Can Miiverse Create Social Gaming?

We have seen a ton of different attempts to bring the thrill of social networking into the gaming universe, and as much as we hate to say it none of them have actually fared to well in the overall grand scheme of things. Take a look at Sony's PlayStation Home. It may have some small hardcore niche audience still lying around, but is anyone seriously still using their actual hard earned cash to outfit a virtual apartment? Nintendo has tried a similar idea with its own Mii Plaza on the Wii, but their problem is just the opposite. The experience is simply to bare-bones for anybody to want to waste their time posting a status on something that nobody is going to see.

Nintendo fanboys and company execs alike however, feel that the gaming giant may be able to strike a balance with its upcoming project known as Miiverse. In its current iteration, there isn't too much that can be said about how the basic functions work, mostly because it's a lot like Mii Plaza. You take your virtual character and let him talk to others that may or may not be there.

What makes the Wii U experience different though, is the addition of the new controller. Now you will be able to both draw and write messages to all of your friends, which could bring a whole new visual aspect to that kind of communication. Additionally, Miiverse is the first console gaming network to head cross-platform with a web version of the service that will no doubt be accessible from all of your favorite smartphones. To some, Miiverse has been called "the first social network completely centered around gaming," but others remain skeptical. Is Miiverse Nintendo's killer app, or is this another failed attempt at a video game Facebook?

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