Video: Is This What Miiverse Will Look Like On Your Smartphone?

Miiverse made mobile

by Damien McFerran Sat 30th Mar 2013

Soon there will be no escape from Miiverse

A video has hit the web which appears to show Nintendo's Miiverse running on a smartphone via its web browser.

The footage shows someone navigating through several Miiverse posts in the iPhone's Safari browser — and not via a dedicated application. There's a chance that this may be the only way to access the service from a mobile device, although we wouldn't rule out a faster, slicker-looking app being on the cards. This dual strategy is already used by services such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and ensures that any mobile device with a web browser can join the party.

Nintendo revealed last week that Miiverse would be viewable on your phone and PC by the end of May. A 3DS version is also in development.

You can check out the footage below and make up your own mind about its authenticity, but it would appear to be the real deal.

[source nintendoeverything.com, via youtube.com]

Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media's sites from an editorial perspective. He's also the editor of Time Extension, the network's newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming's past glories.

1
19Robb92
Sat 30th Mar 2013

Neat. I really want this app, feels a bit limited to only be able to use it on WiiU. Sucks that it stopped just when the 3DS showed up

2
Aviator
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I hope it's through an App. I'd be super sad if it wasn't.

3
BenAV
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I'd prefer an actual app for the convenience, but I'll settle for using it through my web browser if I have to.

4
DePapier
Sat 30th Mar 2013

"There's a chance that this may be the only way to access the service from a mobile device, "

No. Nintendo said they'll make apps later on in a Direct. If needed I can search this Direct for you, but this chance is plainly wrong. (Though I can expect my BlackBerry Torch to not be graced by an app but hey, at least I'll have the browser and it already looks ergonomic.)

5
gingerbeardman
Sat 30th Mar 2013

This shows how much nicer it is to use an iPhone than the Wii U Gamepad.

@SanderEvers the Facebook app is now (mostly) native rather than a wrapped website. Instagram is still website. Not sure about Twitter, as I don't use the official app.

6
DePapier
Sat 30th Mar 2013

@gingerbeardman Err... no. Can you tell me how you're going to post in-game pictures on your iPhone? Oh! And I want to see you draw with your fingers, I'm gonna be pretty amused.

7
jbcubed3
Sat 30th Mar 2013

Yep - it is the real deal as the footage matches what Nintendo showed during the GDC conference: http://www.cubed3.com/news/18375/1/miiverse-on-phones-browsers-this-may-gdc-details.html

8
DePapier
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I really hope they won't allow none-Wii U owners to post on Miiverse through their smartphones. We don't want no trolls on that social network, I'm already amazed at how many people over there can troll on the Wii U ON their GamePads, and WITH their Wii Us: you would wonder why they bought the console.

9
MattGameCast
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I just woke up. This made my morning great.

10
hcfwesker
Sat 30th Mar 2013

@DePapier It's mostly just friends of a WiiU owner or those spoiled kids who's parents buy them anything even if they didn't ask for it. They're always fun to mess around with.

For me, I'll just use the phone app for browsing Miiverse and checking notifications while away from home and at work. But stick to using the WiiU GamePad for jumping in conversations and such.

11
Dizzy_Boy
Sat 30th Mar 2013

nintendo should only allow people to post if they have a NNID and password.

12
MussakkuLaden
Sat 30th Mar 2013

at Dizzy_boy: Well, I am pretty this is how it'll be. Everything else would be rather pointless...

As to the the topic and as DePapier already pointed out, in the Nintendo Direct in February or something (or in a statement directly after, I am not exactly sure), Iwata explicitly said that Miiverse will be a browser-based app in the beginning. This has the advantage that it should also be accessible from any computer, not just smartphones. But he also said that they plan to make it available as a proper app later. I wouldnt bet that the latter happens all too quickly and I am pretty sure that we need to use a browser for some while.

13
DarkNinja9
Sat 30th Mar 2013

@DePapier i agree i would hate to see ppl being able to post from their smartphones least drawing comments im ok with the normal text comments but still imagine the spam waiting to be put -_-

14
Icefreak45
Sat 30th Mar 2013

What a tease, ending it on "Miiverse for Nintendo 3DS."

15
Simmer_E
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I think a way to keep out unwanted people, is to have them register with their Club Nintendo account, or with a Nintendo console

16
Neram
Sat 30th Mar 2013

I still think it's going to be browser based. I know Nintendo said they're developing an "app" for Smartphones, but they could be calling it that even though it isn't technically an app. From what I've seen, they like to take the cheapest way to do things, and that would be to make it browser based so that it's accessible from any device that has a web browser, even the 3DS.

I hope I'm wrong through, I'd like to see Miiverse fully integrated into the 3DS rather than using the web browser.

17
e-love
Sat 30th Mar 2013

Looks really nice. This will be great for me, since my Wii U has issues connecting to Miiverse.

18
Wodkalime14
Sun 31st Mar 2013

I hope they will come up with a really nice web application so you have access on every device but if they make native apps for mobile devices that would be cool to. But i think the most import thing is de 3ds support. And then as 3ds software, fully integrated. So that you can communicate while playing games. And it would be nice if you can make and upload screenshots and also share those easy outside miiverse to other forms of social media.