In a follow-up report to Nintendo's financial briefing today, an on-demand gaming service spanning multiple pieces of hardware is described as part of CEO Satoru Iwata's longterms plans. The first step toward this new on-demand service, the report says, was introducing Nintendo Network IDs on both Wii Uand 3DS.

This on-demand service would be tied to your Nintendo Network ID as opposed to the individual hardware being used – one ID for multiple devices, rewarding customers loyalty to an account as opposed to an individual piece of hardware, which may be replaced some day. And when the next version of that hardware comes along, certain features or content may not carry over, so for heavy users this loss of content ultimately shapes their habits and loyalty going forward.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/29/ni...ross-hardware/