Why did Nintendo focus neither on Miiverse nor online at its Wii U event?

We know that the Wii U lands in the U.S. on Nov. 18. We know that it costs $299 or $349, dependent upon which model you choose. We know that nearly 50 games are in the pipe for Nintendo's brand new game console this holiday. We even know quite a bit about Nintendo TVii, the company's second-screen solution for TV and movies on Wii U.

What we don't know is exactly how online and social, which Nintendo has dubbed "Miiverse", will work on the Wii U. The console launches in just over two months (as of this writing), so it's more than a little disconcerting that the Mario house hasn't told us all about it just yet. During an interview with Nintendo Director of Entertainment and Trend Marketing Amber McCollom, we couldn't help but ask: Why?

"It's true: We didn't spend a lot of time on Miiverse today," McCollom admits. "I think, the decision was--we spent a good amount of time on that at E3--there were actually some assets online. We had so much to announce today, so we really wanted to focus on the games and our entertainment pillar. I wouldn't say, just because it wasn't a big topic today, that it isn't a priority, but simply that we had so much to talk about today."

Answers that lead to more questions. Fortunately, McCollum had much more to say about the pricing strategy for the Wii U as well as a glimpse into how parental controls will work on the Wii U. Stay tuned for our full interview. Expect more on just how the hell this whole Miiverse thing will work ... at some point in the future.

Are you surprised that Nintendo didn't spend more time talking about the Miiverse and Wii U's other online features during its event? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Add Comment.