An ad for Mario Kart 8’s digital deal, which includes a free game when you register a copy of Mario Kart 8 by the end of the month, was displayed simultaneously across a Wii U owners gamepads at June 20th at roughly 9pm.
What makes this more interesting is that in many cases, the gamepads were not in use; mine was resting at the end of the bed charging when it suddenly flipped on to let me know about the offer.
As it happens, this is part of the recent update added by Nintendo which included the quick start menu. It was asked during the update if one would like to receive these notifications. These ads can be disabled in the settings menu of the systems if you find them too intrusive.
Other possible uses by Nintendo could include advertising game updates, upcoming products, and additional promotions. More info can be found at http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/system-update.
So no, Wii U’s have not become sentient. But Nintendo is taking a very bold step with their advertising.
