Ever since the announcement of the Wii U, Nintendo's latest home console, and successor to the Wii at last week's games trade show, E3, we've been loading with more questions than answers. With every day that passes, and the dust settles after the mania of last week, more and more details are starting to slip out about Nintendo's latest console - this one in regards to the online.We wrote a story earlier today about Nintendo's new approach to online, with Ubisoft having confirmed that the console will do away with the annoying friend codes that plagued the Wii, and, to a lesser extent, the 3DS. Official Nintendo Magazine, on the other hand, have managed to squeeze a few more details out of Ubisoft - such is the advantage of being an official magazine.
New Super Mario Bros., with achievements?? Yes please.
At a roundtable at E3, Ubisoft confirmed to ONM that the Wii U will feature a secure friends list, that lets you track your friend's progress through games. While specifics were, understandably sparse, it does sound as though the Wii U may finally be getting its own version of the Xbox 360's achievements, which are basically small rewards you unlock for progressing through the game, and "achieving" certain things. They're remarkably addictive, and surprisingly rewarding, so their inclusion on the new Nintendo system would be a great boon.
Along with the friends list, Ubisoft also confirmed that you'll be able to track happenings in their upcoming multiplayer shooter, Ghost Recon Online through the Wii U controller directly, without having to turn your TV on. You'll also be able to arrange matches with friends, and access the online ranking system without having to turn on your TV.
Nintendo have stated that their online service for the Wii U will be comparable to the 360 and PS3. With the details that are starting to leak out, it looks like the Wii U may live up to its hype.
