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No unified Wii friends list News
Wii News by Tom Bramwell
Those of you hoping that Nintendo would implement a unified friends list for Wii online titles might want to suck on your cheeks for a bit: Wii friends lists will need to be set up for every game you play.
That's according to a GameSpy representative responding to questions about the online matchmaking technology they will be supplying for Nintendo. "The Wii friend lists are game-specific," the spokesperson told a Nintendo Wii blogger who also works as games editor for a German television station.
Disappointment is likely to be amplified, too, by the PR's revelation that "GameSpy's technology does allow for features that could span multiple games". It's just that Nintendo Wii won't be using them that way.
We asked Nintendo UK whether we were missing something; whether there was some obvious reason for going down this route rather than adopting the unified approach that has become a console gaming standard, but were simply told, "Nintendo has taken this step as we believe it's the right thing to do."
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Big mistake nintendo. Why are they so terrified of online. It's not like you can even talk to other gamers as there is no wii headset.
After some many great decisions nintendo's handling of online communication is frankly shocking. I'll doubt I'll ever play online games with my wii, specially as I have an 360. |
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sickpuppysoftware
15/03/07 @ 09:17
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I don't even own an XBox and I can see how stupid this is. Are they trying to make PS2 online capabilities seem attractive?
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Ok, but does this mean a unique friend code for every game? What's all this talk of "friend lists"? I don't care either way (have had no troubles with friend codes and could live with them again), but do they mean your buddy list is different in each game, or are the codes needed different for each game?
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I really hope Ninty have a good reason for doing this, I can only think that it's so you can have a list containing only those people who have the game but surely that could be done with a unified list too? A central list and then when you launch a game only those with the game are shown.
Seems a bit silly and lazy to me though at the moment. |
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What is the actual advantage for nintendo of having a seperate friends list for each game?
So you can have different buddies for different games? Most of my friends do not like to play strategy games, so there is no list to have them on a list in a strategy game. That aside, I would really like to have someone explain how the Wii online part works. |
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There'll only be a handful of Nintendo Wii games worth playing online anyway so online gameplay on that machine really doesn't interest me at all, in fact, I'd go as far as to say it's unnecessary. Online gaming is vastly overrated in my opinion, nothing beats playing against people in the same room as you.
Mutliformat games will be available on the PS3 and Xbox 360 anyway, which means online support in most cases, and I'd rather play multiplayer games on the Wii with family and friends as it's more fun and natural. Playing against a faceless, voiceless human controlled avatar/bot just isn't going to be the same and is only handy for first person shooters (again the PS3 and Xbox 360 more than cater for this genre) and racing games (ditto) which support more than four players (the limit imposed by splitscreen games). |
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Yes in light of XBL this does seem a bit stupid.
But on the other PC gamers have been dealing with this for years. The likes of Steam and GameSpy do make things easier, but you still need to have about 5 different games network programs on your pc each with a separate friends list. Though even that could be set to change once XBL-PC goes live. Though if that is successful it could be a dark day indeed. As much as I like xbox I don't want it having a monopoly. Which is starting to look likely is Ninty and Sony don't pull their fingers out! What is going on with nintendo? The Wii exploded onto the market, and despite it continue to sell strongly I can't help but feel it's starting to loose steam. |
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I'm really not bothered about this, but outright shutting out online play to only those you know of their friend codes is plain retarded.
To be fair, that is not an attribute of friend codes, but up to the game. All DS games relied on friend codes, but look at Mario Kart and Metroid Prime Hunters where you could play against totally anonymous strangers without having to know their friend code. It was / is up to the game. |
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"Oh Nintendo, why make online so complicated...."
Well, for protection, I suppose. If Nintendo are keen on making an online system suitable for safe family enjoyment, then they have to make compromises. The price of a kid and parent-friendly online service is the sanity of just about everyone else. I guess that's how they see it. :-/ |
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"Well, for protection, I suppose. If Nintendo are keen on making an online system suitable for safe family enjoyment, then they have to make compromises. The price of a kid and parent-friendly online service is the sanity of just about everyone else. I guess that's how they see it."
So how would a unified friends list not do this? You could still be required to enter a friend code, only once rather then for every game you buy. |
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Stormflood
15/03/07 @ 09:35
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You have to accept it: Nintendo is not about Hi-Def, online, surviving.
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Why can't parents just take more responcability for their kids and learn for them selfs how the toys their kid is playing with work. If a parent bothered to read the manual for a 360 they would learn how to use parental controls, there's even markings on the box and the games letting you know that such a system exists!
Would give little jimmy a chemistry set and let him go up to his room with it with out even checking on the box to see if it's suitible for his age rang? No you wouldn't, yet that is exactly what alot of parents seem to do with games consoles!!! |
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I don't get the whole pedo protection thing. Isn't this system better for them? I mean, when someone tries something on psonline or xbl, it can be investigated, followed by a ban on the credit card and passing the data on to the police.
With this system, they get a clean slate with every new game. It also makes them really hard to track down for the police. |
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@justMe, you can play with strangers yes, but can you then add then to a friends list or a recently played list so that you can challenge then again? Always playing against random strangers just becomes shallow and dull. Being able to build a list of friends means that over time you get to know people online. And while they may still be fairly shallow friendships, it's still better to play with people yuo can have a bit of laugh with and that you have an idea of how they play, especially in team games like GoW and GRAW
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kangarootoo
15/03/07 @ 09:56
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Let me speak for all the non-fanboys out there.
If true, and if I understand it correctly, this sucks ass. That is all. |
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chupachups
15/03/07 @ 10:03
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(sigh)
Sony has had a lot of flak over their pricing recently, and now it's Nintendo's turn to get it over their stupid feeble approach to online gaming. Nintendo, you've had years to get this right. What is your problem? Nobody but nobody wants separate logins, and it's even more amazing that Nintendo imposes separate logins within their own games on the DS. Why is it that my friend code in Mario Kart can't be the same as the friend code in Animal Crossing? Why can't I just have one friend code for one device? Xbox has had this for years, even the N-Gage had a unified login right from the beginning. It's not difficult to do. Beyond just friend codes, Nintendo's utterly pathetic "connect24" idea is another example of how little understanding they have of the online world. We DON'T NEED devices to be permanently online in order to receive messages or downloads, because the internet uses these things called "servers". These "servers" store all your incoming data for you, even when your computer is disconnected from the internet. It's like Nintendo's online division is stuck in the 1970s or something. "So you can have different buddies for different games? Most of my friends do not like to play strategy games, so there is no list to have them on a list in a strategy game. " But that would be a case for having a categorised friends list, not completely separate friends lists. There's just no excuse for what Nintendo's doing, they seem to completely misunderstand how online works. |
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I recently gave in to the screaming little boy inside me and plumped for an XBox360. Will buy a PS3 too, once there are enough games on it.
For the record, I did not HAVE to buy an HDTV to play in hi-res because MS make this neat HD AV cable which means you can enjoy HD gaming on virtually any CRT or LCD of a sufficient size. The first game I booted was, of course, Gears of War. During the first few levels, as I experienced flawless visuals, pristine music, and nothing to hinder suspension of disbelief (like hiccups or jaggies), I finally began to grasp MS and Sony's insistence on HD gaming. By comparison, suddenly this whole giddy Nintendo framework is getting on my nerves. Wii is not terribly cheap - in fact, it is pretty expensive for what you get. I can safely say that nothing comparable to a Gears or an MGS or a GT or a Halo will EVER turn up on Wii. Wii games are not cheap by comparison, to boot. So you end up spending a broadly similar amount of money in the long run to enjoy endless MArio variants, in pathetic fidelity compared to the other two, and crippled online functions. The thing that Wii - does - why, you could just as well do it by getting a DS or even some decent emulation software on your PC. Yes, I am a graphics whore - seeing how that sweet HD cable leveled the playing field (against my prior perception that you HAVE to have an HDTV in order to see 360 or PS3 games properly), I must conclude that purchasing a Wii doesn't make any sense any more and it is, in fact, Nintendo who are charging a premium on their console (remember, Sony throw in a Blu-Ray player). |
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kangarootoo
15/03/07 @ 10:24
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@Talha
I don't agree with all your points (I do actually agree with most of them), but good points well made. An interesting take on "value" not being the same thing as "cost". |
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@chupachups
"Xbox has had this for years, even the N-Gage had a unified login right from the beginning. It's not difficult to do." *twitch* Just because it's been done by someone else makes it no less hard a feature. It requires standardisation across all games. I think a little bit of programmer inside me just died when you said that... @Talha "For the record, I did not HAVE to buy an HDTV to play in hi-res" Great! One thing tho, the amazing difference in graphics that you're seeing, it really does get even better on an HD TV... Saw it on a friends 32" Bravia, saving up as we speak! |
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Carrybagma
15/03/07 @ 10:28
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We asked Nintendo UK whether we were missing something; whether there was some obvious reason for going down this route rather than adopting the unified approach that has become a console gaming standard, but were simply told, "Thanks for letting us know."
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