Nintendo TVii tunes in December 20

One of Nintendo's key selling points for the Wii U is ready to go live, as the company today announced its TVii service will launch in the US and Canada tomorrow. However, some aspects of the service won't go live until early next year.

TVii is a video content aggregation feature, allowing users to access services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video-on-Demand from their Wii U, with additional second-screen features enabled by the system's GamePad controller. Nintendo has also partnered with cable and satellite TV providers to allow their subscribers to view channels and programs through the console. The service will also feature a social layer, so users can post about what they're watching on Facebook, Twitter, or the Wii U's own Miiverse.

Initially, the TVii feature will only feature cable and satellite provider integration, with US users also getting to access their Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus accounts. Early next year, Nintendo expects to integrate Netflix and TiVo functionality into TVii for its US-based customers, although Netflix is already accessible through a dedicated Wii U application. TVii is a free feature of the Wii U, but customers will still need to be paying subscribers to any cable or video services they want to use.