Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak

By Fred Dutton Published 16 November, 2010

Amazon "discontinued" listing an error.

UPDATE: Nintendo UK has contacted Eurogamer to say it has not discontinued Wii Speak, and that the Amazon listing referenced in the article below was an error.

ORIGINAL STORY: Nintendo has discontinued its Wii Speak peripheral, according to an Amazon listing.

The product's sales page, spotted by GoNintendo, now reads "Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes."

This tallies with comments made last week by the developers of forthcoming SEGA FPS, The Conduit 2. High Voltage's creative officer Eric Nofsinger told BitMob that it was supporting the third party Headbanger headset for online multiplayer modes, rather than Nintendo's own hardware.

"Nintendo told us to not use Wii Speak," he explained.

Wii Speak, which allowed users to chat with friends online in supported games, launched in 2008, bundled with Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City. It's only been utilised in a handful of games since, including Monster Hunter Tri, Endless Ocean 2, NBA 2K10 and Tetris Party Deluxe.

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Segnit #1 2 years ago

    This is pathetic Nintendo. You're actually discontinuing a microphone? Talk about half hearted!

  • governmentyard #2 2 years ago

    1: Does it still work with AC and EOII?

    2: Does it work as a PC mic?

  • Dolly #3 2 years ago

    It's so funny, how Wii don't talk anymore..

  • el_pollo_diablo #4 2 years ago

    Discontinued? Oh ok.

    / shrugs.


    EDIT:

    Not Discontinued? Oh ok.

    / shrugs again.
    Edited by el_pollo_diablo at 17/11/10 @ 12:22

  • Malek86 #5 2 years ago

    If it weren't for MH3, I wouldn't even know this thing existed. So yeah.

  • Hunam #6 2 years ago

    I've got one but I don't much rate it.

  • HiddenAway #7 2 years ago

    If it weren't for Wii Speak, EG nights for Monster Hunter Tri would have been easier to arrange :p

    (I believe Capcom reduced the room limits to just 4 hunters to allow Wii Speak in the west whereas the Japanese have about 10 per room).
    Edited by HiddenAway at 16/11/10 @ 23:59

  • Phishfood #8 2 years ago

    Wii speak is utterly terrible. Its a speaker and microphone in one that's supposed be placed near the tv, stupidest idea ever. I always hear constant background noise from the other persons tv.

  • daver #9 2 years ago

    Dolly, that was class.

  • 1Dgaf #10 2 years ago

    Well, shit. 4k views of my Monster Hunter Wii Speak vid and I hear this - I was hoping that vid would get viewers for a good while to come.

    Will Nintendy allow older games to use the new microphone then?

  • Gaiduku #11 2 years ago

    It's terrible anyway. Why did they want to be so different anyway? They should have just made a headset instead of this silly thing. I use it for Monster hunter tri and the quality is terrible - constant feedback too if its remotely near the TV.

  • Gaiduku #12 2 years ago

    It's terrible anyway. Why did they want to be so different anyway? They should have just made a headset instead of this silly thing. I use it for Monster hunter tri and the quality is terrible - constant feedback too if its remotely near the TV.

  • carrotcake #13 2 years ago

    They should discontinue the Wii altogether. Just kidding. But yeah, I can see why this peripheral didn't succeed, they never really pushed the online features of the Wii to begin with.

  • dirtyvu #14 2 years ago

    if you want to talk to people during gaming, i guess the most popular platform is xbox 360. ps3 is very hit and miss. and who does online multiplayer on the wii?

  • Canyarion #15 2 years ago

    I got it for free with Animal Crossing (bought it with Wii Speak for €20, sold it without it for €20), but I haven't used it once.

  • murphy1978 #16 2 years ago

    Is this just another example of Nintendo's anti-online attitude?

    Do they not realise that online communities thrive on PSN and XBL?

  • The-Bodybuilder #17 2 years ago

    I'm pretty sure even the dreamcast's microphone got more support from sega than nintendo gave for this.

  • Hulle #18 2 years ago

    Missing in the news: The Headbanger headset is officially licenced by Nintendo.. And previous games Will not work with the headset, since it needs a driver from the game disc..

    And lets once again shake our heads in despair.. Why on earth, Nintendo, did you not allow patches for the Wii.. You could have made it possible to use it on previous Wii Speak games :(

    But on Wii Speak, then honestly, it is for the best.. I have used Wii Speak for Monster Hunter Tri, But the quality is so low that i prefer the keyboard.
    Edited by Hulle at 17/11/10 @ 08:38

  • obscured021 #19 2 years ago

    I just use team speak on my pc when i play wii games.

  • Hulle #20 2 years ago

    This issue have made me frustrated, I have mailed Nintendo.

    The mail:

    Hi Nintendo

    Regarding the Wii Speak/Headbanger Headset

    I am a loyal Nintendo gamer. I have bought your systems and played your games ever since the Nes days. But recent business decisions have made me question my loyalty. The issue: Wii Speak and the Headbanger Headset.

    Today, the 17. November, 2010, I read on a respected gaming site (Eurogamer), that the Wii Speak peripheral has been discontinued. At the same time, developers of The Conduit 2 were told, by Nintendo, not to support Wii Speak for their upcoming game. Instead they should support the Headbanger Headset.
    Link: [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-16-nintendo-discontinues-wii-speak
    ]http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-1...[/link]

    A quick google search told me the following:
    * Old games do not work with the Headset, since it needs a driver on from the disc
    * The Headset is fully licenced by Nintendo
    Link: [link url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP's_Headbanger_Headset
    ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP's_Headb...[/link]

    Lets face it. Wii Speak was not your best peripheral. The sound quality was terrible, and half the time playing online was spent yelling “WHAT?”.
    This seems to change with the Headbanger Headset, so I am all for the initiative on fully supporting it by Nintendo. After all, the headset it is the best device of the two.
    I am fully aware that I will still be able to use Wii Speak in my old games.

    My problem lays elsewhere: Why do I have to pay for the new device? Why do I have to pay for your mistakes? Let me narrow it down:

    I bought the Wii Speak. But you no longer support it.
    You support a new device (Headbanger Headset), that I have to pay to buy.
    My old games wont work with the Headbanger Headset.
    My new games wont work with Wii Speak.

    All of this, my dear Nintendo, could have been fixed with a “Headbanger Headset patch” for the old games. Heck, you would have gotten away with it. But for some reason, unknown to mankind, you cant patch games on the Wii.

    As a loyal consumer, I feel cheated. Even though I questioned your online communication device, I bought it. And so did many other gamers.
    And how do you thank us? You discontinued the device, and no longer encourage developers to incorporate it in upcoming games.
    Again; I support the Headbanger Headset initiative, but I still feel cheated.

    This is an open e-mail. I have posted it on numerous websites, and I will be posting your reply to the issue, to fellow Nintendo gamers.

    Regards

    Martin Hultquist
    Edited by Hulle at 17/11/10 @ 11:16

  • AcidSnake #21 2 years ago

    @hulle:

    Reply from Nintendo:

    Dear Mr. Hultquist,

    thank you for your continued interest in our companies products ever since the NES.
    It is unfortunate that you feel cheated as Nintendo prides itself in stopping cheating on all its platforms.
    We'd like to take this opportunity to say that you can still use your WiiSpeak in your old games.

    Unfortunately patching is not possible on Wii for fear of pedophiles.
    I'm sure you understand how dangerous that could be.

    Seeing as you're a loyal consumer, if you can provide proof of purchase for:
    - Nintendo NES
    - Nintendo SNES
    - Nintendo Game Boy
    - Nintendo Game Boy Colour
    - Nintendo Virtual Boy
    - Nintendo Game Boy Advanced
    - Nintendo Game Boy Micro
    - Nintendo 64
    - Nintendo DS
    - Nintendo DS Lite
    - Nintendo DSi
    - Nintendo DSi XL
    - Nintendo Wii
    - Nintendo WiiSpeak Peripheral
    - Nintendo HeadBanger Headset
    we can offer you a recompense of 50 star points!
    Star points allow you to choose many gifts from our star catalog including screensavers (400 points), downloadable wallpapers (500 to 800 points) and the WiiSpeak peripheral (7000 points) among other things! (While supplies last)

    We'd also like to remind you that you can still use your WiiSpeak in your old games.

    Best regards,
    Rodger Nintendo

    PS: WiiSpeak will remain a viable option for your older games.
    Edited by AcidSnake at 17/11/10 @ 10:22

  • AcidSnake #22 2 years ago

    Though seriously, I was given this peripheral as a gift 2 years ago and have yet to unpack it, mainly because very few games support it...
    The key to making it a runaway success was easy, implementing it in Mario Kart Wii!...

  • Hulle #23 2 years ago

    @AcidSnake

    Fantstic reply :D That made me laugh and smile. Nice sarcasm with the 50 Stars :)

    That is exactly the kind of reply Nintendo probably will give me, if they reply.. Minus the humor though :)
    Edited by Hulle at 17/11/10 @ 10:47

  • Golgo #24 2 years ago

    Fret ye not, people, for the VITALITY SENSOOOR shall soon be unleashed upon thee!

  • Hulle #25 2 years ago

    It should be nice to hear, that they haven't discontinued Wii Speak. But frankly, it doesn't change fundamental problem on this issue: It leaves a fragtmentet online community on the Wii.

    If the developer behind Conduit 2 is quoted correctly, then Nintendo told them not to implement Wii Speak in their game, but the Headbanger Headset.
    Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the Headset, but the problem is that the two solutions don't work together. Examples are Call of Duty: Black Ops and Conduit 2 that only work with Headbanger Headset.
    Wii Speak implementation means no Headbanger Headset communication, and vice versa.

    So in the end we are left with a Wii Speak that can be bought, but is not supported. How is this better? This is probably even worse than if they discontinued the Wii Speak. How are the constumers supposed to know which to buy?