Nintendo had first announced that the Wii U would come with support for Netflix, Amazon and Hulu Plus at the E3 gaming show in Los Angeles earlier this summer. The move means that the company is catching up with its competitors Sony and Microsoft, which have been offering video services on their current-generation game consoles for some time. Microsoft in particular has been putting a lot of emphasis on TV, adding live TV feeds for pay TV subscribers and numerous other services in recent months.

The line-up of supported services on Nintendo’s Wii U TVii looks kind of meager in comparison, but the console has something that none of its competitors can offer: integration with a user’s existing cable or satellite TV service. That’s possible because the Wii U’s gamepad, which is essentially a touchscreen tablet, doubles as a remote control with IR blaster and second screen capabilities.

Check out a demo video of Wii U TVii below:

The gamepad can be used to browse both titles on services like Netflix as well as live TV listings. Owners of a TiVo can even control their DVR through the gamepad. And it will turn into a second screen while you watch live TV, displaying game stats during a sports game and making it possible to interact with your Twitter followers. This type of functionality was made possible through a cooperation with I.tv, a company that previously built second-screen experiences for media brands like Entertainment Weekly and AOL.

Nintendo said that the TVii service will be free to use. Of course, users will still have to pay for Netflix, Amazon and Hulu Plus — but making the service free itself sets it apart from media services on the Xbox, which require a Xbox Gold subscription in addition to any third-party fees. However, the question is: With so many apps for existing tablets already providing second-screen experiences, and other consoles offering access to many more services, will Nintendo’s Wii U TVii really move the needle and make users want to buy a Wii U?

UK online bingo game maker Gamesys‘ new game Bingo & Slots Friendzy is the first on Facebook App Centre to pay real cash prizes; several more are likely to follow. Release.

While U.S. regulators only recently began allowing some kinds of online gambling on a state-by-state basis, it is commonplace in the UK – a nation usually marked by greater regulatory control. Furthermore, recent deregulation of gambling advertising has prompted news publishers, bookmakers and various other brands to launch their own bingo and betting games, promoted through day-time TV ad campaigns.

Bingo & Slots Friendzy will be accessible only to those aged 18 and over. Gamesys promises: “A series of controls will be in place to protect under 18s and vulnerable people. In line with industry standard gambling legislation, all users will have access to a number of self-help tools to limit their spending and exclude themselves from playing at anytime.”

Facebook’s alternative to its core advertising earnings is its Facebook Payments stream, which has relied heavily on payments from Zynga games that are becoming less popular. Facebook Payments revenue grew a disappointing three percent through Q2 this year…

So Facebook Payments could stand to benefit from online bingo fans who pay money to play on the platform, which will also allow users to play along with friends.

There is another category of operator which could also benefit from the move. Gamesys also powers the bingo platforms for News International’s Sun Bingo and Fabulous Bingo sites – two of the largest in the UK. The market has become fiercely competitive, with Trinity Mirror’s rival Mirro Bingo losing players over the last year for example. If Gamesys or other vendors take their clients’ games to Facebook, the publishers could find new audiences of players.

While MindCandy has bought IP before, this marks the first company-sized acquisition for hotly-tipped startup, and an interesting one too. Origami Blue was formed by refugees from Disney’s Black Rock studio, which was closed down in 2011. But although Black Rock specialized in racing games like MotoGP, it seems that Mind Candy is buying it for work they’ve since been doing on augmented reality applications and animation. The company said in a statement that the OB team would become the engine behind a new experimental development arm it’s calling “Candy Labs”.

But it looks like the company’s ambitions don’t end with a single purchase.

A recent job listing for a manager to work on M&A suggests that the company is looking for more than just the odd tumble — and may be at the start of a serious acquisition spree.

The ad, which ran a couple of months ago, suggests that more buyouts could be on the way.

Applicants would be required to “set strategy and source potential M&A and investment targets,” it says, monitor the market for potential movement and “determine bidding strategy and negotiate deals.”

It’s a big step from the company not least because it hints at an apparently strong financial position — achieved despite relatively modest venture funding from big names like Index and Accel.

While its last audited accounts show £1.2 million of profit on revenues of £7.5 million (that’s $1.8 million on $11.6 million), they go back to the end of 2010. Since then, the company has increased its user base to around 75 million people globally, and last year Spark Ventures cashed out in a move that valued the company at $200 million. In the meantime, Mind Candy boss Michael Acton Smith says “”our valuation is now substantially higher than that” and the business has been talked up as a potential IPO candidate.

Side note: interestingly one of Moshi’s biggest competitors, Club Penguin, (which is also owned by Disney) has its UK headquarters just a stone’s throw from Origami Blue’s offices.

Update: Clarified MindCandy’s 2009 purchase of the website Tutpup, which Acton Smith says “was a simple IP acquisition. No staff came across with the deal.”