Miyamoto is confident two-screen gaming is the way forward

Sales of Wii U systems in 2013 have been less than desirable. Uptake has been slow and retailers such as GameStop have called on Nintendo to educate consumers more on the advantages of the new home console.

However, Shigeru Miyamoto has called for patience claiming the Wii U GamePad, with it's additional screen, offers experiences that have previously been impossible.

In an interview with CNN, Miyamoto said he likened this point in Nintendo's history to when the DS was first sent out into the wild:

There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there's no way people can look at two screens at once.

I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like 'I can't do everything I want to do if I don't have a second screen'.

Miyamoto feels Wii U is more than about just games and integrates into the modern day living room, offering entertainment for every member of the household:

I feel a device like Wii U, with its ability to continue to offer new features and that network connection and the connection to the TV and the interface, really makes it feel that it's more than just a game machine, but something that offers a lot of practical use and practical purpose in the living room.

I look at it as being a very useful device that can do many different things and therefore really seems to be the device that's ideal to have in the living room.

As Miyamoto has previously expressed, Nintendo's main priority is to improve the functionality of Wii U. He said the system needs to be "a little more stable" and "more convenient" in order to provide users with the best experiences possible.

Small updates have already emerged, offering improvements to overall system stability, but there are two more to come, one in Spring and one in Summer, that will focus on speeding up the processes and improve loading times.

Miyamoto also spoke a little about the future of Miiverse, an application he himself recently made his debut on. He said Nintendo is still trying things out and exploring new ideas, but so far the company is pleased with the start it's made:

We're obviously still early on in it and just trying things out, but so far, it does feel like the community itself is doing a very good job of being a warm and welcoming place for people.

The legendary game designer also touched upon the wider issue of the contracting video game market. He said video games have become part or the world's culture and won't be going anywhere anytime soon:

The fact that we've reached an age where video games are being received the way they are just makes me very grateful. We've reached a stage where there's no longer a question of when the boom's going to end. It is simply: there are video games.

The future of Wii U depends largely on the games it offers. Recently we reported that the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines has been cancelled, but there are games on the horizon that will hopefully boost sales of the console. Pikmin 3 is Nintendo's next first party release and is set for a Q2 release.

Games can clearly have an impact on console sales. When Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was released in the UK, Wii U sales shot up by a staggering 125 percent.

What are your thoughts on Miyamoto's perception of Wii U? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source edition.cnn.com]