU in-game thing is cool too.

[exfatal]

this is one of the biggest reasons i want to get a Wii U so earlier so i can establish my place in the Nintendo community asap. This is definitely Wii U's killer app imho.

[WeAreLegion]

Your place in the Nintendo community? I'm not sure I follow...

[exfatal]

as in joining the forums and start posting and making friends and such.. what was there not to understand? :S

[WeAreLegion]

Then...

Join forums. Make friends.

That has nothing to do with the Wii U. Just go join forums.

[WeAreLegion]

I enjoy the artwork.

Miiverse is great, if developers use it correctly. Posting hints to fellow NSMBU players is a great idea! They should incorporate that into other games.

[strigoi814]

killer - one that will kill wii U??
- one that can sell wii u to other people??

[MultiConsoleGamer]

MiiVerse is like crack.

MiiVerse is Nintendo's answer to facebook, twitter and 4chan.

[metroid32]

MiiVerse is amazing and Ninty will expand on it so expect it to get even better not that it needs to,it's also good for devs to learn what could of improved their games and read all the nice comments on their hard work very good all round for consumers and developers/publishers ect,it's the best/most useful feed bk a developer can ever get.

[riverstars86]

MiiVerse is definitely far from a killer app. It's a nice little feature on a platform that is behind even the current generation when it comes to the online infrastructure. I have no idea why Nintendo didn't implement popular online features like cross game chat and party chat. These are the features that gamers want when playing online and you can bet that Sony will be adding them to the PS4. People that love this feature must be blind fanboys because comparing this clunky interface, that is on the slowest loading console in recent memory, to social media websites, that can be accessed from many different devices, is comical.

The fact that Nintendo's online features on the Wii U are only tiny step up from the original Wii (no more friend codes), shows just how blind the executives at Nintendo are. I feel they just don't get the core gamer anymore and as a result. I will only ever use my Wii U for first party games, such a let down by Nintendo in my opinion.

[exfatal]

you my god friend seem to have no idea what your talking about. and b4 you go around calling people who actually see the potential in this awesome app a fan boy. I personal didn't really like actually talking to people while i game. Call me crazy but i actually prefere to play my video games by myself or a group of friends i get along with. Now with miiverse there's still chat function, but theres something better a gaming forum. and alot of gamers go to different forums to find like minded people and community to talk about the games they love. What has ninty done for us? They offer that on there console without turning off your system. u can use it just on the pad, and also its coming out for other devices like mobile and computers.

so.. yea.. think abit b4 u rage >_> and try to claim what all gamers want.

[riverstars86]

I hear you, I really do. I guess I was a little too brash. But for myself and all my friends whether from real or virtual life, we truly enjoy playing together and to always be connected with each other. Fortunately the party chat feature on Xbox Live allows just that and you can't tell me that you wouldn't want that feature on the Wii U so you could play with your friends you get along with. If someone gets bored, he can play another game and he can still chat and have fun in our conversation. I get that a lot of people aren't social gamers and want to just play alone, but I just got so used to the cross game and party chat of Xbox Live, that anything else is just sub par.

[LLJAF]

Your point is valid but what of Sony decision on Vita and memory card pricing, it's way overpriced and being thrashed by 3ds, smartphones and tablets but their exec's are not recognizing it and Microsoft, well they have said themselves that gaming income has been a letdown for them,why? cos third parties have benefitted most out of the 360.

[millzy102]

Nintendo network is miles ahead of the Wii and you can download game and system updates in the background, yes the os is slow but that's not the network, it took me 25mim for that first system update (I have 100 meg connection speed) all you need to do is play 2 player cod online on it where both people get a full screen to fully appreciate it. yeah there's room for improvments but isn't everything like that. as for cross game chat, I'm a hardcore gamer been playing multiple consoles for over 20 and I don't need or use it, I have a phone to talk to my real friends and online friends are only good to play with, I for one am really impressed with the Wii u and am 100% satisfied with my purchase. you do realise the person who set up Xbox live set up the new Nintendo network as Nintendo hired him.

[riverstars86]

Your argument does not scream "miles" ahead. Remember, these features are something that Microsoft had out of the gate in 2005. Don't get me wrong, it definitely is cool that you can play on two full screens while playing COD online, but that doesn't excuse the lack of a highly integrated and accessible online infrastructure. This is a mistake in my mind after a generation of gaming proved that online gaming on consoles is a big deal.

LLJAF: I don't own a Vita and could care less about it. Microsoft has to see some value in console gaming or their share holders would be up their necks about it. What I am arguing is the online features of the Wii U compared to other consoles. They had the time and resources available to make a much better online infrastructure for the Wii U. In my opinion, it is going to let down a lot of gamers who are going to purchase the Wii U. It's fine if you don't agree with me. I have no bias towards any company, I just feel strongly about online gaming and that is where Nintendo has failed me two generations in a row.

[TongkatAli]

My only problem is how everything is censored. Trust me if Youtube was censored the way Miiverse is it would have never gotten as big as it got.

[MoveTheGlow]

I agree with the advantages of Miiverse, I really do, but there's a huge problem with the article, and it's that the author doesn't know what a "killer app" is.

In the games press, a "killer app" is an application that will convince consumers to buy the hardware attached to that application. It "kills" the competition's offerings and convinces you that you have to have this particular thing. It's software which generates hardware sales due to how amazing the software is.

For example, Final Fantasy 7 was the killer app for the PS1, Halo was the killer app for the original Xbox (although you could argue Live did it also), and Metal Gear Solid 2 was the killer app for the PS2. FF7 and MGS2 weren't anywhere near done when the systems were released; they triggered a second huge wave in hardware sales, separate from the early adopter wave. Typically, killer apps are exclusive to one system, but you could say CoD4 did this for the 360, or Crysis was the killer app for a generation of PC upgrades.

By that train of thought, the killer app for the WiiU isn't out yet. Let's say they make a Metroid game that breaks the boundaries on what we expect out of an action game, and millions of gamers go out and buy a WiiU to play that game - that Metroid would be a killer app. Ask consumers why they bought a WiiU, and "Miiverse" is not going to be your typical response. It's a good feature. It stands out. It's not a killer app.

[CaptainN]

Miiverse is great......that is all that's needed to be said. Once you try it you will wonder how you played in the past without it. Its a great way to make new friends, ask for help in games, get reviews from actual owners of games, draw some art etc. Its a nice community that Nintendo moderates just to keep it a great experience.

And for those that need voice chat while not in a game, that's what the video chat is for on Wii-U....you can have video chat with your friends whenever you want when your not playing a game together.