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The Wii's 'Pitiful' Online Service

slate.com — The online magazine Slate wonders why the online service for the Nintendo Wii is so poor.

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  • Velation, on 03/31/2008, -5/+163As much as I love the Wii and Brawl, I really have to agree with this assessment. There's really no excuse nowadays not to implement such ubiquitous features as voicechat and gamertags, and the whole friendcode system is a joke. Even when you play Brawl, which is one of the better games for online play on the Wii, you're still painfully aware of being alone in your own living room.
    • chris4404, on 03/31/2008, -7/+25Nintendo can implement these features but they don't want to. This is more a PR move, they've created a "safe online environment" for kids. Too bad they can't make it more like Xbox live where a parent could set each accounts setting but apparently they want more of a blanket policy.
      • Velation, on 03/31/2008, -0/+44Yeah, there are other ways to solve that problem. I don't want to live in a society where it's nintendo or the government's responsibility to protect your kids. That's your job.
        • 1807, on 03/31/2008, -7/+20Yea, but you have to admit, it's a job that most parents aren't doing. How many times do you play Call of Duty with people who are obviously under 18? I mean I don't really care. I ususally tell them to try marijuana but, other than that. High pitched voices are annoying.
      • ELCad, on 03/31/2008, -11/+1Who would blame them for being careful after the FOX News stories about pedos using the DS to snatch kids.
        http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/81535
      • googzman, on 04/01/2008, -1/+2"Its a Nintendo system what do you expect?"

        What he said.
    • RonnyIsRondo, on 03/31/2008, -15/+9Its a Nintendo system what do you expect?
    • rolosworld, on 03/31/2008, -1/+24"safe online environment"
      well, this is flawed... I can' t play in the "With Anyone", so I have been googling friend codes and posting my info.... since the wii doesn' t have chat, people has been asking for my IM contacts and adding me... when I ask their age, most are 14yo!!!!!!!!!!!!

      how is this more "secure"?
      • sloppychris, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Kind of like letting high school kids party in your house under safe conditions. They're going to do it anyway, so why not at least keep an eye on them.
      • MasterPain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4I have done the same thing. i would think this is alot worse that just meeting people playing a game. I would think this is perfect for child predators to talk to kids. Get there email address & so on.
    • dinostabOMG, on 03/31/2008, -15/+8What's this obsession with voicechat? Why would you want to listen to whatever little ***** you're playing Brawl with?
      • jigga, on 03/31/2008, -4/+23oh, I don't know... maybe, just maybe, I would like to talk to my friends? What an idea!
        • Lyph5, on 03/31/2008, -12/+5Check out "skype" or get one of those new-fangled "speaker phones" or, maybe, just maybe, invite your friends over to your house. Some face-to-face social interaction is good every once in a while.
        • countingthedays, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Face to face is the best, but its not always an option. Its way easier to have the voice chat built in, especially for people who don't have a computer next to their wii, or not wanting to burn up their phone bills.
      • Sairgem, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3Not everyone is completely antisocial.
    • jigga, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7I traded friend codes with my one of my Wii owning buddies this weekend and damn! What a pain! You have to input 2 multi-digit codes just to play online with friends? It was a headache just to get us organized
      • liwii, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1It is a pain, but once you type it in, you never have to type it in again. Same thing for wii game friend codes. ( btw, you should share yours at http://mapwii.com ) Nintendo does this for the safety of its users, but reality is some people just want to share their codes simply!
        • damndj, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7There's no defending the abysmal Nintendo Wii online "system".


    • kirstpo, on 03/31/2008, -2/+18Friend codes are fine, but they should be ubiquitous instead of unique to every game and use gamertags instead of long digits. I'd also be fine with no voice chat as long as they implemented at least a competent message or text communication system.

      What bugs me the most is that every game developer has to find its own way to feature online thus there is no consistency and every game has a DIFFERENT friend code. The friend codes you input into the wii system are practically useless because each game requires a different unique friend code. Then there's the lag and inconvenience of actually entering in friend codes. If somebody enters you as a friend in their system, there's no message or invitation for the other person to reciprocate and input your own friend code on their side. You just have to wait for them to put it in. It's a hassle.

      Nintendo is just stupid. Apparently Japan does not know how to make a functional online network.
      • petebot, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3oh my god...they're unique to each game??! Wow, that's awkward...
      • zetsurin, on 04/01/2008, -2/+2"What bugs me the most is that every game developer has to find its own way to feature online thus there is no consistency and every game has a DIFFERENT friend code."

        Oh dear, that's pathetic. If Sony or Microsoft had done this there would be no end of constant heckling about this on the net. It's about time Nintendo are revealed for what they are.
      • Pikachelsea, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1Ubiquitous, it's the word of the hour! Everyone give it a spin!
    • Blah_Blah_Blah, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1this is so true. i mean, i've needed to resort to the brawl news database ( http://brawlnews.com/matchbase/database.php ) and even then its not the easiest way to play someone. come on nintendo =[
  • Jamarac, on 03/31/2008, -10/+26This basically took what I think and put it in words.

    I mean, seriously, at least an invite option would've been helpful.
    • Matty007, on 03/31/2008, -3/+0I think I wold be more forgiving of the slowdowns if me and my buddy could play on the same box against people online.
      • MikeD606, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4You can.
        • Matty007, on 03/31/2008, -1/+0Really I couldn't find the option anywhere?
        • ParaSwarm, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3You have to play in Friends mode. When you're picking your character, have your friend press start on another controller. Kinda like, you know, if you were playing offline.
        • Matty007, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0So you can't play with a friend (on the same box) against random people, just against people on your friends list I guess I should of been more clear with my OP.
      • KingBabi, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1You can in Friend mode, but it makes sense that you can't in Anyone because you can collaborate/form an alliance.
    • sho222, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1>This basically took what I think and put it in words.
      You don't think in words?
  • mrtracy, on 03/31/2008, -1/+65I completely agree, has anyone been able to play brawl with a friend and not call them up beforehand? It's a depressing hassle that had so much potential.
    • UGM2099, on 03/31/2008, -19/+1Does coordinating via twitter count as not calling?
      • Coug, on 03/31/2008, -0/+27you're not special because you use twitter instead of a phone
    • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -3/+10actually yeah.. i hop on brawl, do a quick glance of my friend roster, and if anyone is waiting to play, i hop in. if noone is waiting to play, i disconnect and play single player.
      i'm not saying the friend code thing doesn't suck - it does, but it's not IMPOSSIBLE to get a match without calling. it probably helps a little that i loaded up my friend list on www.nintendogamersonline.com though, also.
  • ursername180, on 03/31/2008, -2/+23Yesterday I played someone in my home city across the Wi-fi connection and it wasn't UNBEARABLY slow, but it was definitely poor quality. There's no way you can have quick, fast-paced games across it.
    • DeadElephant, on 03/31/2008, -30/+5I solved the problem. See, I have people, and they can come over and play, you know... then afterwards we can head out and grab a bite to eat... then come back and play... It's like I'm hanging out with real life friends or something!
      • insertAliasHere, on 03/31/2008, -2/+17Well, good for you, pat yourself on the back. Some people have friends too far away to do that. Some of the people playing are kids, and can't just up and go out or invite their friends over on a whim. Some people might have friends that don't like to play, and they need to find random people on the internet to find a multiplayer game.

        No need to be a smartass.
      • imikedaman, on 03/31/2008, -1/+12I have people too, but some of them have families and jobs now and can't just stop by whenever they want. Sometimes online gaming is the only option - and voice chat would almost make it like old times.
      • sloppychris, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4DeadElephant apparently also has confidence issues.
  • Elliottx, on 03/31/2008, -7/+72Xbox live>Wii online .....though it pains me to admit it...
    • Brocclibob, on 03/31/2008, -5/+83Everything > Wii's online service.
      • Elliottx, on 03/31/2008, -3/+15It's true! :( Nintendo fail at online games...and this is coming from a Nintendo "Fanboy" ...
    • paintpro, on 03/31/2008, -13/+14I would say you get what you pay for, but Sony showed us that is not necessarily true.
    • minoss, on 03/31/2008, -2/+83Quake 1 > Wii's online service.
      • hipnotyq, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1don't you dare put down quake 1....
        that game revolutionized FPS multiplayer
    • ButchersBoy, on 03/31/2008, -6/+16Seriously, was it even necessary to make that statement?
      • thrikulam, on 03/31/2008, -6/+13Seriously, was it even necessary to make that statement?
        • fkr3, on 03/31/2008, -7/+2Seriously, was it even necessary to make that statement? x INFINITY
        • godseyeview, on 03/31/2008, -7/+5Seriously, was it even necessary to make that statement?
        • Misanthrope, on 03/31/2008, -2/+21Seriously, shut the ***** up.
          • thrikulam, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2Yeah... I saw this coming before I replied to that retard's statement, and almost stopped. :)
        • MiDri, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1LATE, COMBO BREAKER!
    • mrelusive, on 03/31/2008, -2/+17MUDs > Wii's online service.
    • rstarr, on 03/31/2008, -0/+41Two tin can and string > Wii's online service.
    • rickytan, on 03/31/2008, -0/+16No farking *****. I hop on Xbox live just to talk w/ my friends and get a game of brawl going on Wii.
    • rankftw, on 03/31/2008, -0/+12Rubbing your elbows together > Wii online service.
      • leerayIG88, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Trying to bite your ear > Wii Online Service.
    • smackafiyah, on 03/31/2008, -1/+956K modem online gaming > Wii online service
    • s1h2e3a4p5m6, on 03/31/2008, -3/+0nothing at all>wii's online service
    • GoodleftUndone, on 04/01/2008, -2/+1Superman 64>Wii online service
  • funnydale, on 03/31/2008, -8/+61The problem is that a huge part of Nintendo's audience doesn't care about any type of online play. And before I get dugg down, let me clarify that the audience I'm talking about isn't the traditional Nintendo fans that have stuck with them since the NES era; I'm talking about the soccer Moms and young children that Nintendo is courting with the Wii -- the group that turned the Nintendo Wii into the hottest selling game console for the past two years.

    I'm curious to know just how many Wii consoles are actually connected to the Internet at all? I wouldn't be surprised if the number hovered around 20% or so (but I could be wrong).

    Anyway, if you want console online play, buy a 360 or maybe a PS3 once they get their online crap together, as it's obvious that online play isn't a huge priority for Nintendo.
    • DarkSamus, on 03/31/2008, -19/+5once they get their online crap together?
      buried
      • funnydale, on 03/31/2008, -4/+23Yes. Seriously, ask people who own both consoles which version of a game they get if their looking for multiplayer -- Xbox 360 or the PS3 version? I have many friends who own both consoles, and not one of them will buy the PS3 version of the game over the 360 version because all their friends are playing the 360 one.

        Until Sony finds a way to get a unified in-game XMB that allows you to not only invite people on your friends list. but also allows you to view a freaking message that a friend sent you without having to end the game, then the PS3's online will always be secondary to the 360's.

        That being said, at least most PS3 online games have voice chat and you don't have to enter multiple-numbered codes in order to play with a friend on the Wii (something that Nintendo has no intention of rectifying anytime soon).
        • bilbravo, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4The way I read that, it sounds like you're saying they buy the Xbox 360 version because that's what they're friends have... not because it's better.
        • Ender008, on 03/31/2008, -4/+3"their" not "they're" goddammit!
        • theaceoffire, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3My friends (and I) avoided the 360 version for stability reasons.
        • KingGoonie, on 04/01/2008, -1/+1People buy the 360 version because its better,not also because there friends have it.
      • koonchu, on 03/31/2008, -2/+9Ouch. Quit being such a sensitive fanboy *****.
    • mattyice11, on 03/31/2008, -1/+15I'd say that number is way lower than 20% considering it's only 50% on XBL and PSN.
    • PhantomRogue, on 03/31/2008, -3/+13Ill respectfully disagree here. Most of the Wii's games... Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Party... could be MUCH better with good online play. The Wii is built and designed to be a SOCIAL gathering tool. They tapped into the Stay at home Mother market, but if they actually added a single iota of thought and innovation into their online service, the Wii would destroy most other online services.
      Most of the popular Wii games are BEGGING to be brought online.
      • Wolfspirittt, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7He wasn't saying the games wouldn't be good online, he was saying that soccer mom 'A' wouldn't care about online play.
      • B1663r, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1I am convinced that most of the fun of the wii is watching people make asses of them selves trying to use that stupid ass controller. I continue to be offended that people think it is somehow good...
        • spyrochaete, on 03/31/2008, -3/+5You're offended that some people would rather make the motion to swing a baseball bat than to click an A button? Offended? Are you a frontrunner for the Conservative Party of Video Games or something? Trust me - them newfangled dee-vices sometimes add something fun and superior to the gaming conventions invented for games like Frogger.
          • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3I don't know who is digging you down...that was brilliant.
        • Maver1c, on 03/31/2008, -3/+3Are you fat or something?
    • foofightrs777, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I've stuck with Nintendo since they were publishing Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong on Atari and dammit I want good online play. And my cousin's who are in grade school all play on Xbox live because it's easier to communicate with their friends and get games going. then again, the lack of a decent online service hasn't hurt Nintendo thus far. Though, I see this becoming an increasing liability as PSN gets their game together with in game messaging and such.
    • finbec, on 03/31/2008, -1/+10"The problem is that a huge part of Nintendo's audience doesn't care about any type of online play."

      Sounds like the same group that didn't care about video games until the Wii. Make a good online system, make it easy/convenient to use, and they will use it. It's idiotic that Nintendo's philosophy of 'appealing to a new market' stops at online gaming.
      • Lyph5, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2Nintendo appeals to people who never played games before with the Wii. Based on that, they've guessed that they've never really spent a lot of time communicating over the internet with friends.
        Now, I own a Wii, but I do all my online multiplay on the only real console for online multiplayer: The PC.
    • wendelgee2, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Why would you connect to the internet without a compelling reason to do so?
    • poisonborz, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1They would be, if it were a great interface to do that. Not the gamertag-based Live type, that appeals only to 'gamers', but something fun, and easy to manage. Just think of it, how soccer moms, young kids love to chat, use myspace etc. They would drool for a good online system, targeted at them.
    • Jamarac, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0I've also heard that a lot of Japanese costumers said that they do NOT care about online.
    • ifknot, on 04/01/2008, -1/+1it's not part of nintendo's business model and you're not in the target demographic - get over it
    • poxonyou, on 04/03/2008, -0/+1The problem is Japan. These video game systems, minus XBox, are made for Japanese customers first. Japanese still prefer going to video arcades ("game centers") and spend much of their time out of the house. This is why they decided to make the Wii a system that was easy to learn, easy to play, and had simple games. I think international customers come in a distant second. Sony has shown they care more about the gaming habits of their customers outside of Japan, so their system is loaded with MM features and free online gaming, which means nothing to most Japanese. XBox was obviously designed around the gaming habits of Americans first. Americans are home much more, have more elaborate entertainment systems in their homes, love to use the Internet at home (rather than on their cell phones, as many Japanese do), etc.
  • t2k4life, on 03/31/2008, -10/+5i know online gaming isn't Nintendo's strong point, but personally speaking, i bought wii from the U.S and use it with the freeloader in the UK where it isn’t even released yet and i can get a great connection using wifi and have spent hours playing, i have had the connection dropped a couple of time, but all matches were smooth with no lag. (Again, this is my personal experience) :)
    • tendonut, on 03/31/2008, -0/+8Sir, you are some sort of sorcerer!
    • KyleGoetz, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2What? The Wii hasn't been released in the UK yet?
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+8Even if there was zero lag and no dropouts, brawl online still sucks. No lobbies, no game modes. What if I want 1v1 stock? I can't do so without exchanging a 15 digit number with someone else (both parties need it, its not like I can send you a "wii friend code request")
    • MasterPain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0Ya it is hard to get a game at all then its only 2 min. I don't want to wait 10 min to find some people & play a 2 min game. I mean come on 2 min wtf were they thinking. At least make them 5 min.
  • Wiinii, on 03/31/2008, -10/+20As you can see by my tag, I was a huge Wii hopeful, having been one of the first to play it at E3 and touting it to everyone (even got my parents to buy one!). But alas, my Wii now just sits collecting dust as I enjoy a great experience on my other consoles.

    Now the worst news for me is hearing Matt Casamassina of IGN (the biggest Nintendo fanboy of them all) saying that Mario Kart has been tuned down to "casual gamer". He said from what he has played so far in a near final build he would give it a 7.9! This was the only game I was looking forward to this year for Wii.

    I also thought it was interesting to hear the guys of IGN as down on the Wii as I am, finally saying that the Wii does not have enough power for it's ambitions, and that N's online will likely be a joke until the next-NEXT-generation console.

    They even call their new podcast the "Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast: Looking for some Wii-related voice chat? Well, you're not going to find it, sucker -- that is, unless you download the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast. Hey, it's better than nothing, are we right?" LOL!
    http://wii.ign.com/articles/861/861669p1.html
    • KingGoonie, on 03/31/2008, -8/+9Um... what are you talking about? Didn't Matt give Double Dash a 7.9? Or whoever reviewed that game did, I know that... So thats why they always joke about giving games a 7.9, because of all the ***** he got back then. Now they said it seems better then double dash, but not as good as the DS verison. They did say high 7's, low 8's... but as far as 7.9 the score thats more of the injoke they keep repeating...And they were having arguements about his "dumbed down for casual gamer" comment on the podcast. One of them even said "well, look at the box, its pretty much a blank case, all white, just saying Mario Kart.. too entice the casual gamer" Others on the podcast had to point out that is the same packaging the DS version had, and thats considered one of the best Mario Karts, if not THE BEST out there. They do say its MORE casual, but they say not 100% casual, like a bridge title as they said... and thats what Nintendo's Reggie said it was going to be. And lets not forget they haven't even tried online yet, which they admit will be the largest factor on how good the game is.

      And the guys on the wii team have been saying how they are VERY excited about what Wii has coming this year... its annoying hearing them talk about these secret games that I'm sure anyone else would talk about (including the other IGN podcasts) but aside from that... they have said in every wiikly and voice chat podcast how the Wii has some huge things coming and they are very very excited.... So what podcast are you listening to?

      Actually based on the IGN podcats as a whole... they always seem to be insulting the PS3... not the Wii.
      • Wiinii, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5My comment is the summation of BOTH podcasts, here is the first: http://wii.ign.com/articles/860/860322p1.html

        Matt clearly says in one of them that the Wii does not have the power to do realism. He also clearly said Mario Kart Wii was not great. They also clearly drive home the point that the online is a joke, no downloadable content or voice chat as examples.

        I guess you are just a bigger fanboy than me. :)
        • Lyph5, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5The Wii doesn't have the power to do realism? No *****! When has Nintendo EVER been about realistic graphics? Let Microsoft and Sony battle each other by throwing tons and tons of cash at becoming photo-realistic, while Nintendo makes almost $100 per Wii sold out the gate (compared to the losses both the 360 experienced up until recently and the losses the PS3 still experiences) per sale.

          You guys always bring up the "realistic graphics" crap when talking about consoles, well, apply that to MMOs on the PC. Which game has over 10 million subscribers? The cartoony one!
      • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1It seems like you may have missed the point of his post...
    • MechaZain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11I love it when reviewers pull decimals out of thin air. I really needed to know that the game is definitely better than an 7.8 but not quite as good as an 8.0...
    • Rodalli, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4I was gung-ho Wii for a long time. I play solely one console (as well as a PC, which I use for gaming) because I'm not one of those people that can afford the time or money required to game on multiple consoles. I'm slowly turning into a Wii defector.

      A few months ago I almost sold my Wii in favor of buying an XBox 360. It didn't happen though, as I was convinced by a friend who originally waited in line with me for the Wii (twice!), as well as a local game store clerk (go GameWare! woot!) to hold out for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Admittedly, I wanted to play Super Smash bad and was really looking forward to it, mostly due to online play. Wow, what a disappointment. Nintendo really screwed the pooch and I wish I had sold my Wii back in January! I think I'm going to be reevaluating this course of action very soon.

      I love Nintendo, and Mario and Link and all those games I grew up with...but Nintendo needs to get with the times. I want to be able to play Super Smash with friends and TALK to them. Even Doom 2 multiplayer had chat for Christ's sake.

      Getting enough people together for face-to-face gaming is difficult due to distance and, you know, having a life. That's why I rely on online gaming for my multiplayer fix. The Wii has sorely disappointed me in that department. Sorry it didn't work out, Nintendo. We can still be friends...right?

      http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=258
  • Aggort, on 03/31/2008, -0/+37I think saddest of all is that websites like Kongregate can have hundreds of players playing multiplayed flash games, but Nintendo can mange to do the same for one of their best games on the Wii. I find more connections and players using the Wii Browser to play said flash games than I do in Brawl.
  • LiquidIse, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2They are using Blizzards old launch servers and the gerbils are starting to show their age.
    Seriously though, I wish I could see friends who are not playing online, but are playing brawl. Of course they cant do this until the online environment is stable enough to hold not simply connected users, but can also keep vague connections to all active systems.
  • DUISnipe, on 03/31/2008, -3/+14The Wii's online capabilities are really the greatest flaw in the system. It has Wiiconnect 24 but you aren't able to get invited during a game, so that feature is almost useless. I'd be more than happy to dish out 50$ a year for Nintendo to step up their online program.
    • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4games actually can handle invites,.. just that nintendo doesnt do it in their titles. guitar hero 3 connects you to wifi as soon as you're in the game and you can receive invites at any time.
    • Tahiri, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1"The Wii's online capabilities are really the greatest flaw in the system"

      I would have thought it's pathetically weak hardware was.
      And the controller
      • damndj, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I'm not a huge fan of the Wii, but I will admit the controller rules.
  • rapincandy, on 03/31/2008, -25/+2i use my wii for porn. mii sex is fun but my mom confiscated it coz she saw it. lol. im savin up for a nother wii to hide in my cupboard to play so she dont know.
    • Aggort, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1you're a ***** idiot. and I am digging you up for all to see.
    • DarkSamus, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1what's in daaa cupboard??
      daaaaa cupboard!!!!!!!!
      ooh bitch i need my cheeeeeeerios
    • koonchu, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Yawwwwwwn.
  • reuscel, on 03/31/2008, -18/+10I sold my Wii for $400 after owning it for about 6 months. The online capabilites are worthless, the games are mostly minigame compilations or shovelware cashing in the novelty of the wii-mote, and the graphics are barely on par with a PS2. Nintendo was strong out of the gate, but in two years, the Wii will be a cautionary lesson about failing to understand the gaming marketplace.
    • drowningfish, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7Quite the contrary... Nintendo understands the "casual gaming marketplace" (parents, grandparents, pre-teens) rather well. This casual market was relatively untapped until a few years ago; just look at the success of the online mini-games. Nintendo has absolutely no incentive to go beyond the specific market they have effectively cornered. Yes they will release a few games that cater to the 15-40 year old gamer; however, those carrots will be far and few between. This explains, at least in my opinion, why the Wii lacks in the Online department. They have no incentive to change it...
    • meruru, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11Just because it doesn't cater to you does not mean Nintendo doesn't "understand the gaming marketplace". They are going after a different type of gamer. Graphic-philes, FPS fans, and online diehards are not what Nintendo is after.
  • UGM2099, on 03/31/2008, -4/+5When I play Brawl with friends online we keep a chatroom open on our computers for the occasional "haha" or to coordinate when things fail. It's less of an online gaming experience as a rudimentary way to play the normal game vs. your friends. It does leave alot to be desired.
  • CollapseControl, on 03/31/2008, -14/+9I knew from DAY 1 that the Wii online would be garbage (not up to the standards I would like). I remember opening the package and setting it up, then looking for the Ethernet port, lmao.

    I have around 5 friends that have the Wii, most of them bought it the same day as me and I never asked or gave out my FRIEND CODE to any of them. I told them to not even bother, i'm not going through all that *****.

    If they had it anywhere near as good as XBL i'd be down for it. *****, even if it were like the PSN (decent, not great) I would of settled.
    • thanakar, on 03/31/2008, -3/+5Why were you looking for an ethernet port? It has built in WiFi.
      • CollapseControl, on 03/31/2008, -2/+7I didn't do any research before buying. lol.
    • HolyChimp, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I wish the 360 had built in wifi instead of the ethernet port. Ethernet was great when my 360 was near my router, and 'keeping the price down by giving consumers the choice' sounds great on marketing stuff, but £60 for a USB wifi adapter takes the piss.
  • KingGoonie, on 03/31/2008, -10/+3Aside from the first day I never had a problem with slowdown... maybe once more since that Sunday it happened. And never with someone on my friends list... Maybe because I live in NYC so there are alot of people in that close area? I dunno. My nephew has not been able to play a single game though. He logs on fine, and he can spectate fine, he goes into the training area waiting for opponents fine... but he always gets an error code. Every time. And he has tried a few times a day for almost 2 weeks now. When playing with me, no problem, connects right away, no slowdown... weird

    As far voice chat goes. Do what me and my nephew do.... Use the 360 headset lol. Both have your 360's on, start a private chat... and then switch over to the Wii keeping hte 360 on the whole time. Of course that only works if you have different inputs on your TV, or a seperate TV for each system (that are right next to each other). And also it pretty much requires you both have been playing 360 beforehand so you can say "oh theres such and such, let me see if he wants to get some Brawl going" But it works for us.
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+8Yeah I do the same.
      The fact that we have to depend on a competitors online service to provide us with the features that we want on the Wii illuminates the articles point.
    • mywhitenoise, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3"Use the 360 headset lol. Both have your 360's on, start a private chat... and then switch over to the Wii keeping hte 360 on the whole time."

      What a waste. You have any idea how much energy is consumed to power he 360?
  • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -7/+15Part of me is happy there is no voice chat on brawl. Nothing would make me less happy than a screaming 10 year old kid playing as Ike jamming on the c-stick thinking he is super "l33t" and yelling "you just got pwnzrd noob!", just because someone randomly fell into his forward smash.
    But yeah, I wish online was way better.
    But nintendo doesn't have ANY reason to care. This game still sold like hotcakes and it would have just cost more money to make online better. Nintendo is still a business, just cause they sell cuddly E rated games that make old people dance doesn't mean they have morals.
    • Wiinii, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11That's what an ignore button is for.
      • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5I wish there was an "ignore all Ike players" filter. I swear 90% of my matches "with anyone" have AT LEAST one Ike. They rarely win, but I still get tired of it.
        • KingBabi, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1What's wrong with Ike? He's one of the best new characters, I'd say. Though I'm considerably better 1 on 1.
          • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1He is extremely overused...He would be alot less popular if there were a 1v1 lobby. I am not saying that he can't be used well by advanced players... but most people who use him do so just to spam his c stick moves and his neutral b moves. Like I say the rarely win, but it sucks when you knock someone into his random button mashing and he gets credit for the smash.
            Although in honesty I have yet to play a really good 1v1 ike player. Not saying they arent out there, but I couldn't find any patrolling the gamefaqs board.
          • KingBabi, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Fair enough. I do use those attacks, but in conjunction with others. I consider myself a pretty proficient smash player (then again I really only fight my friends), and I can stand up against really fast characters and slow ones al-ike. I should probably play online more though, see if I'm not just being a cheap *****.
          • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Thank you for the reasonable reply: My FC is 5455-9075-8497 . Feel free to play me anytime
          • KingBabi, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1Sure. I played with him online with a Link and a Pokemon trainer 4 times and I didn't suck too much (2nd in all, but in one it came down to sudden death).
            1676-3458-4272 is mine, but I'm in Europe so our timing may be way off.
    • MasterPain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0you just got pwnzrd noob!
    • jjustice, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Did I read this wrong? Did you say that not offering online features is "immoral"? The Creative fiasco may be immoral, but this, I think, is just a poor feature set.
      • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Moral may have been poor word choice. I am saying that Nintendo's priority with brawl is to rake in obscene amounts of money (which they have) not make us, the consumer, happy. Sure, you can't have one without the other, but the point stands. My point is that Nintendo has garnered itself an image of purity. But despite Miyamoto's lovable appearance, they are still a corporation that thinks of the bottom line and only cares about the consumer as much as they are a means to that end.
  • NICU, on 03/31/2008, -7/+2I had a horrible online connection playing SSB and my friend had a great connection. To make this quick - it was 100% my router's fault. I had a Linksys WRT54GC (compact) and swapped that out with a $40 Belkin router and my connections are awesome - no lag and I get in games in a minute sometimes two. Make sure you forward your ports too! http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/supersmashbros/ ...
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Yeah linksys makes terrible firmware for gaming. Custom firmware like Tomato, is way better if you have more than one online console. But your right, a $40 belkin works just as good if not better.
      • 1807, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Belkin sucks...I thought you knew
        • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Funny story, I own a small but profitable computer networking firm. During a college campus move-in we sold routers and network installations with a six month guarantee. The students had two choices , Belkin F5D7230-4 (the cheap choice) and Linksys Wrt54g (the more expensive trusted brand).
          We sold and installed a total of 391 routers : 74 Linksys and 317 belkins.
          By the end of the 6 month period I had replaced 10 linksys routers, and 3 belkins. Linksys replaced my bad routers, but that failure rate is unacceptable. They weren't all from the same batch, they were varying versions.
          I was shocked how well the belkins lasted, considering their price (and honestly we even marked them up a little more than the linksys).
  • Wiinii, on 03/31/2008, -2/+21Nintendo is so antisocial they even got rid of their own forums!
  • Stone420, on 03/31/2008, -24/+1I'm working on making a video website that will support Wii's
    Unfortunately right now we don't support IE 6

    http://2.0web.tv

    Id like some feedback
    Let me know what you think ! :)
    Thanks
  • employeeno5, on 03/31/2008, -1/+16I love my Wii and I love Nintendo, but this article is dead on.
  • imbob, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2i dont get how in brawl i can spectate but not play...........
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3At first I wondered the same thing....and since there is no communication with any of the players except custom taunts "with friends". It makes you wonder if you are really playing anyone at all, or if it isn't just an elaborate hoax.
      In truth I stopped having online problems when I put the wii in the proverbial dmz, but it still takes way less time to find a match to spectate than actually join a match.
    • WhiteLaser, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11The Spectator mode matches are pre-recorded from earlier, not occurring in real time.
  • bwishey, on 03/31/2008, -12/+1Well, considering Nintendo's never even ventured online before, it's not 'that' bad for a first attempt. We all expect Microsoft to have an awesome online component, considering they've been doing it for a long time. Thinking Nintendo should match companies like Microsoft in terms of online is simply not realistic. Cut them some slack and them get their feet wet first as they learn about 'teh interwebs'.
    • Wiinii, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5Bullcrap, they can easily look at what others like M$ are doing and emulate. They are blatantly not including key features for the sake of kids and casuals.
      • B1663r, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2Its funny, you spelled it M$, but then you are gonna go buy the Wii 2.0 now with Super Smash Bros Brawl Extreme! (or whatever) and it will have all the features that this version was very notably missing, yet you accuse Microsoft of being greedy.

        LOL. Thanks for the laugh.

        My suggestion is wiki "battered wife syndrome" and realize you have the same relationship with Nintendo.
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6No its pretty bad...I don't think they have any excuses. I think their prime motivator for poor online is money.
  • salvadorwii, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11i just can think about this
    http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=258
  • danielsan1701, on 03/31/2008, -0/+14The worst part for me (since I'm not that into online multiplayer), is that fact that there are no options for downloadable content (DLC). Guitar Hero III, and the soon-to-be-released Rock Band seem so incomplete without those options. Yes, they avoid microtransactions, but this also kills game upgrades and updates like rosters for sports games. Twilight Princess and Guitar Hero III both had bugs that seemed like they could have been fixed via patch if they were on the 360, but the fixes for these games involved clumsy disc exchanges via snail mail. Nintendo should seriously consider enabling external hard drive use via USB with their next firmware update and being to (if possible) allow DLC, updates and patches.
    • thanakar, on 03/31/2008, -6/+3.
    • sgtpppr, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Honestly, Nintendo has had a year to get DLC up and running and they simply haven't even tried. I have GH3 for Wii and I keep hearing that there WILL be DLC soon, but every month that goes by I doubt it more and more. I love my Wii, but this is just a HUGE mistake on Nintendo's part. They are already selling VC games, but have chosen to ignore a proven effective business opportunity in patches and purchase-able addons. I wonder how many times I can play the same song...though I already bought it, so I guess they don't care.
  • goerg, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3very very very good article. no more to say
  • ELCad, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I had good luck with the Wii's first few online games, Bwii, MoH2 and Strikers, they all connected to other players quickly and I only had a laggy match once. But I have had a lot of trouble playing Brawl online. I've had the game since day 2 and have only been able to play online less then 10 times and half of those were so laggy that it was almost painful.
  • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -6/+3the one upside to the poor online system that nintendo uses is that developers put more into local multiplayer production values. take a look at the xbox360's library.. great online games, but not a whole lot to play with your friends when they stop over.
    and really,.. i never use voice chat anyway when im playing on Live,.. i've been called gay enough times by 12 year olds to last me a lifetime. the only time i ever break out the headset is to video chat with my uncle/aunt/cousins.
    for Brawl, my friend and I talk on skype while we play,.. works fine. nothing to light the torches or throw out the Wii for.
    • B1663r, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2All things being equal, I uh... Love the options available for local multiplay on the xbox. Halo 3 local multiplayer is AMAZING. Easily best thing going on any console right now. On the other hand, games like brawl seem totally gimped my local multiplay because of the low resolution of the wii.

      And... the interesting thing about all the gay people I have known.... They were usually the last to know... And the only ones whos feelings were being hurt by being called gay... So maybe the 12 year olds are telling you somthin? Not as in insult, just trying to help you come out?
      • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1my feelings aren't hurt by being called gay.. actually people online could call me anything and i could care less(not that those 12 year olds actually even *think* i'm gay - unless they think everyone is gay, because that's all you hear). i don't even particularly care what people *i know* think of me. the issue i have is that i just don't like kids, and at 26 years old, i have better things to do that have name calling matches with them online.
        that being said, if you're really that concerned.. i'm very happily straight, very happy to have some gay friends, and the girls i've been seeing lately have no questions as to my sexuality. when it comes down to it, that's pretty much all that matters, now, isn't it?
        i understand halo has a pretty robust local multiplayer component, but that's only 1 game. noone can deny that plenty of games that should have local multiplayer just don't..
    • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1wow,... go fanboys go. sorry i put down one small aspect of your beloved 360...
  • daridave, on 03/31/2008, -1/+10Service... that's an over-statement...
  • Topher06, on 03/31/2008, -12/+8Lets face it, Nintendo isn't really a software innovator. When it came time for them to create an online network for the Wii they thought they could do it by themselves and failed misserably. Everything about the Wii suggests to me that Nintendo cheaped out on R&D, except for the Wiimote system. The hardware is inferior, the Wii Menu is inferior, WiiWare is inferior and the networking is inferior. I know that Nintendo took a beating with the GameCube so they probably didn't have hundreds of millions to invest on the Wii, but hopefully with the billions they are making off duping people with the Wii they might actually start to put that into R&D for a follow up console. Its been three strikes IMHO (N64, GameCube, and Wii all miserable consoles) hopefully Nintendo will wake up an put some time, money and effort into developing a true next generation game console next time that actually competes on the same playing field with Sony and Microsoft, meaning, stop with the Fisher Price systems.
    • purzzzell, on 03/31/2008, -2/+6uhh - Nintendo made a profit on the gamecube - and they elected to do what's called "niche marketing" with the Wii - and they did it VERY WELL - the niche of 'casual, non hardcore' gamers is larger many times over than that of the 'dedicated gamer' demographic.

      If they put the amount of R&D to make it a powerhouse like 360/ps3, they would have been of similar price and would not have as effectively reached non-gamers who wouldn't think about spending that much money on a console.

      and that's not even narrowing down the "pc only" dedicated gamer demographic, that no console will get.

      They don't need to compete with Sony/Microsoft., they're outselling both of them. And that's what it's about, not "pleasing gamers" but "selling systems, having happy customers, and making money," all of which they're doing VERY well.


      And do we really need another graphics powerhouse system with the same damned games as the other two anyway?
      • nicktx, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1They did just the opposite of niche marketing, they went mass market. PS3 catered to the very high end of the market upon release, that's why Sony kept the PS2 alive to cover the mass market. It's like a Mercedes and a Chevy, you'll sell a lot more Chevrolets but they don't compare on features or performance. Where this analogy breaks is that technology costs drop very quickly and the PS3 will eventually become mass market sucking the air around the Wii. This is why I think Sony is investing massively in new games and online services whereas Nintendo is doing things halfheartedly. They know they can't compete in the long term with the Wii and are probably investing in Wii.2. It kind of sucks for the Wii owners.
    • fognozzle, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4Not defending the online service or anything, but the company that brought us Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, and much much more aren't software innovators? They practically invented half of the genres that are out today. Seriously, what are you smoking?
    • Tahiri, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2"Not defending the online service or anything, but the company that brought us Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, and much much more aren't software innovators?"

      We're on what, the 20th game of each series now? Perfect example of why they are not software innovators. And Nintendo is in no way responsible for even an insignificant portion of existing genres, let alone a single one
    • KingGoonie, on 04/01/2008, -1/+1Wow... if Nintendo isn't software innovators... then no one is.
      Nintendogs. Wiisports. Those two are fairly recent and jumped into my head immediately. They are THE MOST innovative as far as software AND hardware goes. How does having a bad online service as of now make them not innovative? Hell, the point of this article is that online should be standard now... so having something that should be standard does NOT make you innovative. Having something DIFFERNET does.

      I also love how you say the wii menu is inferior... Never heard anyone have a problem with the wii menu at all.. its clear and concise and easy... also wiiware has been out for what? Less then a week in Japan? And Gamecube was a failure when it made Nintendo a huge profit? And N64 sucked? The system that brought us at least 3 of what are considered the 10 best games of all time? "next time that actually competes on the same playing field with Sony and Microsoft," Um... apparently you meant they are DOMINATED them in sales to the point where they don't have to even consider them competition anymore? Wow... just wow.... Go get your shinebox fol. I owned you.
  • dudefather, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11Your on-line service is bad and you should feel bad!
  • ScottG13, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2I guess not many Japanese consumers have online capabilities in their homes. That makes sense... right?
    • spyrochaete, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I'm pretty sure the online functionality for Wii is far superior in Japan. They have more internet Wii channels and the ones the rest of the world gets have fewer functions. Japan gets tons of content only available to Japanese Wiis (which you can use in the USA, btw).

      If you use the Weather Channel on a North American Wii you can even see that the weather icons are different (and happier) in Japan.
  • cadeucsb, on 03/31/2008, -5/+5If you're a serious gamer, enjoy the Wii for its few entertaining (gimmicky) games and move on. Its never going to be on par with an Xbox Live-like service. If your a casual gamer and don't care/know about its lack of online features, this is your system (and you're Nintendo's demographic).
    • spyrochaete, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4If you're a serious gamer do what I do - play real games on PC and play gimmicky minigames on the Wii. Then all your bases are covered. No other system or console can do what the Wii does.
      • Shadow82v, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1Actually, if you're a serious gamer, you buy all three consoles and enjoy them all, instead of buying one console and bashing the rest.
  • foofightrs777, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10"This functionality is roughly equivalent to what you could achieve in 1998 by connecting to someone else's computer via modem."

    This sentence sums up the point the article is making but online games had advanced beyond what nintendo is offering as Starcraft released that year. I never had the opportunity to play the earlier bnet games but I'm going to guess that they were at least reasonably as advanced. What Nintendo's service reminds me of is exchanging modem phone numbers circa 1995/6 with a friend (Oh wait I only have to exchange a 7 digit number once here instead of a 12 digit friend code w/ every damn game?) to play a 1v1 Doom death match.
  • GeneHACKman, on 03/31/2008, -5/+5Once again showing that XBL core team does not get the credit it deserves for giving players a superior live gaming experience compared to the other consoles. Sure, PS3 is gaining ground, but only because of the model that XBL laid before them.
  • liwii, on 03/31/2008, -3/+6Lag in SSBB is not nearly as bad when you play with people who live close to you. I use http://mapwii.com which lets you find the closest people with SSBB. Also, if you have the Wii connected via wi-fi, be sure it isn't too far away from your router.
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Thats a great site, but it still sucks that we have to rely on other methods to optimize our online gaming experience.
  • Harabeck, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6The real question is why you have to pay for other console online services when computer games have completely free services that are even better.
  • senatorpjt, on 03/31/2008, -5/+4The reason the Wii online service is so poor is pedophiles, or moreso, paranoid parents.
    • BobMysterioso, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I get that parents don't want Bobby or Suzy to be solicited by pervs. But you know what? I don't care of Bobby or Billy .. or even Suzy - are playing Guitar Hero III or some other game, where there is no chat and no SMS text, and its just a versus (or even coop) game. Maybe at the end, a few options to say 'GG" or something similar. Then.. Ralph Pedophile can play wii with all the kids in the neighborhood, and it doesn't make any difference at all. He can't communicate with them, they can't talk to him, its safe and 100% better than now.

      If this were in addition to the Friend Code (which should be universal for each console not game) then you'd have both worlds. Anonymous limited access and pre-authenticated full chat access.
  • fani, on 03/31/2008, -15/+7Poor console has poor online. No surprise there.
    • Shadow82v, on 04/01/2008, -0/+1Actually, it's a great console that has poor online.
  • Lososaurus, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5"Pitiful" implies that I would pity the service, but I would just call it "abysmal"
  • jmskyrocket, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4I don't know about you, but running into the occasional little annoying kid on an online game is bad enough. Imagine the ratio of annoying kids to legitimate players on the wii, annoying kids pretty much sums up the entire fanbase.
  • RoboDigger, on 03/31/2008, -4/+1the simple fact is that they still have the gamecube mentality when it comes to multiplayer. you should play with other ppl in the same location. they dont want to change cuz the ppl that want feature full online with leaderboards and such are the minority. the target audience is still little kids and they and their parents have the power. the nintendo power.
  • TheHappyToaster, on 03/31/2008, -5/+3You know, every time I see an article (and moreso the responses to them) about the Wii's online services, the more confused I become.
    The problem is that comparing Live and Home to WiiConnect is like comparing a light rail system to a minivan. The Wii was designed to be an in-house gaming system, hauling the occasional kid to a friend's house for a planned play date. Live and Home are meant to not only haul thousands of people at once, but also to haul the freight of assorted media, like movies, TV shows or downloadable content.
    The problem is that many seem to expect this system to work in a way that it is not only incapable of handling, but was never meant to handle.
    Don't misunderstand, I'm not fond of the idea of Friend Codes either, but complaining about the online setup of the Wii is kind of like complaining that your Honda Civic can't fit all 16 of your friends inside.
    When they designed the Wii, Nintendo made the conscious design decision to focus on small, planned gatherings of friends to play online (as is the standard Japanese approach), instead of a massive bucket filled with solo players from around the world (akin to Live). Personally, I believe the Halo 3 and CoD4 multiplayer is actually improved by not having other people in the same room, much like I'd make fun of someone who suggested that I share my monitor for a TF2 match. On the other hand, I've found that I greatly prefer having people in the same room to play Brawl.
    There's obviously a market for this approach, which works well for everyone, since trying new ideas is really the only way to improve what we have now.
    The way that the Wii does things is different, yes, but if you don't like it, there are other online systems to try.
  • unfilterthought, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I wish I could play Brawl against my friends that I backstab in TF2. :[
    • Arterus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0I, for one, do! I had my friends that I play TF2 with get Skype. We all play while heckling each other on Skype :)
  • vandy, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Can someone go on the record and make a similar assessment for PSN so something decent can be built up?!
    • Tahiri, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Why? PSN has 99% of the functionality of Live, is free, uses dedicated servers where Live uses peer to peer.
      PSN has superior in-game performance, if anything complain about Live charging for inferior performance
  • scottsolo, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1on the "play with anyone" online mode...I seriously will have to wait 10+ minutes for the computer to find another player. It sits on "seeking" for the entire 10 minutes. Then, it will find ONE player, and we have a 2 player match with 2 other computers. It's completely ridiculous.
    • MasterPain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0Y a & you get to play for a whopping 2 min. Who's idea was that. @ min does not show who is better just who got lucky. You get the smash ball you won the round. I would not ever go online & say hmm lets just play 2 min ok.
  • ChanM, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Xbox live is overrated, yeah great match me up with 12 year olds and frat kids mic spamming. I'll stick with PC online gaming since 1. it's free, 2. I know the community of the server I play on, 3. Mic spam = instant ban. And yeah the wii online service sucks but are some of you saying you don't have 3 other friends to play with?
    • adventchild08, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3A PC online gamer accusing console gamers of not having friends...
      Am I reading this right?
  • Rooker156, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3I have been a Nintendo fan since the womb. They have (at least in my book) always delivered what i have wanted and expected. Although I am deeply disappointed with the way they have gone about their online play as well. They have gimped a system that has(maybe at this point "had") the potential to take on XBL. Sure, friend codes are annoying, but they do work to an extent. It seems like if you, i don't know, were able to setup an account that linked your friend code to an account name, it would be less annoying. The proprietary game codes, like brawl codes are really not a good setup. I'm not even asking for a full on XBL clone with chat support and picture messaging, but at very least they should have integrated wii codes, with brawl (slightly less annoying) because i know in a month when mariokart wii comes out, its going to be round two of annoyances and numbers, and frankly, i may only go 2 rounds. sorry Nintendo.
  • springboks, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Great article and even better comments. Everything is true, but this was a very intentional part from Nintendo. Nintendo is selling Brawl like hot cake. Even I could never justify $50 for a game, rushed out to buy this game. They're doing something right. Gamespot.com (the harshest review site) gives Brawl 9.5/10.

    Mario Kart Wii is hugely anticipated and will sell like crazy too.

    Nintendo have been very intentional in their minimalism, while other consoles went to DVD, optical formats, the N64 still used carts. Now they've got a console with not the same amount (or less) muscle than the gamecube and it's selling very well.

    An audience that's looking for a cheap, good value, lots of gameplay will still go with a wii. If you have a child you're best console is still a wii.

    Yes they've lost that audience that wants grand theft auto IV (360 and PS3) or Resident Evil 5 (PS3). But they're not trying to capture this audience.

    Sorry to sound fanboy-ish
  • jirnik, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I'm a Wii owner and am also very disappointed with the online. I was expecting much better from Nintendo (like a 3d Wii Pokemon MMO). What can we Wii owners do now to urge Nintendo to make some changes? I think if we all organize and convey our thoughts to Nintendo they will be receptive. Nintendo is a still a great company and I think they will listen to our input.
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