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Nintendo Releasing Wireless Router for Revolution
nmaster64 writes "Nintendo is really pushing their Nintendo Wi-fi hard, completely reversing the anti-online mentality they've held in years past. Nwizard.com reports, "Nintendo will soon be producing a router that will allow access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Network on both the DS and the Revolution. The router plugs into a USB 2.0 port and transfers your computers internet connection wirelessly into your next-gen Nintendo devices." It should be noted this story came at almost the same time as Sony announced they dropped the PS3's router functionality." Update: 07/13 06:20 GMT by Z : Please note there is no source referenced for this "story", and this could in fact be some guy's pet theory.
Wait wait wait, somehow they are able to catapault bits and bites through mid air???
What manner of sorcery is this nintendo?!?
- Toby
...is Mario WPA enabled? Without decent wireless security that princess will just get stolen again. :(
The ability to reduce the number of cables is absolutely outstanding. A console that can be attached to the Internet without having to run a wire from the router or wireless hub to the box is a godsend. The ping times might suffer a little, though, I bet.
I can't understand why Sony would want to withdraw WiFi from the PS3 spec, though. If it is a technical issue, then you can bet they will come back later with an add-on WiFi dongle. If it is something else, then they've got me in the dark as to why they would reduce the spec at this stage when PS3s aren't even scheduled to hit the stores yet.
But as wireless networking becomes faster, and broadband providers start providing wireless router modems, this kind of thing is going to become the norm. Not only games, of course, but almost anything that needs to "think" more than a "dumb" device will be designed to take advantage of the home-wireless LAN.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
How is it a router if it has to plug into a PC to use its internet connection and not nativley negotiate it coming in?
Wouldn't you just buy a router dedicated to handle both connections sepratley? They are not that expensive these days.
I'm curious what futire plans they have instore for this. Nintendo is always considered a great innovator so it stands to reason that they will come up with some intersting things to use this router for. At least I hope so, because who wants to us the ds to browse the net when you have to be near a computer anyway just to access the wifi signal =p
The "Revolution" is so advanced that... it needs a computer to have access to a Wi-Fi network
I think misunderstood that: the Revolution has built-in WiFi and Nintendo is selling a WiFi router so PCs can access that WiFi net... they use their own WiFi network. This means if you buy a Revolution and have a DS, the DS can connect to the Revolution immediately without the need of buying a connector.
AFAIK they have their own WiFi net because of the special requirements a gaming device has.
USB eh? Will it only work on windows? Nintendo has traditionally stayed away from the PC to avoid the inconsistency that comes with such a platform. I'm surprised they didn't just make a router that connects with a cat5 cable and does DHCP. Would be much more seamless than a USB device and OS independent.
As for security, I'm not worried. It is likely that this router will be for Nintendo devices only and wont be subject to war drivers. Notice on the bottom of the DS it says "RSA Secured". Whatever patented security mechanism that refers to is what makes Nintendo wireless different from the wireless our laptops use.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
It should also be noted that there is no connection whatsoever between the the statements/actions of either company and there is no point in the above sentence being in the article summary.
Besides, the Nintendo USB2.0 WiFi device is a bridge, not a router.
There's not much info in the article. Is this some Windows-only kludge?
Nice troll, but the Revolution, just like the DS, will work with any 802.11b/g router. This is just a cheap solution for those without a wireless network already in their home.
I notice this was submitted by the same guy that wrote the post over at nwizard. Is there any official news on it?
Party Time: Excellent
Does this mean Nintendo is going to make a comeback into being relevant again?
Nintendo was always relevant. Sure their sales were never as big as Xbox or PS2, but Nintendo had a great niche market that generated good revenue. They didn't need huge sales numbers. Nintendo has always made quality games and always been part of a niche market.
This wireless will only add value to an already great, present, niche market. They know what they are doing.
I'm getting the impression that for this generation of consoles, Nintendo's decided to sit out of the marketing hype war that Sony and Microsoft are enaged in. Then, whenever either of those two companies admits to overhyping their product, Nintendo swoops in and shows them up by announcing a previously-unknown feature (such as this).
Will it still work with a standard wireless router like the one I have in front of me?
I am trolling
The Genesis, NES, and TurboGraphx16 werent online (well, the Genesis was with XBand eventually), and some of the most innovative, playable games were released on those 3 platforms.
Super Mario Bros 3, Earthworm Jim, the original Metal Gear, Final Fantasy - a long laundry list of original titles.
Here we are now in the wireless age and I cant count how many shooter titles are on the Xbox, or generic RPG titles are available on the PS2. The GC clearly still holds rank with gameplay innovation, but interestingly they sit 3rd overall in the worldwide console battle.
Its kind of sad, really. The market seems to be more concerned with whether or not I can get on the net with yet ANOTHER device, instead of making games compelling enough for me to WANT to get online with it.
...both interiorlly, and exteriorlly.
If you're talking about the NES, your memory is a bit clouded. It has an 8 bit processor and can display 24 colours on screen, not 256 (8 bits).
"...completely reversing the anti-online mentality they've held in years past."
Since when did Nintendo have an anti-online mentality? All I have ever read Nintendo executives say is that the market was not ready and would only be ready at the tail end of the GameCube's lifecycle, so it didn't make financial sense for them to go out of their way to support it on the GC.
So far I'd say they were pretty accurate. The XBox Live subscription level is about 2.5% of the worldwide sales; 350,000 subscribers out of 13.7 mil sales. Those numbers are from 2003 and late 2004 respectively. The fact that Microsoft hasn't published their subscription level for XBox Live since 2003 is pretty telling that they are in the very situation that Nintendo did not want to be in. They brought a product to market before the market was ready. It was just successful enough that it is going to be a pain to support, yet it isn't successful enough to be cost effective.
The problems with Nintendo are much simpler than that. They pissed off all their 3rd party support with the N64 (expensive cartridges instead of cheap optical disks, and other stupid moves). And a lot of those third parties were still a little upset because Nintendo made some fairly anti-competitive moves during their NES monopoly marketshare days.
Also, while gaming in general began to market heavily towards the teenage male demographic with games involving gore, violence, and less clothing, Nintendo generally just kept making the games they wanted to make, and with Mario and the like they took on the aura of "kiddie games."
With all of that, Nintendo's marketshare has dropped significantly, and Sony and MS have become major players. In my opinion, however, Nintendo's games are generally just as high quality as they ever were. And they're definitely the most innovative of the big three.
Halo made the Xbox, no argument there. The PS2 is not riding high on the coattails of Katamari Damacy, its real killer app was GTA3, although it already had plenty of market share by that point.
*shrug* It's my anecdotal evidence vs yours at this point, but I thought the gamecube Mario Kart was a real improvement over the N64 version. I have all three of the current consoles, with a similar number of games for each, and the gamecube easily sees the most play. Not to mention that, except for Burnout3 on the Xbox, I can't get my girlfriend to play anything other than the gamecube.
I hope Nintendo keeps doing what they've been doing(with a few minor exceptions maybe). And hopefully as the gaming community continues to mature, more people will rediscover how Nintendo does a good job of making fun games.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Not everyone wants to run Cat5 from their computer room, through the hallway, into the living room, around the couch, and into their gaming console. Dropping ports through the walls isn't the easiest thing for a lot of people either. God forbid Nintendo offer us any choices.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
A little more "research" and it looks like I am dead wrong..
Here is a specs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Revolution
Hysterics over.. Nothing to see here. Move along..
Pablo
"Battle!!"
looks like it will work me my little wifi settup..
No, you run the Cat-5 from the console to the cable modem/DSL box(modem/router)/whatever, and then to the wall. All that usually amounts to little more than a couple of meters of cable, nicely fitting behind a sofa. If you have cable TV and cable internet you pretty much have everything you need already next to the TV.
>God forbid Nintendo offer us any choices.
How is it offering ONLY Wi-Fi a choice, and offering only ethernet NOT a choice?
---- Take the Space Quiz!
A quote from the article:
"New wireless support will not help the company for as long as the same people who came up with Mini-DVD disks and whoever is in charge of their game licensing division are still in power."
He's not. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president since the late 40's, retired in 2002, nearly a year after the GameCube went to market. His successor, Satoru Iwata, is taking the company in a new, distinct direction as evidenced by the Nintendo DS, among other things. Under his lead, Nintendo has become more accepting of current technology standards. The DS has adopted 802.11 WiFi technology and will use SD memory cards in its media expansion. The Revolution will also use typical WiFi standards, as well as supporting DVDs, SD flash memory, and USB. As a longtime video game fan, Iwata seems to be much more in touch with what gamers want, and he has claimed to be committed to pleasing hardcore as well as new gamers.
Most journalists have been fairly impressed with the way Iwata has handled the company. He's already beginning to take steps that Yamauchi would never have taken, like the Revolution's backward compatibility, which is clearly designed for fan service rather than profit. Iwata has also been working with many third parties in order to win back the support that Nintendo lost in the N64 generation. We'll see how things go, but under his leadership, the Revolution could be the most exciting Nintendo console since the NES.
While Nintendo does not see the ridiculous number of console sales at the PS2, it's sales numbers are almost equal to the X-Box.
To be honest, I've often wondered about the legitimacy of the numbers that Sony and Microsoft tout for their Installed Bases. I can identify no less than three people who are on their second PS2, and I can name two people who've had similar X-Box problems. (In fact, it's how I finally got an X-Box... I got a free X-Box, replaced the DVD-Drive, and modded it.) Point being, If Sony's really sold 83 million (whatever it is), how many of those are actually still in use today. I understand they've got a larger install base than Nintendo, but in my experience I wouldn't think the number's anywhere near what they claim.
Of course, I'm being a bit facetious because all of Slashdot knows that lower sales numbers do not mean "downfall". If that were the case than Nintendo would have been bankrupt for years now. Except somehow the Gamecube sales still keep their books positive.
I do not think the Gamecube is clunky. I think its sleek and functional, but your opinion is your opinion. I think its safe to say that the X-Box is a FUGLY console.
DVD functionality. Yeah. I don't think that killed the gamecube. I use my PS2 to play games. I use my X-Box to play games. And I use my GC to play games. My DVD player plays my movies. Now I tried to use my PS2 to play DVDs. It's something I gave a lot of consideration, and I even donated my DVD player to another room for a while. But the PS2 sucks for that, so I reclaimed it.
I like Mario Kart 64. I like Mario Kart: Double Dash. They each have their own distinct advantages, and I still enjoy playing both. If you have the opportunity, you may wish to try Double Dash with 16 players via LAN Mode. Your perception of the game may change.
Pokemon hasn't disappeared, and it doesn't look like it will anytime soon. Considering there's been three GBA releases in the past year, a GC version, and an upcoming GC version. While the hype has died, people who enjoy pokemon still enjoy pokemon. You may also wish to try this game. While it is targeted for children ages 3-13, it's actually a very clever and complex RPG battle system. Of course, the games aren't extremely difficult, but if you can get a few friends involved, you'll stay challenged for months.
Of course, ultimately you're right. Any video game company needs to focus less on the hardware and more on what we enjoy: the games.
Deja Vu
n. 1. The sensation that you've read this very article before.
Nope, you are not alone. Configuring network addressing/firewalls, downloading patches, Logging into a game, finding people to play against, and then getting sniped at the spawn point every time makes for a real enjoyable gaming experience... at least people like to think so.
I've been a gamer for over 20 years, a member of the gaming media, and NEVER am I compelled to play an online title. I just want to escape a bit when I play a game not be thrust right back into the asshats of society with spamming/cheating/cursing/n00b-this/etc. A lot of people do. Online gaming is a fad, and a fad that really hasn't caught on nor will it ever. People want to "lose" themselves for a bit when they play a game... just like watching a movie. It's like going to see a movie where people have cell phones ringing/talking, people laughing/clapping, walking about, etc. it detracts from the experience.
I attempted to get into an online game "Guild Wars" and for a while I was hooked in a bit... except I could never get immersed into the world because of the human element. How can you get into a fantasy setting with idiots running around in ther underware, dancing/air guitaring, spamming trade chat, and ruining strategies when in missions for the "fun" of it? You can't. I went and bought Champions of Norrath for the PS2 for a solo RPG and instantly was drawn in.
http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
Oh come on. Are you serious? Every time I hear someone scream out for some company to release something as open source and it would be an automatic bonus in terms of usage base I'm reminded of the same people that call for Ogg Vorbis support in the iPod. Who really cares? If Nintendo released the Gamecube OS or Revolution OS as open source, then maybe a dozen geeks would actually do something with it. And that's it. Maybe you're forgetting that Nintendo is all about gaming, and some geek that can compile the Revolution OS is not going to be making a game that will make any money.
The effect would certainly not be "huge", as you said.
1. release as open source
2. ???
3. profit!
--- witty signature
I think misunderstood that: the Revolution has built-in WiFi and Nintendo is selling a WiFi router so PCs can access that WiFi net... they use their own WiFi network
The Nintendo DS uses 802.11. This USB wirelessy thing is almost certainly going to just be a totally normal 802.11 router, just it plugs into USB instead of sitting between your modem and computer the way a Netgear would.
You have probably heard that Nintendo has some kind of "propreitary wi-fi protocol". This is true. However this protocol is used for DS to DS multiplayer. Like, if you have two DSes in a room. This "propreitary" protocol will also, as you note, probably be used to connect the DS to the Revolution.
However, when the DS needs to go onto the internet-- i.e. when you buy one of the online-enabled games such as Animal Crossing or Mario Kart coming later this year-- it switches to 802.11 TCP/IP.
I think we can completely assume that the Revolution will work the same way.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
P.S. My biggest dream has always been to run telnetd on my cell phone...
A real geek would be running sshd
We used to get up every morning at six a.m., set up all the bricks to be broken, and then beg tuppence off of passersby to use for coins in the game.
But you try 'n tell that to kids today, an' they won't believe you!
They aren't "stuck in the past", they just don't care about having the latest and greatest gadgetry. Either that or they can't afford it so they make due with older technology. In either case, they aren't going to have a brand spanking new console.
And for the record, wireless routers go for less than $50 nowadays. I just took a look on newegg and you can get a netgear 802.11b for $15.99 after mail-in rebate. So much for "$100 - $200".
- Toby
I'm going to be nit-picky here.
First of all, most others would not say their last major success was the N64, they would say it was the beginning of the downfall. Sure, it was their first 3D console, but as an earlier poster said, they made a lot of 3rd parties mad by using cartridges, which also limited textures and such because of the limited memory of the cartridges.
You say the GCN has a clunky shape, but it seems to me that I can place it anywhere near my TV without it looking out of place. If I have an extra 6-8 inches on the side of my TV, I can put it there. DVD functionality should matter not these days. I just bought a DVD player better than both PS2 and Xbox for $30.
Xbox has its various Halos. You mean both 1 & 2? Is that all the good games it has? PS2 has Katamari Damacy, and GCN has no quirky games like this? No Wario Ware? No Super Monkey Ball? No Pikmin? And it's blasphemy to say that MK64 is better than MK:DD. The graphics and framerate are so bad in MK64 that it's nearly unplayable. I'd much rather play the original Mario Kart with sprites in Mode7 than play with 2D sprite characters in a 3D world.
And where exactly is the problem with mini-DVD discs, as you call them? The only problem I see is that it deters pirates, not only because of the smaller disc size (which you can probably buy nowadays), but also because the track is written and read from outside-in, not like normal CDs/DVDs which are read inside-out.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
Nintendo was always relevant. Sure their sales were never as big as Xbox or PS2, but Nintendo had a great niche market that generated good revenue.
Actually the worldwide Gamecube sales were consistently better than those of the XBox up until Halo 2 was released... XBox really only ever was leading the Gamecube in the U.S...
Even now that the XBox is unambiguously ahead of the Gamecube, it's by such a rediculously tiny margin as to be almost meaningless. The Xbox has like 19 million sold, the Gamecube has like 18 million sold. Great! The PS2 has about 80 million sold...
This is to say nothing of how those numbers might potentially tip this fall, when the Gamecube's Halo 2 (Zelda) comes out... it could get to be *gasp* 20 million gamecube to 19 million XBox. What then? Do we declare doom for the XBox?
The Gamecube is definitely a niche compared to the PS2... but it seems really wierd to me that people look at the XBox with 20% market share and think "mainstream" and the Gamecube with 20% market share and think "niche"...
And it's blasphemy to say that MK64 is better than MK:DD. The graphics and framerate are so bad in MK64 that it's nearly unplayable. Personally, I prefer MK64. The games are so similar that it's just the little things that make the difference. The hop. The way you drifted corners. The item system (no character specific items). No kart selection. Simpler, aye, but you didn't need the knowledge of what character has what items and what kart is the one for your duo. Now, with all that said, I did enjoy it immensely with 4 players. Co-op was pretty fun too. And yes, the framerate was just terrible but, like with Golden Eye and Perfect Dark, it still beats all these damn car and shooter sims when it comes to down to what's fun and what's not.
I think a lot of people are misunderstanding this...
Nintendo has stated many times that a DS will be able to "play online at any wireless hotspot around the world". This USB adaptor is not because the DS or Revolution will only connect to it, it's because...
Nintendo wants stuff to be easy. Your girlfriend (yeah, right) wants to play Animal Crossing DS online, but doesnt know shit about computers, thats why she lets you hang around. Say youre out of town and she she wants to set this up. The process:
1) Buy Nintendo USB adaptor
2) Plug it in to a computer
3) Play Animal Crossing DS online
It is cheap and thoughtlessly easy, and that is how it should be. For the rest of us, we can use our existing WAPs and not have to bother with this.
As long as it can link up to my Trapper Keeper 2000, I'm cool with that.