MiiVerse is Wii U’s killer app, says Fils-Aime

Nintendo’s social network MiiVerse will be the Wii U’s killer app, the console giant’s North American president has claimed.

Speaking to AllThingsD, Reggie Fils-Aime said that whilst the Wii U had a unique tablet controller, MiiVerse would become the system’s most important and attractive feature, and was a “key differentiator compared to other companies in our space”.

"I think that it will pleasantly surprise people,” he said.

“As the network grows and the installed base grows, it will prove to be a true killer application for the system, and I say this loving what we have done with Nintendo TVii and loving all the games. Until you try it and experience it, you may not totally understand it.”

Fils-Aime also addressed concerns that the chat capabilities on MiiVerse could open up children to adult content, but stressed there were parental controls in place to help prevent such exposure.

“We’ll be leveraging technology, the community and our own reviewers to determine what’s appropriate for the masses,” he said.

“What Miiverse is doing is quite different from anything else that’s being done, especially with the ability to hand draw messages and things of that nature."

He added that the GamePad itself also provided families with more reason to use the console than the Wii previously did, as the tablet controller could be used to search for shows on video streaming sties and monitor sports scores as well as playing games.

“I compete against time on the PC, time watching TV, and time spent on social networks,” he said.

“I already compete with all that stuff, and now you can do it in a new and engaging way.”