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The Wii U’s use of an integrated second screen poses a notable threat to Microsoft and Sony’s rival machines.
That’s according to design legend Shigeru Miyamoto who speaking to CNN said that the Wii U’s impact will grow considerably over time.
"The challenge that we had was if someone wanted to view television, then you couldn’t play games,” he explained. We wanted to have a second screen for Wii U that would make it possible for people to essentially play games even if something else was on the TV.
"There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there’s no way people can look at two screens at once.
"I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like ‘I can’t do everything I want to do if I don’t have a second screen’."
Miyamoto also believes that Wii U has another ace up its sleeve – the fact that its design affords it a purpose as a general living room device.
"I feel a device like Wii U, with its ability to continue to offer new features and that network connection and the connection to the TV and the interface, really makes it feel that it’s more than just a game machine, but something that offers a lot of practical use and practical purpose in the living room," he added.
"I look at it as being a very useful device that can do many different things and therefore really seems to be the device that’s ideal to have in the living room.
"The other thing I think about is how do we begin getting people to understand that and convey the usefulness of Wii U to them. For me as a game developer, obviously I look at Wii U from the perspective of what games I can bring to Wii U."
