Nintendo Shareholder: Have you considered using the Wii U to play DS/3DS games on a big screen TV?

In the past, Nintendo has offered gamers the chance to play handheld titles on a much bigger screen. When the SNES was king, the big N released the Super Game Boy attachment which allowed players to enjoy hits like Super Mario Land on a good-sized TV, rather than squinting at a diminutive, low res monochrome display. Years later, they released the Game Boy Player for the GameCube, which allowed Nintendo fans to play Game Boy Advance games on the purple lunch box. At a recent shareholders' meeting, one of the company's investors asked president Satoru Iwata if the Japanese gaming giant had considered the possibility of letting Wii U owners play DS and 3DS games on their shiny new console, and Iwata's response was interesting, to say the least.

Investor: As the Wii U will have (a controller with) a touch panel and will use two screens, I was wondering if you are going to make it compatible with the Nintendo DS. As you announced the Nintendo 3DS XL with larger screens, do you plan such an extra function for those who prefer as big screens as possible?


Iwata: "I am afraid I cannot say anything about your question today. Please let me receive it as your opinion that there is such consumer need and let us study it internally."


I'll take that as a "maybe." I hope that at some point, Mr. Iwata will return to this question with a big "Yes!" Think about it, between the new touchscreen and the gyroscopic motion sensors, the Wii U controller basically turns your TV into a giant version of Nintendo's ridiculously popular handhelds. The Wii U is even set to make use of the new Nintendo Network which powers 3DS online play. The possiblities are mind boggling. I don't know about you, but the chance to play games like Mario Kart 7 on a decent-sized screen is all too appealing. Here's hoping Iwata and company revisit the issue at a later date!

If you would like to read transcripts of the meeting in its entirety, you can do so here. Question number 14 on page 3 is the source of the aforementioned quote. These conferences touch on a number of different subjects and the media often fail to report some interesting exchanges.