Wii U will be sold with firmware update next year

The Wii U will be sold with the mandatory system update already installed from next year.

The console went on sale in Europe last week with many consumers reporting updates taking hours to complete.

Nintendo of America boss, Reggie Fils-Aime, said the console would be sold with the update already installed from spring.

"Nintendo developers want to make sure that the very best product is available to consumers," he told Gamasutra.

"That creates a dynamic where our developers are working on elements until the very last point possible. That's why the system update was required on day one - and this is quite similar to what's happened with other consumer electronic products."

The update adds online functions such as the Miiverse and Nintendo Network support.

Fils-Aime also claimed that he wasn't too concerned with negative reviews of the Wii U.

"Reviews of a system or review of a game really come down to the quality and capability of the reviewer," he added.

"There has been a range of comments and commentary. But when I go on Miiverse and see how consumers are reacting to games like ZombiU or Call of Duty, that tells me we're doing something very, very positive.

"Similarly, when I go on to other consumer social networks and see other consumer reaction that is positive, I know we've done well."