Will U go Premium?

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.