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No 3rd Party Online Support for Wii Until Next Year?
Via Joystiq, a preview for Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam at IGN. Such a thing isn't really news, of course, but down at the bottom of the article there is some distressing information. According to IGN, third party online support for the Wii will have to wait until next year. Joystiq points out that this could mean launch titles like Monkey Ball, Blazing Angels, and Call of Duty 3 may be offline-only.
Good thing we'll have Friend Codes to keep our online experience pollution-free.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
IGN also reported that the release date and price would be revealed at the Leipzeig Games Convention. They also throw so much hype into untrue stories, I'd take this story with a grain of salt until it is confirmed by multiple sources.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
I won't be able to get it before 2007 anyway. Demand will be huge and even people who lives in USA and preorder it may not get it before Christmas (Remember Xbox 360, that cost twice as much).
On the other hand, Wiimote's innovative gameplay and the training complex games will demand may be enough for you to ignore online playing, at least for a few months.
That's pretty much idiotic, no one cares about what EA will do, but this means that launch lineup third party titles such as Rayman 4, Super Monkey Ball or BWii, which could provide awesome online fun, may (note that this is still a rumor) not be playable online ever. Would suck. I'd still buy the Wii, but it would still suck.
Nintendo's just in no rush to take a bite of the shit sandwich MySpace has been eating recently thanks to pedophiles and the like. If they end up catching flak for their online system, it might as well be through their own actions rather than those of a third party. And hell, they're probably just taking some time to define what guidelines they'll give third parties when designing the online component of their games.
Yea, it sucks. There should at least be LAN play on all of these games, but if Nintendo feels comfortable giving this fight up for more security then more power to them. Too bad nobody can just get this console thing right.
"This is considered plagiarism."
According to your logic, we shouldn't expect an Xbox to "deliver something like Xbox Live" either...
This guy's the limit!
Wow and here i was thinking that Nintendo may just be making a console that the average joe can buy and not have to wait 2-3 years for it to drop to a price he can afford.
True That! The DS is like $150 and it can't go online to play!
Wait... it can... and even my fucking phone, my 6 years old DreamCast or my 7 years old P-fucking-500 piece of crap can use online service.
Online is for "sophisticated system"? I don't know what the hell you're smoking, dude, but I'd sure like some.
I think people overestimate how many people take advantage of online services to begin with. How many of the million Xbox live users are only there because they got it for free and are no longer active once they have to pay? And, having to wait until next year? That's what, four months away at this point with the console's release date not even announced yet? So you might have to wait 2 whole months for third party online games and that's supposed to be a deal breaker? No, a $600 price tag on a console not in production with only marginally better graphics for the next year or two is a deal breaker, this is not.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
It has nothing to do with the hardware, if you RTFA. It says that the online libraries aren't being made available to 3rd party developers.
Nintendo fanboys can have it both ways: First it's "Wii is innovative, online is free, and cheap for developers!". After this much hype and justification of the Wii with online being a major bullet point, you can't turn around and claim that, because of the price point, lack of multiplayer (for 3rd parties) is somehow justifiable.
And making sure we can't talk to anyone we don't already know.
Wait....isn't that how you make friends irl?
So the DS at $130 does not have online play?
It could indeed have something to do with hardware -- the servers used for online play. Perhaps Nintendo needs some time to test and expand them before letting other developers do whatever they like.
(Assuming there is some kind of master server.)
Sure its a $200 system, but Nintendo won't be selling them at a loss, unlike their competition. Microsoft sunk a huge chunk of money to launch the Xboxen, and I'd bet the 360 still sells at a loss.
Maybe I'm missing your point. Do you mean that a $200 console can't run a lobby + marketplace like XBL due to technical issues? If the original Xbox could do Xbox live, then the Wii can.
Your argument about (as I interpreted) having to shell out more money to get an advanced machine with features like XBL is terrible. Multiplayer lobby services and online marketplaces don't require sophisticated hardware. They only require forethought in design and reliable functionality to be successful. If Nintendo is making money selling the console as well as the usual games and peripherals, what would motivate them to look away from a competent online component?
'IRL', you also get to SEE what they look like (and verify that your new 12 year old best friend is indeed a 12 year old, etc).
Bit different. Nice try though, thanks for playing.
Straight from Nintendo BWii will have online multiplayer; this means either it is not a launch title or IGN is full of crap (I think both are plausable).
I don't see how it can't be justifiable. X-Box live didn't launch with the X-Box but Microsoft kept plugging it as a major selling point. The 360 is gung ho HD-DVD even though it's not being offered right now and it made a big deal out its backwards compatibility that is still a work in progress. And one day, you'll be able to turn your Colecovision into a computer with a keyboard module. Ok, maybe the last one was a stretch but they were telling us that at launch and it did help sell units. Not every piece of hardware or piece of functionality in general is available at launch.
This is bad news, no need for any commenters to try to spin it. I'm still going to buy a Wii.
There's no reason to expect the Wii to be perfect. I hope this information is false. But if not, I'll just deal with it.
new year...
who cares, gives the 3rd party more time to hammer out bugs.... and zelda/mario will hold the masses for that little gap.
Xbox Live downloads have exceeded iTunes downloads. I have a 360, and the only game I have that I don't play online is Oblivion.
Mario won't as it won't be part of the launch lineup (assuming you're talking about Mario Galaxy).
And I think Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has been demoted from launch lineup as well.
I'll still get Zelda, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and probably Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball and BWii (Batallion War II, I don't know if it'll be part of the launch lineup though).
Why is it distressing? The Gamecube managed quite well without any online to speak of, and it didn't have the luxery of Sony constantly shooting itself in the foot.
--The universe will not be altered by forum threads, even those which are very wry. --Tycho Brahe (Penny Arcade)
So I can't meet people over Wii, because Nintendo needs to protect children with irresponsible parents?
So long as the Wii has Net capability by the time that Spore comes out, I'll be happy.
...
I've got a cable modem and a b/g wireless base station and I'm dying to put those to the test
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Good thing we'll have Friend Codes to keep our online experience pollution-free.
I agree. I got tired of playing Diablo II when all the spam bots and gold miners and cursing teens started showing up.
I kept having to use my Mute capability way too often.
It's part of why I'm not that interested in WoW. But I'm looking forward to Animal Crossing and Spore on the Wii, and the ability to talk and share with real friends I know, not total strangers who cuss at the drop of a shovel.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
LAN play may well be a possibility. Mario Kart: Double Dash was one of the few GameCube games that supported the Broadband adaptor, but not for net play - just for LANs. Since it's already been implemented by Nintendo before, it could well end up as an option in the Wii.
And tomorrow the stock exchange will be the human race
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
- Nintendo's primary hits are always first party, especially at launch... especially at THIS launch. Zelda, Metroid, Red Steel, Wii Sports, Excite Truck, all first party. The first party list makes up a good 98% of the games sold at or around launch. Some of these games (Zelda), won't offer online play, because they're not the kind of game that would in the first place. 2% of sold titles not offering online play at launch is nothing to get worked up about.
- PS2 had, what, 4 online games in its entire lifespan... only one of those (FF11) being anything close to a hit, and the system still cleanly won the last generation of console wars. This isn't going to change overnight, come some day in October.
- Consoles + Online is a PROCESS, as my boss commonly says, "evolution, not revolution," its going to take time and a shift in priorities (among consumers) for online play to become a major bullet point.
- The demographic that has commonly played Nintendo systems is not typically one that's too keen on online play. Nintendo has been trying to change that, with the DS, but the consumer market, itself, has been resisting this. So many DS games have online play, some even have pretty good online play... yet the DS mainly sells for its single-player value. The Wii will as well, online play will be just an additional feature.
I, for one, am hoping for as LITTLE online emphasis as possible. I've seen way too many games (Metroid Prime 2, Metroid Prime Hunters) crippled by a drive for them to have multiplayer or online play, with not enough emphasis on single-player fun. Single-player is the meat of the console gaming market, followed by party-style play. I hope that online play never takes hold in the console market, because it tends to do more harm then good to single-player efforts. Unfortunately, it seems that online play is here to stay. I just hope that game manufacturers don't feel pressured into doing online play when it's not in their original adjenda.Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
Parents, including irresponsible parents, buy consoles. Parents, including irresponsible parents, also vote.
No you weren't, the DS Lite is $130 and you can play online with it you goddamn idiot, you weren't making a serious point you were spouting nonsense.
captcha: cavern, crawl back in yours
Dammit!--I dropped my fucking shovel. Burn in hell, you shitface of Madison, you son of a bitch Ben Affleck relative!
It took Xbox Live about a year before it even showed up on the Xbox and with the exception of the original Halo, that wasn't too much of a loss for the original Xbox. Or more recently, take a look at the DS taking a year before Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection came into play. Not many titles were really lost in the long-term.
As long as Nintendo takes notes from Microsoft and Sony when launching their online service, the extra time spent should be a good sign. It's not like there isn't room for delays in the Wii's launch line-up. Launch titles like Call of Duty 3 and Far Cry could probably have better sales in a month like February with added online play instead of choosing to compete with the likes of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption without online play.
Yeah, we need to protect kids.
No, adults who buy a Nintendo console shouldn't be treated like kids. However, I'll admit that I can't think of a quick way to have a happy medium. Nonetheless, if the Wii has the same online "service" as the DS it won't help Nintendo shed their "kiddy" image.
First of all, regarding online functionality, it's hard for me to go back to other consoles, which don't have the same level of features as Xbox Live. If it weren't for the free demos, I never would have realized how kick ass Dead Rising is. I'm also a big fan of the Xbox Live Arcade games and the whole achievement system. Granted, a lot of these ideas come from the PC-side of things, but to finally have them in the console space is very exciting.
That said, this announcement only said that 3rd party online support will be missing. I'm assuming that this only means multiplayer, and that you'll still get a lot of the "awareness" features and marketplace stuff that Nintendo is (hopefully) working on. To be honest, I don't actually play multiplayer games that much (listening to whiny kids curse while they kick my butt? No thank you!), so I don't think I'll miss that too much from the Wii.
-- jchenx
Not at launch.
What sound do people on rollercoasters make? Hint: it's not Xbox 360.
It's third party games that won't be able to use Nintendo Wi-Fi right away. First- and second-party games are not so encumbered.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
This certainly isn't a dealbreaker on the Wii for me. Honestly, the only game I care that has online is Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I don't really need online play for anything else. And it's not like this will affect demo downloads or the virtual console, so no worries there.
On the other hand, this might affect 3rd party support for the Wii. And as much as I like Nintendo's 1st & 2nd party offerings, theres a lot of games you miss out on with no 3rd party support. That part is certainly worrying.
just some guy
I hadn't heard anything about Metroid Prime 3 slipping from the launch lineup. It was confirmed as one a few weeks ago I thought. I did some searching and found a rumor about it slipping in a forum, but nothing concrete. Anyone know more?
If the way multiplayer on the DS is anything to go by it wont be as much fun as it could be. Go read about the "friend codes" business then tell me if you still care.
Lets not forget the other silly choices Nintendo has made for wi-fi. Hopefully they'll fix them though and we might actually see WPA support in the Wii.
The Wii will still have third-party online support before the PS3's price is dropped to something acceptable.
Using friend codes isn't a silly choice. It's something Nintendo did to protect younger players. It's also something I like. I use online play as a kind of "hardest" setting for games after I've beaten them offline. I don't care who I'm playing against.
Obviously, there's lots of room for improvement for people who want different things from online games, but that doesn't make Nintendo's decision "silly". They're simply not aiming their online service at hardcore gamers, and that works for me.
Hey, why the Hell did I get modded Flamebait?!?!
Because you are trying too hard spreading the opinion you've made up yourself in order to justify your non-nintendo purchase.
That's pretty pathetic and shows a character deficit of yours.
Im gonna get a Wii (or if they decide to change the name, whatever, i heard something about it before) because it looks to be fun, and also doesn't look to be the wallet buster that 360, or PS3 want to me
Movies made by a crazy person
http://www.youtube.com/marginalpro
I am tired of hearing about friggin online games, I want some good games to play online once in a while.
FF7 Fans Fight Back, Vote against FF7 sucks and Pass it on.
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From the page: This information is backed up here. While it does not specifically state that SSBB would be the first wifi enabled wii title, it does say that it WILL be wifi enabled, and implies that it should be a release title.. Since it appears to have been pushed back by a few months, it is likely that we will, in fact, have to wait until 2007 for wifi enabled titles. i know the logic is shaky, but the implication is there. Of course, this isn't taking into account the possible changes to the launch lineup, and any wifi demo games that may ship with the console.
If i were nintendo, i'd certainly be shipping something small with the console, just to give people something to do while they waited for the big name titles, and for 'value added' credit.
http://www.xkcd.com/354/
And, as to my character, I'm not the one hiding behind "Anonymous Coward" postings here.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Plus it says no 3rd party online access until next year. The Wii is expected to release near the end of Sept. or in Oct. That's all of 2-3 months before "next year" hits, so it could be a very short wait indeed.
But I thought Red Steel was being developed by Ubisoft and is NOT a first party title.
easy. Have friend codes for kids and napkins with phone numbers written in lipstick for adults.
.Either that or bundle Brain age with each system and determine their age that way :P
In all seriousness, I think it could work in such a way that people younger than 18 get friend codes and may only communicate with other friends. Anyone older than 18 may freely communicate with other adults. The only thing is you have to trick people into entering the right age data because if you ask for an age the pedos will just say they're 12. . . Possible solution would be to have to have a legal guardian cosign or something. .
disclaimer: I've been known to store numbers in my ass for which to dig out when quantities are required.