With mere days before the launch of Nintendo’s Wii U, reports are surfacing that many of the promised features for the company’s next-gen console will not be available when the system hits shelves.
According to CNet, the Wii U will ship with limited functionality, missing many of the video services the company assured the public would be up and running at launch. Among the missing elements is the eagerly anticipated TVii, a live TV, DVR, and streaming video service that was intended to make the Wii U a comprehensive media center. Nintendo has now indicated that TVii won’t be available until December.
Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus integration will also be missing at launch, with Nintendo promising that these video services will be available in the near future.
In the absence of many of the video features promised by Nintendo, the Wii U will likely be limited to just its gaming applications for anyone who buys it this weekend — though that probably won’t turn many people away. It’s worth noting that the Nintendo 3DS also shipped without many of its video services available at launch, and with limited functionality beyond basic gaming.
The Nintendo Wii U goes on sale this Sunday, November 18.
