The upcoming Nintendo console Wii U may include a full app store, much larger and more robust than the current stores Nintendo has implemented on the Wii and the portable systems, according to a report from The Daily.
NIntendo hasn’t confirmed the report. There was never much doubt Nintendo would have some kind of store on the next-generation console. Ever since the Wii’s launch in 2006, every major console release has included an online store, from the Wii Shop Channel to the DSi Shop to the 3DS eShop. It is no surprise the Wii U will contain its own rendition of the store, although up until now, there has been no word as to what form the store would take. It appears the new store will contain a wider variety of apps than any of the previous stores, including many unrelated to gaming.
One of the examples of apps that will be available for the console was MLB.TV, an app that would give subscribers the ability to watch Major League Baseball games directly from the Wii U console. The closest the Wii ever came to an app like this was its relatively recent inclusion of Netflix Instant Streaming. Given the design of the system and what Nintendo showed off at E3, it is not hard to see the capability of the Wii U controller as a tablet device similar to an iPad, opening up an entirely new avenue for application distribution.
It was only a few months ago when GamesBeat hypothesized the effect of Nintendo designing apps for the iOS App Store, but if this report is to be believed, the Big N might be taking that idea one step further. One of the most common gripes concerning Nintendo’s current console-specific stores are the prices, and in an environment where 99 cents is the norm, they might find themselves forced to reevaluate the cost of their apps.
(via The Daily)