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Nintendo explains WiiU online, makes little sense, doesn't actually say anything
- Thread starter wsippel
- Start date
AceBandage
Banned
Josh7289 said:So, what's the issue? Why would it be out of the question for Nintendo to design a Sony-like system? (obv with better security)
There is no issue at the moment. No one knows what the hell Nintendo is doing and they're jumping to conclusions.
velvet_nitemare
Member
Makes those steamworks on cafe rumors pre E3 even more laughable.
EternalGamer
Banned
Josh7289 said:
They've said clearly they are not going to have a unified system. They said it twice now. First by Regie then by this guy. It is clear that they are not going to design a robust interface and require developers to have things like achievements and crossgame chat. People who say that "we don't know" what Nintendo is going are just wanting to stick their fingers in their ears.
Maybe things will change. I hope they do. But the information from two high ups at Nintendo so far clearly indicates no unified online system. They said those exact words.
AceBandage
Banned
EternalGamer said:
Saying "we won't have a one size fits all system" is just PR talk. They've also said they'd listen to third parties for what they want and incorporate it into their own system.
Basically, they don't have anything set in stone right now.
Mr_Brit said:
Exact quote:
Online gaming is very important to us, and we've heard the demands of the veteran gamers that want that. So, we're going to be more flexible with online this time when it comes to online, we're going to work with our 3rd party partners. We're not going to have a centralized one type fits all approach, it is going to be more the publishers trying to figure out what they want to do and we'll try to bring that to life and make sure our platform can support that vision.
That doesn't mean there can't be a unified account based system, simply that how each game's online is handled will be different. And the next line is that they are going to work with publishers to include their wants into Nintendo's system.
There is nothing here that says "LOL! ONE ACCOUNT PER COMPANY! SUCKERS!"
I'd rather say they don't want to invest money to do that. Know-how, ok you need some time to build it, but not a too hard to overcome obstacle. However, that's still a better reason than "not getting it", what a stupid assumption. Depends on how much lack of centralized online will hurt them (if true), whether they decide to invest a load of money on it.RedSwirl said:
dragonfart28
Banned
AceBandage said:
This is neogaf dude..
Lance Bone Path
Member
The big fail here is that it sounds like he was actually trying to lay down smack on Xbox Live, but instead sounds like he's saying that you'll have a different account for every game.AceBandage said:
It does seem more likely than not that the online system for Wii U will NOT be what most people here envision.
Sure, Nintendo has been vague enough and their statements have been ambiguous enough to leave room for 'Nintendo Live'.
But I'd argue that the little they've said is more easily taken to mean that there will not be an implementation similar to Microsoft's (which doesn't necessarily mean no feature parity).
It's certainly expected that the minute details aren't set in stone since the console hasn't launched yet.
But with the launch a year away you have to believe that Nintendo is well past the planning stage at this point.
The software to support the console's online functionality does have to be developed and tested and be ready for launch titles.
What we know for a fact is that Nintendo wants to give third parties a lot of flexibility.
Now, they could take third party feedback and implement a unified online system to trump all.
However, given that Nintendo's expertise doesn't lie here (Iwata himself said it) and the major third parties already have their own online infrastructures this just doesn't seem likely to me.
I feel like Nintendo may be licensing some third party's (EA's?) netcode for aspects of their basic service while leaving hooks for other developers to graft their own into this trunk.
Smaller devs without a well developed online infrastructure could use the basic service directly.
That's my best guess taking into consideration statements from Reggie, Iwata, EA CEO etc.
I do believe Nintendo knows what they're going to do at this stage...they have to.
Sure, Nintendo has been vague enough and their statements have been ambiguous enough to leave room for 'Nintendo Live'.
But I'd argue that the little they've said is more easily taken to mean that there will not be an implementation similar to Microsoft's (which doesn't necessarily mean no feature parity).
It's certainly expected that the minute details aren't set in stone since the console hasn't launched yet.
But with the launch a year away you have to believe that Nintendo is well past the planning stage at this point.
The software to support the console's online functionality does have to be developed and tested and be ready for launch titles.
What we know for a fact is that Nintendo wants to give third parties a lot of flexibility.
Now, they could take third party feedback and implement a unified online system to trump all.
However, given that Nintendo's expertise doesn't lie here (Iwata himself said it) and the major third parties already have their own online infrastructures this just doesn't seem likely to me.
I feel like Nintendo may be licensing some third party's (EA's?) netcode for aspects of their basic service while leaving hooks for other developers to graft their own into this trunk.
Smaller devs without a well developed online infrastructure could use the basic service directly.
That's my best guess taking into consideration statements from Reggie, Iwata, EA CEO etc.
I do believe Nintendo knows what they're going to do at this stage...they have to.
italianfreak240
Member
Please Nintendo make it simple with one username.
Hellraizah
Member
I love this thread, this is how I see it, haha :
Most people : FUUUUUCK, Nintendo still doesn't understand shit about online.
People with Nintendo related avatars : You are jumping to conclusions too fast. It's not clear yet. We put all our hopes in Nintendo.
It doesn't get any clearer than "we're not going to have a unified system" to me.
Most people : FUUUUUCK, Nintendo still doesn't understand shit about online.
People with Nintendo related avatars : You are jumping to conclusions too fast. It's not clear yet. We put all our hopes in Nintendo.
It doesn't get any clearer than "we're not going to have a unified system" to me.
Lance Bone Path
Member
There is a kind of running theme here with WiiU-Concept17 said:
One wii u controller per console, nooooooo, how can it be?
Multiple account non-unified online system, noooooo, how can it be?
I guess we just have to wait on the price now.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Bolded what I think is the more important bit. If they left it up to the publishers, why would they say "we'll try to"? That'd make no sense if it's others doing the trying. And to the trolls claiming they know everything and that only Nintendo avatars disagree (btw noone said their system is for a fact going to be awesome, they're just counter arguing your assumptions about what it is or isn't while you keep derping over nonexistent "facts"), the thread title was changed by the mods for a reason. Read it, it's true.AceBandage said:
But hey keep taking bits and pieces out of context, it's entertainment, right? Here's a simpler version: I'm not gonna have a one size fits all pantyhose for sale, I'm gonna ask consumers what sizes they want and try to make that happen in my store! What you get from that is that I won't provide any pantyhose at all and let them make their own? Nice.
Hellraizah said:
Actually it does get clearer when you post the actual quote. "We're not going to have a centralized one type fits all approach". It's explaining a philosphy. Not an actual tech plan. We know very little right now and it's foolish to shout crazy from either side of the issue.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Is my avatar Nintendo-related?
I didn't even like Scribblenauts that much, I just like Conan.
I didn't even like Scribblenauts that much, I just like Conan.
I doubt much is finalized. People have (perhaps rightly so) criticized Nintendo for revealing the console before having a clear plan, but that doesn't mean they should criticize Wii U for features it may or may not have. We still have another E3 showing before launch - Nintendo will have it together by then.
You can't criticize Nintendo for not having a unified online system when there's no confirmation one way or the other. All that can reasonably be determined is that Nintendo is giving third parties quite a bit of input.
You can't criticize Nintendo for not having a unified online system when there's no confirmation one way or the other. All that can reasonably be determined is that Nintendo is giving third parties quite a bit of input.
FunkyPajamas
Member
five hundred ninety nine dollars. U controller sold separately.Lance Bone Path said:I guess we just have to wait on the price now.
Cerebral Assassin
Member
Cheesemeister said:
I think the "you" they were listening to wasn't end-users , but publishers.My guess on what will happen is separate "channels" for each publisher with one centralised Nintendo acct( which has the financial aspect tied to your Mii), so click on a channel & you can see if any of your EA friends are currently playing an EA game/ buy DLC etc. Hopefully if this is the case this menu can be accessed in-game via the new controller.
ShockingAlberto
Member
I am betting no financial information will be stored period.
If that weren't the case two months ago, it certainly is now.
If that weren't the case two months ago, it certainly is now.
AceBandage
Banned
ShockingAlberto said:
I'm personally ok with this, myself.
It's a minor inconvenience to have to type in your CC info each time.
It does, however, need to store your zip code and age. So tired of sites not doing this.
Grampa Simpson
Banned
It sounds like Nintendo is talking to third party publishers instead of their users. It probably makes sense to them. Hopefully they see why it's wrong before it's too late. They have a year.
thetechkid
Member
Nintendo: wat iz onlein
This is greatly disappointing, just copy Xbox Live and don't charge for it.
This is greatly disappointing, just copy Xbox Live and don't charge for it.
Grampa Simpson
Banned
My bet is their current strategy is to supply a store where you can buy DLC and Games, but they store no user information except for a credit balance, username, and password. They probably allow users to export their online status and what game they're playing to people in their friends list. I somehow get the feeling they won't include achievements, but it wouldn't surprise me if 3rd parties implemented achievements themselves (per game, not system wide). I also would guess that they don't plan to pass any user information off to the 3rd party online servers, and allow 3rd parties to deal with each user individually for online gaming.
This is *Exactly* what EA, Acti, and Ubi want.
I want to say that this is a bad thing. I'm actually not entirely sure about that.
As it is currently, on Live, we're under the sweet mercies of Microsoft for *every* game.
Not so with Nintendo's system.
In fact, I'd like to believe that Steamworks will be there as well.
I have to think about this more. Accuse me of trying to take a pro-Nintendo slant on this if you like - I may be displaying a little cognitive bias, but I don't know that I would consider this a bad thing.
If EA provides a shitty online experience, it's entirely EA's fault. Same with Ubi, Konami, and Acti.
Online won't be taken down by Nintendo getting hacked.
EDIT: I need to spend more time contemplating this. I don't think that minimalistic is a bad way for Nintendo to go, except that it probably means that some of the richer experiences drop out like cross game chat, especially if the chat functionality is handled by the game instead of the background OS.
EDIT 2: Fuck. This is going to end up turning into a wall of text in it's own thread if I don't control myself. Damn.
This is *Exactly* what EA, Acti, and Ubi want.
I want to say that this is a bad thing. I'm actually not entirely sure about that.
As it is currently, on Live, we're under the sweet mercies of Microsoft for *every* game.
Not so with Nintendo's system.
In fact, I'd like to believe that Steamworks will be there as well.
I have to think about this more. Accuse me of trying to take a pro-Nintendo slant on this if you like - I may be displaying a little cognitive bias, but I don't know that I would consider this a bad thing.
If EA provides a shitty online experience, it's entirely EA's fault. Same with Ubi, Konami, and Acti.
Online won't be taken down by Nintendo getting hacked.
EDIT: I need to spend more time contemplating this. I don't think that minimalistic is a bad way for Nintendo to go, except that it probably means that some of the richer experiences drop out like cross game chat, especially if the chat functionality is handled by the game instead of the background OS.
EDIT 2: Fuck. This is going to end up turning into a wall of text in it's own thread if I don't control myself. Damn.
Chopper Dave
Member
Hellraizah said:
That's not even the quote though and I still wouldn't be able to gather much from it if it were. The thread title says it all. If there is one thing that's clear it's that nothing is clear. Sadly the kind of specifics that are going to answer our questions about the U's online system are going to be revealed later and I have the feeling we'll be lucky to hear anything of substance any time soon. I think perhaps they should hold back on these ambiguous PR fortune cookies until they are ready to do so.
velvet_nitemare
Member
boris feinbrand said:
this.
dragonfart28
Banned
14 pages on a pretty general statement.
We'll just have to wait for more specific info on the network.
We'll just have to wait for more specific info on the network.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
To simplify this even further, what do people really really hate about Nintendo online? Let's render it down:
1. Friend Code(z) instead of account names.
2. Not being able to add new friends to your contacts without exchanging Sensitive Information outside Nintendo's service - a complication put into place only so parents weren't terrified of pedos messaging Jimmy.
3. Lack of cross-game invites and joins-in-progress of people on your contact list.
I'd wager these are the 3 most crucial things that really matter in the end.
#1 is already basically taken care of. Friends Code(z) seem to be dead for Nintendo consoles.
#2 is the thing Nintendo really needs to make a simple statement on, and it's something so basic that even this early in their preparations, it seems reasonable it's been decided one way or another.
#3 is something that naturally flows out of #1 and #2 being taken care of. It'd be incredibly weird if #3 isn't a given feature, if Nintendo fixed the first two issues.
The longer Nintendo waits on clarifying these simple points, the more suspicious it will seem that they are in fact not going to address these issues and are stalling for time to prepare a sugar coated presentation that tries to draw people's attention away.
1. Friend Code(z) instead of account names.
2. Not being able to add new friends to your contacts without exchanging Sensitive Information outside Nintendo's service - a complication put into place only so parents weren't terrified of pedos messaging Jimmy.
3. Lack of cross-game invites and joins-in-progress of people on your contact list.
I'd wager these are the 3 most crucial things that really matter in the end.
#1 is already basically taken care of. Friends Code(z) seem to be dead for Nintendo consoles.
#2 is the thing Nintendo really needs to make a simple statement on, and it's something so basic that even this early in their preparations, it seems reasonable it's been decided one way or another.
#3 is something that naturally flows out of #1 and #2 being taken care of. It'd be incredibly weird if #3 isn't a given feature, if Nintendo fixed the first two issues.
The longer Nintendo waits on clarifying these simple points, the more suspicious it will seem that they are in fact not going to address these issues and are stalling for time to prepare a sugar coated presentation that tries to draw people's attention away.
bgassassin
Member
NSQuote said:Not having a centralized account seems strange, considering the 3DS does.
I just can't see them doing it for one platform and then saying "Alright, back to seperate accounts for seperate games." Then again, who knows with Nintendo and online?
Well there isn't anything to indicate there won't be a centralized account for users. That can still be retained in some fashion.
ShockingAlberto said:
I'm wondering who are the ones with these avatars myself.
Lance Bone Path
Member
I think the lack of a simple statement for #2 is an indication that Nintendo doesn't want to do it, but is perfectly happy to let third parties handle it and currently has no idea how that's going to work.Kaijima said:
CoffeeJanitor
Member
Yup. I'm a Nintendo fan but at least I'm realistic. Some of the people on here are not using their heads.Hellraizah said:
lordfroakie
Member
Lego City Stories is sadly the only normal WiiConcept17 said:
U thread :x
Gamer @ Heart
Member
The system is over a year out and Nintendo is a company that likes to show things, not talk about them. There is almost no chance whatever the fuck they are building, good or bad, is even remotely show able, and yet despite that and a misunderstanding of the quote in the OP, we still doom and gloom over no information whats so ever, even though there are signs Nintendo is listening. Pessimistic GAF sucks.
Ya, its shitty. It would be nice if nintendo took online play seriously. I'd gladly pay a monthly fee for something resembling Xbox live from them. I guess they simply don't see big revenue from it. I can't think of anyother excuse for them in 2011. That or the tech and speed still isn't there for their needs. At least we get something right? Actually, I think I'd rather have nothing.* Sigh*
Jea Song said:
Nintendo hasn't had hardware really very capable of online until now, to be honest. The Wii was so damn weak, it could barely do anything online without seemingly screaming in pain.
My question isn't whether Nintendo prioritizes it or has failed to see possible revenue with it - I'm sure they have - it's how far Nintendo can go into the online world without opening itself up to hacks, lawsuits, etc. Nintendo is very skilled at seeing potential in things: The problem is, they keep focusing on the negative potential of online whereas they'll look at a touchscreen and say, "Tack it onto a controller - it'll be awesome!"
In other words, I think Nintendo is afraid of online because it's a segment they can't as easily control and direct.
The truth is, Japanese developers have never been that strong on online gaming. They are way behind the west in this area still. Japanese gamers in general have never really been that into online gaming either - which is probably why they are a little out of their depth.
Online gaming has become a major part of console gaming this generation. Japan has been forced to play catch up.
Online gaming has become a major part of console gaming this generation. Japan has been forced to play catch up.
Dr.Palutena
Member
Boney said:
luckily mine is obscure enough to pass as just "anime girl"
OliveJuice
Member
Nintendo: Online, how does it work?
I still have a little bit of hope that it won't turn out too badly.
I still have a little bit of hope that it won't turn out too badly.
Palthena?DoomXploder7 said: