Nintendo To Finally Implement Data Recovery For Stolen Consoles

Having your console or handheld stolen is never a fun thing to deal with, but at least with Sony and Microsoft, recovering all of your downloaded apps and games once you get a new console is relatively easy. With Nintendo, data recovery is nearly impossible, as there isn't much of an account system to be found on the Wii, DS, or 3DS.

Luckily for us, that's going to change when the Wii U arrives later this year. Nintendo has announced plans to implement a unified account system with the Wii U, which will finally allow for data recovery if your console is ever stolen. There is a catch though – David Marshall, a Nintendo customer support agent, says that the company will require a "valid police report" before the data recovery process can begin.

Despite the police report requirement, this is still a step in the right direction. Nintendo knows that it has to fully embrace online gaming and all of the frustrations that come with it if it wants the Wii U to compete with the next Xbox and PlayStation, so it's good to see that the big N is making it a bit easier for users to recover their downloadable games and apps should their console ever turns up missing. We're sure there will be a number of users who are annoyed by having to send Nintendo a police report, but hey, it's better than not having any access to your downloadable games at all.

[via GamesBeat]