Though NFC gets a lot of attention for its applications in marketing and mobile commerce, the technology is beginning to generate a fair amount of buzz in the gaming industry. Japanese development company Nintendo is preparing to reveal their latest console at this year’s E3 2012 conference. The new console, called Wii U, will feature a number of upgrades over its previous iteration. One of these upgrades concerns NFC technology. The Wii U’s controller will be using the technology to give gamers a new experience.
The console’s controller is more akin to a tablet mobile device than it is to a conventional video game controller. It features a large touch screen which supports NFC connections. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata claims that the technology can be used to allow gamers to share digital content, such as virtual cards and figurines. Iwata believes that NFC will be a good match with the company’s current augmented reality projects, some of which are available for the 3DS handheld system.
Emerging mobile technologies are shaping up to have a dramatic impact on the way people play games. Developers are beginning to see how useful these technologies can be outside of marketing campaigns. As developers get more experience with these technologies, they will grow more comfortable with them and may begin to push the boundaries. How far these companies will go with NFC and augmented reality depends largely on how consumers respond to the technology.
