Nintendo Conference Outlines Plans For This Year

Last night’s Nintendo Investment Meeting has highlighted the company’s plans for the near future, setting out a few goals and letting slip a couple of nice nuggets of information about their current and upcoming consoles.

On the Wii U (which is rumoured to be undergoing a last minute name change after the rampant confusion seen with DS/3DS) we’re hearing that the system will have individual user accounts (yay) and something called Near Field Communication, which looks like a mixture of StreetPass and the ability to scan/touch things nearby.

Miyamoto said that, with respect to online, the Wii U’s network “has to have a totally new concept to be different,” whatever that might mean.

Over on the 3DS, this next (fiscal) year will see a new Super Mario game (a side-scrolling 2D one) and what sounds like micro-transactions: “If a Super Mario user gets tired, we can then sell digital extras which will drive extra revenue, encourage higher communication amongst users, and possible increased satisfaction and hardware install bases.”

There are 200 3DS games in development.

In general, Nintendo said there are still several “new, previously unconsidered alliances and partnerships” on the table, and they are thinking of allowing full retail title downloads on both 3DS and Wii U once they figure out how.

Via GAF.