During today's Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation Nintendo introduced a new dimension to their online offering, called Nintendo Network Premium. It's a loyalty program similar to "PlayStation Plus" offered on PSN.
It is believed that this is only available with the Premium Wii U package, which also benefits from 32GB of internal storage and a larger price tag than the standard 8GB bundle (31,500 Yen vs 26,250 Yen). The Nintendo Network Premium service is designed for users who intend to download lots of content and includes a 10% discount on games in the online store.
We expect more details (in English) later today in the North American and European Nintendo Direct.
Comments 35
32 Gig system? That is so mine.
That's a pitiful amount of internal storage, but a 10% discount on eShop software sounds really sweet.
Awesome
How much for the Nintendo Network?
I don't buy things from a console's online shop that often, so I probably won't get that service.
Instant buy!!
@kyuubikid213 we didn't catch (from the Japanese) if it was included with the Premium pack, or an additional charge - they did mention a 2 year subscription though.
Is so good to be a nintendo fan now more than ever!!!! PREMIUM for me....
@antdickens I agree!!!
Interesting, I wonder if they're eventually going to offer free games like PS+ does as well? Hopefully they extend the program to 3DS as well, sometime in the future.
Yay or nay? I'm not sure what to make of this... I'm sure the 32GB will be sold out of stock when it hits stores. I'd like the 10% discount, but I'm not sure if it's really worth it or not...
So I guess the internal storage is really meant for eshop software then as even the 32GB system won't be able to store that many Wii U games.This isn't that big of a deal for me as I already have a 1TB external hard drive I can use for downloaded Wii U games. 64GB SD cards are really coming down in price too. I assume Nintendo kept the storage small in order to cut costs even more and make the system as affordable as it could be. Considering that it sounds like the GamePad alone might cost $150 that's probably a good thing.
Don't think I'll DL full games but i do DL a heck of a lot of ware on Nintendo consoles. May be worth it for me. Need to know about pricing. Interesting that Ninty r kinda doing XBL.
hmm this makes me wonder if they will have add on dlc for the games if so then this 32gb would be good for me other then that i rarely download any wii ware etc stuff =/
As long as I can plug an external HDD then the storage isn
't that much of a concern for me. However I would still get the 32GB unit!
I wonder if there is an ability to buy Premium outside of the 32gb because if I do get the system it will be the white one. and the extra 24gb isn't alot since I can just buy a 500gb hard drive for the extra money.
And IMO the premium service isn't much. Sure 10% is nice and all but in the end if that is all that it has to offer I will skip it. Main reason is that if I buy the 32gb system there may only be a few games that I would like in the 2 years and it would only end up being a pointless investment.
If they offered old Wii games at 50% off, Free VC or WiiWare games from time to time (like every month) also then I would be interested in paying for the 32bg system.
So getting the 32GB if the costs is reasonable
If neither system is coming with a game and the only noticeable difference is 8Gb white vs 32Gb black than I'm assuming the "Premium" package includes the 10% discount for 2 years and maybe later on they'll sell it separately. What else would justify the price?
On my WiiU event predictions I predicted premium membership
Am I Nostradamus or what?
Do we even know what digital games are available in the launch window and beyond, as bad as Nintendo has been, I wouldn't want to waste 2 year years of discounts.
@King_Boo
Well they've said you'll be able to download full retail games. Virtual Console will be available and we know that Trine 2: Directors Cut will be among the first downloadable titles to hit the WiiU eShop.
I hope there is no membership fee for Nintendo Network. That would suck!
Online Membership fees are what convinced me to never get an XBox.
PSN, however, I can respect. Hopefully Sony and Nintendo can get the videogame back to business as usual offering great games without a catch or hidden fees.
If executed correctly, Microsoft will have no choice but to follow suit. Unless they want XBox to go the way of the Dreamcast. But as a gamer, even I don't want to see that. I just want all systems to offer a free online experience. We're already paying a monthly fee for our internet service, so let's not charge for Nintendo Network, please, let's just NOT.
SEN doesn't force you to pay for online.
The Nintendo Network Premium is a limited service that free to anyone that buys the Premium Wii U.
There.
If this Premium version has a membership fee, I won't be getting it. The free aspect is what I like about Nintendo's network. Internet in itself is expensive enough as it is.
10% off across the board is an excellent incentive. I do a lot of VC shopping.
10% is very little, and if the difference between packages is really $100, remember you can pick up an additional 32Gb for around $15, meaning Nintendo Premium would have to be worth $85 for this to be a decent deal. Not a great deal, but a decent one. If discounts are the only benefit to Premium (probably not), you'd have to buy more than $850 worth of online content for Premium to be a good deal in that case.
I hope the premium is one time one pay since you get it with the premium package console!!
It'll be interesting to see if if can hold a candle to PS+, which gave out like 10 free ps3 games (but the downloadable versions) in June, and more each month.
By all means Nintendo, surprise me.
Seems fair to me. Pay extra for some special perks.
Interesting! Because if this means that every downloaded game will be 10% cheaper, then it's a fantastic investment on the long term!!
This would be the one thing that could potentially convince me to buy the deluxe package, because reggie made it sound like you'd get your subscription free with that set. Extra memory isn't in short supply for me, and Nintendoland isn't worth $50 extra over the basic set either.
Nintendo Network is FREE. This premium stuff is just an optional membership that rewards subscribers.
@Koto SUBSCRIPTION? There's a FEE?
I thought it was free for Deluxe buyers ;n;
@sushifreAk It IS free for Deluxe buyers. Nintendo Network is free for everyone.
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