Don’t be a jerk, check out the Nintendo Network.

Whoomp here it is.

So in my last article I rapped a bit about the coming Wii U launch. I said I was a little dubious of Nintendo trying to target Xbox and Playstation owners, since a lot of the big features those players value are either barely available or not supported at all on Nintendo systems. One of the biggest ones is online support. Nintendo was late to incorporate online play and communities, and they’re still slowly getting a handle on it. Now I don’t want to sound paranoid or delusional, but shortly after I posted that article, Nintendo president Satoru “Sweet Cheeks” Iwata announced the Nintendo Network, a service that will provide some of the features that players have enjoyed on Xbox Live, and whatever they call Xbox Live on the PS3. I guess I better start writing articles about how Microsoft and Sony gamers want a new 2D Metroid and blank checks mailed to Matt Ferrett.

So far it has been announced that the Nintendo Network will support paid downloadable content, downloadable versions of full retail games, and personal accounts for Wii U users. The availability of DLC and downloadable retail games is a smart, if late, move by Nintendo and will be sweet for customers, but it’s the “personal accounts for Wii U users” thing that has me most excited.

Allow me to peruse my thesaurus, so I may select the verbiage that most accurately encapsulates my delighted fervor over this vague announcement!

The Nintendo Network will allow multiple personal accounts on the Wii U. So accounts won’t be tied to the system, with data stored in the cloud (for some reason the cloud, exciting as it is, has always sounded ominous to me). According to Iwata: “We will also be able to construct and offer the [personal account system] by combining a variety of different services and content.” Hmmm, a variety of different services and content you say? Now I don’t want to jump to conclusions:

But I think this is worth speculating on. This really sounds like the end of friend codes, which would be a huge step forward for Nintendo’s online play. I didn’t mind having a single, system-wide friend code for my 3DS, but to support multiple accounts on the same piece of hardware, it seems pretty natural that we’d be kissing friend codes goodbye and finally start using user names for online play on Nintendo systems. And from there it’s easy to assume that Xbox Live style achievements and player interaction can’t be too far behind. It’s too early to say whether the Nintendo Network will copy the best elements from Xbox Live and put a fun Nintendo twist on them, but that’s what I’m hoping for, and probably the best way to attract Xbox and Playstation players. Who doesn’t want to see something like this pop up after the first boss fight in Super Mario Universe on the Wii U:

We’re already seeing shades of these features on the 3DS. The eShop carries an awesome amount of content already. The Street Pass Mii Plaza awards Accomplishments for reaching a wide variety of milestones. Get far enough in Find Mii (a fun turn-based battle minigame in the Mii Plaza) and you’re awarded silly hats that you can use to customize your Mii and show off when your Mii arrives in other people’s Mii Plazas. The 3DS now carries game demos. Hopefully Nintendo keeps this momentum up… the Nintendo Network will need to be a full-blown service on par with Xbox Live if they really want to catch the attention of “hardcore” gamers.