Nintendo Wii U's Online Service Will Be Free

Nintendo has confirmed that the online service for the Wii U is going to be offered free of charge to console owners, much like Sony's PlayStation Network and unlike Microsoft's Xbox Live, which requires a Gold subscription to access features like multiplayer.

Nintendo revealed the final version of the Wii U at E3 2012 last month and now the company has begun offering more and more details about the console.

Speaking during a shareholders meeting via Andriasang, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has confirmed that the company won't charge a subscription for users who want to access the Wii U's online service.

According to the executive, this free service will help owners interact with others and make the console as well as its games that much more popular.

Nintendo's Wii U is going to feature not just an online service but also a dedicated social network in the form of the Miiverse.