back to article Nintendo unveils Network for console connectivity

Nintendo has spilled the beans on its next-gen Wii U console's connectivity capabilities to be built around an online service called the Nintendo Network. Company frontman Satoru Iwata said the Network will offer competitions and communication between users, as well as access to digital content, add-ons and full downloadable …

COMMENTS

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  1. Richard Wharram

    Meh

    In all seriousness.

    Meh.

    1. Giles Jones Gold badge

      Reaction was quite negative when the Wii was annoucned until people actually had a go. That said, this time it could be rather different.

      1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

        You don't care, but clearly you care enough to comment. Strange.

        1. Richard Wharram

          I think my meh expressed quite an important point for Nintendo's future. If enough people feel the same as me (and many do) then they are going to find their new hardware pretty hard to sell.

  2. squilookle

    Good luck to them.

    Personally, I've played Mario Kart, Smash Brothers Brawl, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, Black Ops and a few others online on the Wii and, while there were limitations and the experience on XBox live was always going to be better, it always worked for me and was perfectly enjoyable.

    The challenge of Nintendo, because it's something I think they have a pretty bad track record with, is going to be keeping the content up to date over the life of the console.

  3. Ryan 7

    People always slag off Nintendo for doing stuff like this,

    But remember, they've been doing Online services and Gimmicks since the 80s. (Famicon Modem, Virtual Boy, etc etc). Some of them have been shite, but they've not gone under so far...

    1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      But the important thing is that the Wii has consistently outsold the competition. That may not seem significant to some (ie the fanbois of other consoles) but the simple fact is that Nintendo tend to do stuff right as far as the market is concerned and stuff what the "experts" have to say.

  4. Anonymous Coward 15
    Linux

    I really want to see those tablet controllers hacked/modded.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Didn't they already have a network?

    It got hacked and all the user accounts got stolen in June.

    Of course thou because it wasn't Sony, hardly anyone reported it in the press.

    1. Gio Ciampa

      Out of curiousity - got any links?

      I'd have thought Sony would have jumped on the chance to ensure that everyone knew that other networks also had issues

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Google is your friend.

        It happened in June 2011.

        And It's very rare for Sony to comment about anything Nintendo or Microsoft.

        Both Japanese companies (Sony and Nintendo) and the culture are very different to the constant shit stirring and viral marketing stunts of Microsoft and other American corporates.

  6. Greg J Preece

    NFC? I see where this is going.

    Collectible shite you buy and rub against your console to unlock game content that should have been included with the asking price?

    Yep, sounds like a Nintendo gimmick. Well, if Skylanders, Eye of Judgement and Kinectimals hadn't tried this already. Still, the Zelda fanboys are terrifying. Make a collectible ocarina that unlocks different stuff according to which song you play. They'll stab each other with replica fairy swords to get one.

  7. Alasdair Russell
    Thumb Down

    Will it have an RJ45 socket

    I am more interested in whether they will actually put an ethernet socket in the thing this time.

    The requirement to link the Wii wirelessly has caused me a lot of hassle with thick walls etc. There is a good chance I will pass on the new console if I cannot plug a bit of CAT5A into it (and I have bought each of their consoles since the 64).

    1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      I take it then that you are unaware that you can buy a LAN adaptor for a Wii for the price of an ethernet cable?

      Research. Heard of it?

  8. RAMChYLD
    FAIL

    Locking out more people from their services

    Probably a way of setting it up so people in unprivileged countries cannot download games by lying about their locations.

    For example, the XBox 360 is rubbish over here in Malaysia because XBox Live is not available in the country- if you own a XBox 360, you're limited to only offline play.

    Ditto for Win7 phones (is there any wonder they're flops over here?)- simply because Windows Phone Marketplace (and again, XBox Live) isn't available here and thus those phones are useless.

    The Wii Shop is also not available in Malaysia.

    Now, on a current Wii, you could get around any blockades simply by telling it you're in South America. The Wii's current payment system for Brazil simply asks for your Credit Card number, CVV and Postcode, and will blindly accept the card because Malaysia uses a similar postal code system to Brazil, and what do you know? The postcode on the card account matches the one given!

    If they were to switch to the NN system, you'd be required to register yourself before you can buy any games,. If you're located in a country that the Big N refuses to sell games online to or offer online service to at all, you're screwed.

    Of course, you can do what people do and set up an account using a collaborators' address, but that's just dishonest...

  9. h3

    I hope that this means for e.g 4 children in a family everything doesn't need to be bought 4 times for the same console.

    (Don't see why keeping the content with the account is a good idea on Nintendo - Convenient for an adult without kid's but not for families that I think are Nintendo's prime market).

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