Nintendo Keeps NFC Payments in Sight

Nintendo continues on its course to add Near Field Communication-based contactless payments payments to its Wii U game console.

Making full use of the NFC chip already built into the Wii U GamePad remains a key strategy for the company in the coming year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during a presentation Jan. 30.

The Wii U GamePad, which resembles an iPad with game controls built around the edges of the screen, is the only home video game console with an NFC chip reading and writing function, Iwata says.

But Nintendo has "failed to make use of the full potential of this function so far, despite it being a built-in feature" on Wii U, he adds.

"This year, we will make full use of this function by preparing multiple proposals, including the implementation of NFC payments with JR East’s 'Suica,' which we announced on a previous occasion," Iwata says.

Last year, Nintendo announced plans for the Suica smartcard, used by commuters on the East Japan Railway Co. lines, to be able to purchase games and other content off the GamePad console.

Nintendo will showcase "detailed propositions for utilizing the NFC functionality" during the E3 event in Los Angeles in June, Iwata says.