Miiverse will be "huge" once it hits 3DS, says Iwata

Miiverse isn't a competitor to existing social networks but a place for gamers to share their experiences with those who understand them - and it's going to be "huge" once it arrives on 3DS, according to Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata.

"Once the Miiverse hits the 3DS, it will be huge. Just imagine the possibilities of playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf while sharing your experiences on the Miiverse. Now that’s something," Iwata said in a Nikkei interview translated by Siliconera.

Iwata said he's noticed that people don't talk as much about Nintendo on Twitter since Miiverse launched, because those conversations now take place inside Miiverse.

“When we first thought of Miiverse, we were told that it would be a bad idea after considering the likes of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter,” he said.

“After doing some more brainstorming, we decided to stick to the idea we wanted to see. The results ended up being something many people enjoy today.”

Iwata seems to have been vindicated, and justified his faith in the additional social service by pointing out that broad social networks don't necessarily cater to gaming fans.

"The primary use of Twitter and Facebook is not gaming, but a means of communication. Although I don’t use either of them, if I did, I imagine I’d use it to talk about my outings and vacations to people who aren’t exactly video game enthusiasts," he said.

"I don’t think my former classmates would care to hear about my new Mario Kart record and so on."

I don't know how I feel about being ghettoised because of my hobby as if it were something "normal" people don't need to hear about, but Iwata put a different spin on it, saying that it creates a space for people to share experiences. something he and Shigeru Miyamoto are passionate about enabling.

"It was having those thoughts and feelings which eventually led to the creation of the Miiverse. Rather than social networking, we consider it an ‘experience sharing network,'" he said.

Currently exclusive to Wii U, Miiverse is also headed to PC and mobile devices after 3DS.