Nintendo Is Sorry That The Wii U's TVii Service Hasn't Launched In The UK Yet

Title: "[...] Hasn't Launched In The UK Yet"
Quote: "[...] Nintendo TVii service to Europe"

:<

Can they just get rid of the button...

Totally forgot this was a thing. Between XMBC, kissanime and Netflix I don't see me using it anyway.

Oh yeah. Is it just BBC iplayer, ITV player etc. or is it a bit fancier I wonder?

I don't even know what TVii is supposed to be. Basically, all I know about TVii is that it's an icon on the Wii U menu that gives you an error message when you click it.

I'd rather prefer a Dvd/Blu-Ray player built in instead of TVii: in South-Europe there is no Netflix!

@Damo conclusion: UK feels it is Europe all by itself :°

I can understand the delay in bringing the service to Europe. EU and UK TV services and viewing culture is pretty different to what exists in the US, so I'm assuming Nintendo has found there are more hurdles than expected in translating the TVii model across, and aren't willing to dedicate that much time or resources to developing it, when they have much bigger priorities to focus on when it comes to Wii U...

...but if that's the case, then for God's sake, get rid of the button on the dashboard. Its presence there is becoming something of an embarrassment, a constant red reminder that Nintendo have fumbled the development of their console's core media services. A button on the main home screen that does nothing but bring up an error message, more than a year after launch? As examples of poor planning go, it's almost as bad as having a typo on the main options screen. Nintendo just need to nix it for now and bring it back when/if they ever manage to get TVii working over here. If not, it's easy to visualise a scenario where that remains a vestigial, unused feature in Europe throughout the entire console lifespan, and that really WILL be an embarrassment. :/

Ugh. I assume this is something that;s going to come far too late in the day like everything else with Wii U. No disrespect intended. I love my Wii U.

@Maustallica Completely agreed, it is way more complex for the TVii feature across Europe. They just need to remove the button and give a specific direct when its added, people will forget about it.

Nintendo probably had a plan, but like they said the Internet Features are not being used by people so why spend so much time.

Just remove the TVii icon if we aren't getting it. Obviously most partners don't want to put man hours into integrating that stuff due to the Wii U's relatively small userbase...Which is a shame but as long as there's no Netflix in Belgium I really don't care.

Would be nice to see it up and running but compared to other rumored software upgrade functionality adding......I'd rather see dual gamepad support or the added range to gamepad use, even some nfc support would be nice to see at some point soon!!

I'm getting a little fed up of "it's coming soon", regarding games and applications releases here. Europe has still yet to get Devilish Brain Training, Scribblenauts Unmasked, TVii, or, of course, Flipnote 3D and PokéBank. That's 5 things we should have got last year. Hell, it would have been 6 if Scribblenauts Unlimited hadn't released in December.

Id love this to launch just so that non-working button does something...

@michaeldove you don't need Netflix to enjoy this app. Just a cable provider. North America is still missing DVR and TiVo functions I believe. To be honest I stopped using the TVii app after Breaking Bad ended.

@Maustallica, there is currently no full European services available, so they have to launch this regionally. If only Netflix was available to every country in Europe...

Is TVii some kind of app that let you see Tv shows on your Tv through your gaming console? Who cares?

They apologize for this but not for not having an account system, shows all that is wrong with Nintendo.

@childofacid I see your point. I'm currently living in Spain and to watch Canal+ on TVii would be awesome but to be honest, I strongly think that's never gonna happen :/

@Ony No, it's a branch of a larger company making an announcement. Why do you have to turn this into imagined Euro bashing by Nintendo UK or NintendoLife?
Anyway, I would hope it one day hooks up to free On Demand services like iPlayer etc if possible. (but I have to say I wouldn't hold my breath on the BBC making an iPlayer app, given the UK sales figures.)

@andreoni79 Not exactly. You still need your TV connected to a cable box. TVii is more of a social network? - Where people share their thoughts about the show as its happening live. You can also participate in polls and doodle on screen shots.

If by "enjoying" you mean "ignoring".

honestly I had completly forgot about Nintendo TVii

just gives us BBC iPlayer, with that and Netflix we won't need TVii

Even if this comes to Europe, I doubt we'll ever see it in Oceania.

@childofacid Ok, thanks for the info. Sounds even more useless to me now! I just watch Tv if there's a huge sport event, a real good movie or some intelligent reports, but I can't understand all this "social" things. (I just used Miiverse for the first days, than I forgot about it...)

Greetings from Brazil!
We do not have TVii... but even worse: we do not have Wii U eShop also!
That makes TWO dashboard icons that cause errors.

It will never happen in the uk! Why spend a fortune buying licenses and such with the small install base in the uk.

I think Nintendo is waiting for Mario Kart to be released (which will probably be the moment when the WiiU takes off definitely) to have everything done. Until that moment they are probably just "preparing the land" for what it's to come.
But hey, that doesn't mean I agree with it. I'm a current user and I'd like it to be more complete, I must say... I'm kind of fed up with the "please understand" joke lol

Personally couldnt give a toss about it. I wish they would just do an update that removed the icon from the home screen.

I didn't buy a TV AND console in order to watch the TV.

I wonder if it's sorry for all the other stuff it f'd up with on Wii U...

I'd been waiting for this all year,we havea smart tv now which has all the functionality this could have possibly provided so I don't care as much anymore. It would however enable me to watch everything anywhere there is an internet conection and a power supply.

If I wanted another box to do all the entertainment stuff like my PC, Bluray and PS3, I'd get an Xbox One.

Last time I checked the UK was part of Europe.

@Boukman It is, but like Australia and New Zealand (And Japan and the rest of Asia), release dates can vary between UK and Continental Europe.

Given how I imagine every country in the EU to have separate TV channels, this is probably a nightmare to do in Europe.

I don't watch TV outside of stuff I've ripped from DVD box sets I bought years ago and the odd thing I watch on BBC iPlayer on my iPad/Mac so I have zero interest in this (especially since reading the comments has made me even more confused about what it is). I'd also like the ability to customise that Home menu and remove it forthwith!

Man, people are so negative. Brighten up, will ya

When you guys finally get it over seas, you will love it (especially for sports). Promise!

"I think Nintendo is waiting for Mario Kart to be released (which will probably be the moment when the WiiU takes off definitely) to have everything done"

I have read this a few times already the past months. Why does everybody thinks that Mario Kart will quadruple WiiU sales numbers?

It's 2014. There are now a lot of cheaper games that do the same. Like Sonic Racing Transformed on every platform. Or Angry Birds Go! on mobile. Or you can just play Mario Kart on the 3DS. I don't think people will buy a console for 1 racing game when there are viable and cheaper alternatives then buying a new console for it.

Here is how it works......I connected it to my cable company by choosing my provider and I can get TV channel listings on the gamepad. It also has Miiverse like communities for different shows as well as the ability to comment, take polls, etc during the live broadcast......and I haven't used it since I plugged in the Wii U......I just need the U for games......and internet on the rare occasion that I left my phone more then 2 feet away!

You don't need cable. It brings all your services like, cable/satelite/antenna, Netflix, Hulu, TiVo(soon), and whatever you guys have in Europe is supposed to be all compiled on this app.

I have a 1080i digital antenna that gives me "free" TV after the initial purchase. All those programs are on there. You choose a channel from the guide(which doesn't even exist without this app, if you have antenna) and the GamePad will change the channel for you, from which you can watch whatever and do other stuff on the GamePad(TVii tag).

If I was interested in video streaming and TV, I'd probably use it more, but I do understand that it's a pretty cool app for if you like watching stuff.

Simple solution: develop separate downloadable apps in the eShop which only work for TV services in your country and are only available for that specific country. That way TVii functionality wouldn't be bound to system updates.

@Falco The service is over a year late and Nintendo is sorry? It's not good enough Nintendo get your act together and stop treating European gamers with contempt.
Wait, what? Uhh, I'm pretty sure TV=/=gaming in this universe.

I would bet this statement is all down to the one guy on the Wii U UK facebook page that keeps nagging about it. Honestly if the lack of Tvii in Blighty was the worst of the Wii U's problems 99% of us would be happy.

@Kaze_Memaryu His point probably is, and I agree, that if you're a Nintendo fan, Europe is the worst places to be out of EU, US and Japan.

Nintendo is so niche here it's not even funny. On rayman legends it seems I'm the ONLY danish guy who ever does online challenges or stuff on the leaderboards...

I really can't blame nintendo too much for this. Europe must be a total nightmare for a service like this. Add the relative unpopularity of Wii U and they probably have bigger priorities...

I love my wii u and admire ninty but at this rate they will be sorry the next time they realese a home console.

Only thing id want TVii for is to watch Father Ted from the 4OD (if its going to be there) player while im on a game for a difrnt machean or something

How much is it?

@FishieFish its free. Its the button you click on when you have desire for a quick error, before continuing to anything else.

@Ony - get over yourself mate, that's bullpoopoodoodiecacapoopledoople.

To answer Damo's q's:

"Are you keen to see TVii in your region"

No

"or had you largely forgotten it even existed?"

Yes!
_{Please watch the profanity — TBD}

I wish they would just remove the button from my menu.

I already have a TV that plays shows that I'm not interested in watching anyway. Just keep working on those games so I can play them on my gaming console... That's what I bought it for in the first place

I really hope they get this released soon. We could sue Nintendo for false advertising. It was a big reason I bought the WiiU, it's well overdue.
It's even advertised as a main feature on the back of the box.
Get it sorted Nintendo.

"please understand"
That made my day xD

You're not really missing out on anything. It's not that great of a service anyway. I find myself not ever using it. Nintendo TVii is a really bad concept that needs to be worked on further if it ever wants to be remotely useful.

They haven't even released lovefilm here in Germany, despite the service being available. I'm kind of disappointed

I got an email from them on this recently which I blogged about about here - http://ramitbawdeep.blogspot.com

@warlocknem Indeed. It's too bare bones and slow for its own good especially when compared to smartphone apps that can do the same thing but better.

Will not use it anyway. I wish they would just drop TVii and put all their effort into games and surrounding services.

@RainbowGazelle No one got Poke bank except Japan for a day, and then they took it of. ):

if you sorry too many times it will lose its meaning

Its not that great if a service actually. During the course of a program you're not given a chatroom for an overall episode. You're able to comment on chapters as an episode plays but these are very laggy and don't seem to be synched with the episode. Ive used it twice and the first time i attemptedthe episode i was watching lacked a tviitag and the app was useless. Its a great concept but its poorly executed. Im not a sports guy tho so i cant comment on that.

@3Daniel Yeah I played around with it when we got the Wii U, but it didn't seem like anything that special.

@paburrows its a much better service now as more shows are supported as opposed to the first 8 months of the wii us launch but its still not a defining feature that people should feel left out of for not having. Youd actually be better off just schedulibg with other mii users to comment on a specific miiverse post then wasting your time with this app.

The funny thing though is that the Wii has the Iplayer which makes it a more media capable system then the Wii U. Heck I'd be happy to watch the Iplayer through Wii mode but they've removed it!

Even the videos on the e-shop buffer way too much, a 2 minute trailer usually takes about 10 to watch, which is odd cause I can watch them with no problems on the youtube app on my Wii U.

If the PS4 and Xbone can have media functions at launch, why can't my Wii U have them a year after its own?

I have no interest in it anyway.

They need a firmware update (for all regions) to get rid of the button on the home menu and leave it as a regular button that sits in the apps list, because I'm sure no one is seriously using the feature.

It's not earth-shattering or anything, but I've used TVii off and on since launch. Weirdly, I think it works best for people with the least paid TV programming, since the feature I like the best is its simple Guide/Grid function that shows what's coming on all your channels. Most Cable services probably already have that, but since I use a digital antennae for free OTA broadcast (which the TVii app understands and syncs up with quite nicely) this gives me something I wouldn't otherwise have.

And watching sports with it is a nice simple way of tracking plays and stats. Not incredible, but a nice supplemental feature. They definitely hyped it way too much, though. Made it out to be something it's not. Come on, Reggie... under-promise and over-deliver!

This service isn´t really in NorthAmerica, it is only for USA and Canada. I want this service soon. I´m from Mexico (part of NorthAmerica too).

You're not missing much. I think I may have fiddled with it a couple of times and I found it so totally uninteresting and not useful at all. I tend to PVR everything that I want to watch anyway so I haven't found a use for TVii.

Maybe Nintendo should just release a generic Wii U apology announcement every week. Probably easier than crafting specific releases.

UK isn't missing anything. Tvii is not something to get excited about.

It is still a problem, Nintendo promises stuff that isn't here yet, f.e.in germany no TVii, no LoveFilm, ...

TVii is weak anyways. Could have been good if they had done it right, but alas they didn't. i tried to follow along with sporting events on the gamepad but it was too pitifully slow to keep up with the game — always several minutes behind on game scores and plays etc.

And remind me again why they didn't make the U function as a DVR (with obvious external storage device required)?

@taffy As a complete media device the Wii U is pathetic. In every case I can grab my Android HTC One and find what I want faster than I could do the same on the U. I want to see game scores: 5 minutes to open the TVii vs "Hey Google, whats the score on XYZ game?" with an answer in 1 second. Same for anything on Youtube (trailers etc). Same for TV schedule, or anything else I can think of. The console simply doesn't perform as well as it could. The still maintain that the gamepad concept is strong, but their execution was severely lacking. Too bad, because I do like Nintendo a lot.

@Tritonus Well, that certainly is true. Europe is largely behind when it comes to gaming. Just look at the countless similar simulation games made by european (mostly german) developers. Developers in general tend to stick to PC as well, since they're often not willing to get into console development and stuff. It's sad.
And ironically, FPS and western RPG are among the most popular genres for european gamers. They treat everything unrealistic (graphics-wise) like kids games, while media also loves enforcing the "games make you violent" lie without even flinching, sometimes worse than US.

I'm in America and I still don't even understand what Nintendo TVii is.

Pretty much used to this Aus, ps3 is ok (playtv is good) nothing works on xbox one, never expected to see tvii in Aus

@Damo

"It's Nintendo UK (and not Nintendo Europe) which has made this apology, hence the title."

When it is Nintendo UK which has made this apology, why is it shown on every European Nintendo Homepage??? Simple Answer: Because it wasn't Nintendo UK.

I have my doubts that TVii will ever appear in Finland or Nordic Europe.
Nintendo doesn't do anything in North Europe and Bergsala just doesn't care.

Also here the tv companies are such slow moving dinosaurs in moving to new technology that it also makes it very possible that we will never see TVii.

Well hey! At least you guys get something! Here in Chile, we barely get ANYTHING from Nintendo! Probably the only services offered by Nintendo (on Wii U) are Netflix, Miiverse, and that is about it! Nintendo TVii is not available here, when you go on Nintendo eShop, it's empty except for a simple "The Wind Waker HD Deluxe Set: How to Redeem your Codes for the game and Hyrule Historia." We can pretty much just only redeem download codes.

Unfortunately I think they've missed the boat with this service. Considering that the majority of the UK is served by Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB, I think that it may be too hard to successfully launch something like this without some major deals being made, some deals that I just can't see Nintendo making.

They're not missing anything since no one really uses it anyway.

Nintendo TVii? Is that the useless icon I have in my menu?