Whoa! This one will need to be almost instantly tossed into the rumor bin but we wanted to toy with the idea for a minute and imagine the possibilities. The Nintendo Wii isn’t something we really talk about here, except for modding the Wii-motes for Android usage. Some new reports are hinting that it could very well have Android OS integration, or be completely based around Android.
The reports are coming out of VG 24/7 although we are hearing some high-level Android developers were tweeting with Nintendo folks recently and that has stirred up the rumors too. This seems far-fetched to say the least but if those tweets ever make it to the public eye we could be in for a treat.
Whether the Wii U would be completely based off of Android, or just have some parts integrated into the device is unknown. We could see Nintendo take the same approach that RIM has done with their Playbook and try to get Android apps and games working on the game console, but that is pure speculation. Nintendo hasn’t been much of a supporter of Android, iOS, or mobile gaming at all other than their own products, so I’m taking this with a huge grain of salt. Other non-Android rumors mention a dashboard similar to Xbox and PS3 with multiple options like NetFlix, YouTube and the rest of the goods. Then some rumors about an impressive version of Metroid will be released too, but we’ll leave that to the non Android sites.
Thoughts? Would the Wii U running on Android interest you? Or would you buy it if Nintendo offered Google Play Store support for Android apps and games?
it would really help get android into the homes on a platform that many will use. I would not go out of my way for a separate device just for a google product but if that was integrated with a proven gaming system like Nintendo I would be more likely to pick up and test out android based apps.
It would also punch apple in the nuts…lol
I just want nintendo to bring mario to android
Nintendo knows nothing about rooting. Its completly useless. People realy want consoles more than anything else. Its just a distraction from greatest game play that exists. Its all console. So fine root devices but we want awesome consoles forever. Peace.:/
If anything, I would expect this to be a Blackberry Playbook/PlayStation Suite (upcoming store that will be on both Android and Vita) kind of Android support – it will be able to run Android apps, but it won’t be Android.
Nintendo will certainly have their own app store. for it. There’s no way they would go from the ultra-restrictive stores of the Wii, DSi and 3DS to the “anyone can add something” store of Google Play.
This would be a huge addition to the U if true. I know it would definitely push me off the fence and onto the ‘buyers’ side of this console. Especially if the abilities of Google TV accompanied it.