Just saying it brings fond memories of jumping over tumbling barrels to save the princess from a giant ape — Nintendo. The once video game giant is reinventing itself once more. It’s come a long way since the good old days — the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and Game Cube — traditional gaming consoles.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFlcqWQVVuU&w=420&h=315]
Wanting to jump the shark, Nintendo gave us the Nintendo Wii, a console that “reinvented” the way we play video games. Using a remote control shaped quite similarly to a TV remote control, one could play video games by waving it around like a wizard’s wand. The Wii also allowed users to download apps such as Hulu and Netflix, a feature that became standard for “next generation” consoles XBOX 360 and PS3.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE&w=420&h=315]
They’ve jumped the shark again. Now, instead of looking like a wizard watching TV in your parent’s basement with the Wii, you can look like a tablet user watching TV in your parent’s basement with the Wii U.
TV watching is moving toward the integration of all forms of entertainment into one device. With their TVii, Nintendo wishes to fill this market (like everyone else).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08O0G9CjcI8&w=560&h=315]
Of course, you can watch streaming content through Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime — this is nothing new. You can also synchronize your cable TV and TiVo watching on this device (just TiVo — not regular DVR yet).
This tablet also allows you to surf the internet and social media while you watch TV, like any other tablet. It breaks my heart to say this, but Nintendo is fighting to stay relevant. The XBOX 360, Microsoft’s console that released in 2005, is outselling the Wii U (released this past October) this holiday season.