Wii U is getting Google Street View in Japan (update: North America, too)

The Google Street View application is on its way to the Wii U in Japan, Nintendo announced in a recent Japanese Nintendo Direct.

The app will be free to download via the Wii U eShop between the end of January and March 2013, after which it will be available for a fee. Users can move the GamePad as they would in an alternate reality game to see individual street views and browse maps. The usage is similar to the approach Nintendo has taken with Wii U Panorama View, which is coming to the console in spring 2013.

Maps and street views can also be viewed on the television screen while navigating the area through the GamePad.

Update: During today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo confirmed that Street View will also be released in North America during the first quarter of 2013.