Nintendo to launch Wii U without TVII

Nintendo has confirmed that its next-gen Wii U console will launch without the TVii feature.

TVii can best be described as a software entertainment hub that offers support for a wide range of streaming video platforms and hardware, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, TiVo and live TV.

However, Netflix has clarified that its service will be ready for the Wii U’s November 18 launch, but won’t be integrated into Nintendo TVii until early next year.

Meanwhile, a firmware patch said to enable most of TVii is expected to arrive at some point in December, with the rest of the apps going live “in the coming weeks.”

Fortunately, the console is still expected to ship with Miiverse, Nintendo Network, and backwards compatibility with the Nintendo Wii – which will also likely be enabled with a patch.

The Wii U – Nintendo’s eighth-gen video game console – supports high-definition graphics at 1080p. Additional specs? An AMD GPU, and IBM power architecture multi-core processor, 2 GB of memory (with half dedicated to the console’s operating system) and 8GB or 32GB of Flash storage.

Controllers will include the Wii U GamePad, Pro Controller, Remote Plus, Nunchuk and Balance Board.