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Nintendo Confirms Free Online Play For Wii
Via Gamasutra, an interview in USA Today with Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime confirms that the Wii's online component will be free to play. The outspoken Nintendo advocate says "We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you'll be able to plug it in and go. It won't have hidden fees or costs."
Gets people to pick up the hardware. Also, if people can get on for free, it's a lot more likely that they'll stick around and maybe buy a few classic games.
Random rants about technology: http://technorants.blogspot.com
It seems like with both Sony and Nintendo supplying free online match play, Microsoft will have to give in and make Live free. They can still make money selling games like Geometry Wars, and also in game content...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This seals the deal for me! I wans't quite sure I wanted to buy a next-gen console, but this, the wi-mote, the 27-game lineup, the non-evil practices, I'm sold!
What games are they planning to have online capabilities? From what I've read, most don't have any anyway. This isn't to troll, I simply don't know of any (at least not scheduled for launch).
I like not having to pay for my DS to use Wifi, but the friend code system makes me pull my hair out. There are so many little checks and safeguards thrown in to prevent you from being able to easily and effectively add people to your friends list. I would rather pay a subscription fee like I do for XBox Live and be able to enjoy seamless integration of friends, messages, etc. throughout all my games.
"It's a reverse vampire...they....they crave the sun!"
Damn, could they make the Wii any more attractive to casual gamers? I've always wanted to play online games, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay for a game, and then keep paying more for the service.
$200-$250 price point, fun games, and free online play. The only way they could make it more attractive is to [insert natalie portman reference here].
Let's make something clear though - the highly anticipated Virtual Console (which is able to download and play NES/Genesis/SNES/N64 games) will not be free. The pricing hasn't been released yet, but current estimates are $5 to $10 for a game. I would also hope that browsing these games would be free as well (unlike Xbox Live Arcade, where you must first pay for XBL and then pay again for XBLA games)
This announcement is for games like Mario Kart Wii or (please God let this be true) Super Smash Brothers Wii. Those games will be free, and that's what Reggie was talking about.
Did anyone else try pronouncing "wiinner" from TFA? Anyone who did keep a straight face?
It's the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you'll be able to plug it in and go. It won't have hidden fees or costs.
Note they didn't explicitly say "online play will be free," rather that "some online content will be free."
This still leaves the door to some subscription based services, possibly including 3rd parties. Course, some free content better than no free content.
Just seems that the general view is everything online would be free, I just don't read it like that.
For me, the Xbox was much more fun online than the PS2 due to the fact that they actively maintained the network. While I could play SOCOM and deal with the abundance of hacks and online Pro Action Replay users, it just wasn't fun compared to any time I'd sit and play Rainbow Six 3 or even Halo2. And while I credit MS for not regarding its online game system as something that could police itself, I also understand that they wouldn't have done so if it weren't for the monthly fee.
On the end-user side, the presence of a monthly fee also helps cut down on people who would not otherwise regard their online gaming as a privilege. Sure, you have brats and cheaters, but not near the amount that were on the free PS2 connection.
Here's to hoping that the improvements in the online capability of the DS (compare Mario Kart DS to Metroid Prime Hunters) will carry on to the Wii, and continue to get better.
::fingers crossed:: And maybe my dream will come true. What are the chances of Nintendo buying all companies responsible for creating Pro Action Replay and like devices, and only releasing them for competing systems? I would love to see that =)
While Wifi Connection is nice, the Friend Code system is a real pain. Hopefully they won't continue this model for the Wii.
The advantage of Xbox Live, from what I've seen, is standardization and support. I deserve a higher level of service when I pay rather than get it free...and Live has generally delivered. I don't ever remember having Live downtime in serious quantities (*cough* Blizzard *cough*), and it seems like the games on Live have strong SOPs relative to what I saw on the PS2, which is the main competition online for the XBox in the current gen. Much better to do the networking backbone on the console level, rather than force each developer to support it individually.
Look at the difference between MMO and FPS online in PC games: typical FPS online is a central tracker linking to individually-hosted games, which little control over gametypes, the server's abilities, or matching players together. Extra content is sporatic, user-driven or pay-for-episodes. Third-party services like Gamespy and whatnot are available on the PC, but are unlikely on consoles. MMOs, on the other hand, provide robust, persistent networking and chat features and continued support in the form of new content. Making new content is economical because there's a continuing revenue stream from the player - this seems, to me, critical to encourage game developers to revisit their creations and create new content in existing, already-developed engines (and micropayment schemes may or may not subsitute for subscription fees).
Of course, all speculation above; we haven't seen what large-scale, free service looks like in either Sony or Nintendo's case (though as I said, Wifi Connection is promising on the bare-bones level). They may be able to deliver, but I'm skeptical that it will be as robust as what Live offers.
In accordance with E.O. 12958, this post is marked Unclassified.
I just hope that they set up the games so you can connect to random players in the same skill bracket. I don't have a DS myself, but I imagine having to go and hunt out Friend Codes so you can play online gets obnoxious after a while.
Here's his statement:
It should be noted, however, that when he says "we", he probably means only Nintendo. So, third parties may still be able to charge for their own monthly fees. We'll have to wait until the end of this month/early September to get final clarification on this.
I thought that you could browse and purchase anything available in the marketplace with an Xbox Live Silver account? Yep, I was right. From xbox.com:
Easy to Try
Silver-level access is free of charge for all Xbox 360 owners (except those who have previously been banned from Xbox Live and Korean users under the age of 14)--there's no reason not to try it, even if you're just the slightest bit curious. It's an instant membership that's only a few clicks away. (Note that there is a limit to the number of Silver level signups per console.)
Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace
You'll find the the Xbox Live Arcade in the Marketplace, where you can purchase great casual arcade games like the classic Galaga or the smash hit Bejeweled. Just download them to Xbox 360, and they're yours to play again and again. They're perfect for casual gamers or anyone who loves great game play.
So you DO NOT need a Gold account to purchase Xbox arcade games from the marketplace, just to play multiplayer. That makes sense. With respect to browsing and purchasing arcade games, the Xbox and Wii on-line service looks indentical. You will pay to play on-line with Xbox Live though.
I don't know, if you're the kind of guy who likes getting hot grits poured down his pants, then a punch in the throat seems like it would be right up your alley.
Hate to pour a bucket of cold water on the Nintendo love (I feel it too), but free online gaming is not in any way special. Like, totally free if you have a PC, forget the $200 for the console and $50 for the game. Yahoo Games for casual folk. Weird indie stuff like the Google Maps RTS and MMO asteroids. Tons of demos (I'm playing the Sword of the Stars demo right now, it's ace and has free online). Enemy Territory, Nexuiz and now FEAR:Combat for the FPSers.
When you do at as far as paying for PC games, the online is free for everything except some MMOs. Plus, every console except the xbox has free online. DS, PSP, PS2, Cube (just 1 game), Dreamcast and quite a few older modem-optional consoles.
My point here is that the xbox/360 are freak gaming systems where you pay for online - on everything else you don't, so that can't have been keeping you or anyone else away from consoles before now.
Between Sony garroting themselves in public, pricing their console way out of what I consider a sane price range, and foisting Blu-Ray at a significant cost to their customers, I think the Wii will get my vote for the console I'll buy this generation.
The example networked title Nintendo referred to at their E3 press gig was Animal Crossing, which was kind of interesting given that no AC title has been announced for the Wii to my knowledge. Whatever executive it was used AC as an example of how persistent, "even when you're not playing it" connectivity would open new possibilities. The idea was to visit other people's towns in AC at any time and so on.
The DS version of Animal Crossing would be an interesting precedent. The graphics are very close to the ones on the old GameCube title, which really looked more like an N64 game truth be told. Game play is very unconventional -- no real goals except as you choose, just puttering around, and, big finish, very much intended for and marketing to a different set of gamers. Does this sound like the general approach being taken with Wii?
(My kids have the DS version, "Wide World," and have successfully gotten several different adults to try it out. Their grandma enjoyed it.)
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Virtual console will be like a walk down memory lane, but (un)fortunately, most of the people I shared that lane with have all gone in different geographical directions(I'm in Europe and they are all in the US) Will I be able to play virtual console games across the internet like the person was sitting across the room? Furthermore, will I actually be able to use the Wii microphone to converse with the person? The "same room" experience can never be completely recreated, I think that game companies should try to replicate it as much as possible. I was was unimpressed by the DS online play for Mario Kart. If you are playing against a friend you cannot communicate with them in-game, really all you do is do a post-game aim conversation..bleh. And playing against strangers was pretty much like playing against the computer but only more frustrating as the computer never dropped out of the race when it was losing.
It is possible to play old games across the internet, zsnes for example does it but I couldn't get their system to work the one time I tried and it still doesn't solve the problem of convenient in-game communication.
Monstar L
Nintendo is really trying to emphasize the ease with which one can do just about everything with a Wii: input is intuitive, online play is free and wifi is automatically enabled, etc.
However, all this ease of use can be a bad thing if it limits how we can use the system. The DS' online play, for example, was designed to be easy and straightforward, but in doing so it severely restricts the experience. In-game chat is nonexistant, friend codes are a pain in actual practice and it doesn't support WPA encryption. I see the same problems potentially popping up for the Wii. What if I don't want my box connected to the Internet when I'm not playing games? What if I want to be able to play online with random people, and not have to use a site for swapping friend codes? What if I want to use something stronger than WEP encryption?
Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to the Wii, because I trust Nintendo to deliver straightforward, fun games that Just Work. They have a good track record on that. What they don't have is a good record on online gaming.
I just hope they don't go so far in trying to make online gaming cheap, easy, and safe that it ends up being a royal pain to play. Then again, I suppose there are far worse things to be afraid of.
The great thing about this is that instead of using a $600 console and paying monthly fees to purchase, download and play Pac Man, you can use a $300 console without paying montly fees to purchase, download and play Pac Man!
--- What?
I've played tons of online RTS (etc) games with my friends and I was often the one being the server. Yes, I pay for bandwidth, but I'd pay for it anyway (I like to work from home, and remote working likes bandwidth).
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I really, really hope the Wii doesn't only support WEP like the DS does. It's bad enough having to run my wireless network in degraded security mode. Maybe they will go with WPA2 and somehow upgrade the DS in the future?
I'm not crazy -- this was already confirmed during E3: E306: Wii WiFi To Use Those Stupid @$#!ing Friend Codes
Just because the ability to go online may be free doesn't mean the actual content will be.
And read this statement carefully: "We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for."
What that implies to me is that any game with online-support will allow a gamer to play online without being charged. That's essentially the same model for every PC game with online play excluding MMOs.
That statement says nothing about whether or not downloadable games will be free and certainly doesn't mention anything about subscription-based games like MMOs.
I don't think Nintendo is doing anything wrong here; I just think people are reading too much into the statement.
As an MBA student having just studied the rise of the video game industry in the late 80s, lead by Nintendo, this article makes perfect strategic sense for Nintendo. The industry then was catagorized by "Demand Side Increasing Returns." Rather than the typical increasing returns created on the supply side by economies of scale or scope, demand side increasing returns occur through network effects. When there is a large installed user or support base for a product in a category such as this, there is a large incentive for consumers new consumers to purchase from the established player rather than from new entrants. Just like what Microsoft has done with the OS (not implying Nintendo is like Microsoft, but their strategies are similar in this regard).
This demand side increasing returns effect is only magnified by the current environment. By significantly innovating in the category and undercutting the competition on up-front costs, Nintento is set to build a substantial user base very quickly. This user base will feed upon itself with the free internet access, as this will draw many players who will have to purchase a Wii to play with other players online. Nintendo wins in the end because their licensing agreements for game development and production are very favorable, giving them a substantial fraction (20% or more historically) of game sales. They will quickly recover any loss or marginal profit on providing a cheap console with free network access through game consumption. And consumers won't complain because we are quite happy to spend $400 on games spread out over several years when we only feel it in small chunks as we periodically purchase new games.
I'd buy Nintento stock if it hadn't allready skyrocketed.
Don't get your hopes up. Nintendo has to approve you before you get a devkit, which means you have to have the financial ability to make a game, the talent and staff to do it and probably a good idea (unless your a proven developer) If you think that you could make the cut, check out their official site:
http://warioworld.com/
and more specifically http://warioworld.com/apply/wii.html
And this is nothing new by the way, its been the same for all their consoles. However they seem to be more interested in indie companies this generation. I quote, "Keep in mind that we typically look for companies that are established game developers."
We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you'll be able to plug it in and go. It won't have hidden fees or costs.
He did not say "we will offer all"...he just said "we will offer online-enabled games..." This guys is a *salesman* first and foremost. A salesman - i.e. what he didn't say is just as important as what he did. This is a shell game played with words and misdirection. You could say the same exact things about Microsoft's XBox Live service's "out of the box" capabilies - "online-enabled games that consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for...etc etc" All of those things are true of the XBL Silver account...you just can't play head-to-head without a gold account.
Iwata said something else:
"When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns