14 replies to this topic

[SonofMrPeanut]

In an interview with EuroGamer, Nintendo UK's Marketing Manager Rob Lowe theorizes about the Wii U's online structure.

I'll provide a link to it below, but I'd like everyone to know these are NOT finite details about the online network. It's speculation based on the improvements made by the 3DS. They have NOT (repeat NOT) announced friend codes for the Wii U; Lowe is speaking of them in terms of what "has" been done with the 3DS, not what "will" be done with the Wii U. We won't know anything until Iwata announces Nintendo's plan.

With that in mind, enjoy Lowe's perspective

http://www.eurogamer...oser-to-psn-xbl

[Camcam281]

I personally really like the xbox 360 set up, so I personally hope it is somewhat like that. So in other words, it has 1 friend code or gamer tag instead of 1 for every game. And, it is easy to see who is on and who is not. Pretty sure Nintendo will come out of the closet soon about the interface a little more because people like us seem to not know enough to be satisfied.

[Jabob]

I think a cross between Xbox live and Steam. That'd make for a really nice online system.

[SonofMrPeanut]

I think a cross between Xbox live and Steam. That'd make for a really nice online system.

As long as Nintendo keeps with something they do incredibly right, keep it free, I can dig it.

Edited by SonofMrPeanut, 15 June 2011 - 12:02 AM.

[Jabob]

As long as Nintendo keeps with something they do incredibly right, keep it free, I can dig it.

Oh for sure, if they start making people pay for it they will be shot down pretty quickly.
But knowing Nintendo, they aren't stupid, they should have something up their sleeve.

[SonofMrPeanut]

Oh for sure, if they start making people pay for it they will be shot down pretty quickly.
But knowing Nintendo, they aren't stupid, they should have something up their sleeve.

If Nintendo were to do anything, it would be a premium content plan akin to PSN Plus where you get everything you've been getting so far for free, but you get some extras with a subscription.

I doubt even that would happen, but it's the only way I could see Nintendo earn money through their online network.

[Feld0]

If Nintendo were to do anything, it would be a premium content plan akin to PSN Plus where you get everything you've been getting so far for free, but you get some extras with a subscription.

I doubt even that would happen, but it's the only way I could see Nintendo earn money through their online network.

It won't happen. Iwata has gone on record saying he doesn't believe in the notion of charging renewal fees for a service, citing the Amazon Kindle as an example of a product that had achieved just that. If Nintendo can't find a way to run their online network for free, they'll strip it down to fit in their budget. I'm afraid that's just the way their philosophy works.

On the other hand, Nintendo doesn't have as great a need to make money off the network since they make a killing from hardware sales, which neither Microsoft nor Sony do. So they might be able to subsidize some of the network's costs that way.

[Jabob]

If Nintendo were to do anything, it would be a premium content plan akin to PSN Plus where you get everything you've been getting so far for free, but you get some extras with a subscription.

I doubt even that would happen, but it's the only way I could see Nintendo earn money through their online network.

I don't think Nintendo would do that, and I certainly hope they don't, I think with a better online gaming community the sales in online games would go up and that should be enough for them, not to mention with the popularity online games would start getting they would have reason to make a number of other online games that thye wouldn't have otherwise made.

[Rockalot]

I actually prefer the new Friend Code system to the Xbox Live naming convention. It's like a phone number and once you hand that out you're just called whatever you want to be called.

What I WOULD like is to be able to make friend with people I don't know over online gaming.

[Play4Fun]

From the comments we heard some guy say on an interview a couple of days ago, it seems that Nintendo will have a basic online system with friend lists, messaging, game invites and such things while giving third parties freedom to add their own online system for their games.

Companies like Ubisoft, EA and Activision would love this since they are pushing their own online systems already and won't have to depend on the console manufucturers rules or share profits with them.

The smaller devs who don't have an online system or can't develop one can just use the basic system set up on the console.

It's basically like what PC does.

Edited by Play4Fun, 15 June 2011 - 03:58 AM.

[Jabob]

I actually prefer the new Friend Code system to the Xbox Live naming convention. It's like a phone number and once you hand that out you're just called whatever you want to be called.

What I WOULD like is to be able to make friend with people I don't know over online gaming.

The best way to handle that I think is to have a steam like system setup I believe, which I think is what Nintendo might do anyway.

[Rockalot]

Yeah for sure. Steam has fantastic social components and Nintendo would do well to take a leaf out of their book.

As for Nintendo leaving third parties to look after their own online, I really don't think that will be the case. They've gone on record previous to E3 saying that they wanted to create a really solid and focused online experience for everyone, and that they were hiring third party developers to build their infrastructural for them.

[Play4Fun]

As for Nintendo leaving third parties to look after their own online, I really don't think that will be the case. They've gone on record previous to E3 saying that they wanted to create a really solid and focused online experience for everyone, and that they were hiring third party developers to build their infrastructural for them.

... What I have come to feel lately is that the idea of saying, 'we are going to create this style of online structure and that we would like you, the developers, to fit into the online structure that we are creating' is perhaps already out-of-date.

"So, for example with the question of VoIP, I think then what we would like to do is work with them on how to enable them to do that. But, what we're not going to do is to consider as prerequisite conditions that every game includes features like that because obviously there are some developers who may not want to do that.

My link

Iwata himself recently said it.

The console will have its own online system but 3rd parties will be given freedom to incorporate their online system along that in their games. Kinda like the way PC does it.

[TheSparrow87]

Yeah, the way Iwata was talking about it sounded like it would be how we play online with PC. It depends entirely on the developer what sort of online experience you have. The basic structure is there, do with it what you want. I hope in the end it'll be as good as I am picturing it right now.

EDIT:
btw, didn't Reggie say that they would talk about the Wii U's online interface the same week as E3? What happened to that?

Edited by TheSparrow87, 15 June 2011 - 07:18 AM.

[Kinvara]

My link

Iwata himself recently said it.

The console will have its own online system but 3rd parties will be given freedom to incorporate their online system along that in their games. Kinda like the way PC does it.

That sounds absolutely fantastic and I don't even play online that often.