Nintendo boss apologises for Wii U patch

Nintendo has apologised that the Wii U wasn't able to connect to the internet straight out of the box.

Anyone taking home a Wii U on launch day had to install a software patch before it was ready to get online.

"Personally I think that users should be able to use all the functions of a console video game machine as soon as they open the box," company president Satoru Iwata said in an interview. "So I feel very sorry for the fact that purchasers of Wii U have to experience a network update which takes such a long time, and that there are the services which were not available at the hardware's launch."

By 'services' he's referring to the TVii streaming service, which wasn't available on launch day in the US. Other streaming apps like Hulu Plus and YouTube took a few days before they were ready, too.

Online options

Iwata justified the Wii U's online options by saying the company needed to offer something different to the Xbox 360 and PS3. "We have not thought that offering the same features that already exist within other online communities would be the best proposal for very experienced game players," he said.

But then the original Wii didn't have that many online options, and it still outsold the Xbox 360 and PS3 by about 20 million consoles apiece.

The Wii U launched in the US on November 18, and hits UK shelves at midnight tonight.

Via IGN