Nintendo: Wii U online functionality will be free
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata doesn't believe there should be a fee for connecting Wii U consoles to the Nintendo Network.
According to a translation of Nintendo's annual shareholder meeting via Andriasang, Iwata said that having all users able to freely access the network will help spread the service's offerings through word of mouth. This tactic, his translated commentary suggests, is thought to lead to greater hardware and software sales.
Iwata also revealed that external developers were brought onboard with Wii U at about the same time as internal studios, which he hopes will counter lagging third-party performance. To prove Nintendo's renewed focus, Iwata reportedly pointed to the upcoming Namco Bandai collaboration behind the new Smash Bros. coming to Wii U and 3DS.
