Nintendo teams up with GameSpy again for multiplayer Wii

If you've participated in an online game with your Nintendo DS, you've already enjoyed the fruits of this partnership, since GameSpy powered Nintendo's first major foray into online matches, but it looks like Nintendo and GameSpy are about to take things up a notch with the Wii. The pair have just announced that GameSpy middleware will power the multiplayer aspects of online Wii games, with current Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features at first, but eventually friend rosters, matchmaking and ranking at last. It ain't no PlayStation Home, but it looks like Nintendo is finally ready to start seriously chasing online gamers. Pokémon Battle Revolution will kick things off on June 25.

[Via Joystiq]

[Sam @ Mar 13th 2007 1:44PM]

When will I be able to play Wii Tennis online?

[JoshLowry @ Mar 13th 2007 1:55PM]

I never did enjoy any of the .exes that I installed from gamespy on my PC. Hopefully they do this right with the Wii. Guess we will just have to wait and see. They are definitely past due for some kind of multiplayer network.



-Josh


Where's your head at? - http://www.StateOfBrain.com

[Abbot @ Mar 13th 2007 2:00PM]

I can hardly wait...
hopefully Wii multiplayer titles won't be as disappointing as DS titles. Match times take forever for Mario Kart DS!

[Bryan @ Mar 13th 2007 2:01PM]

I really wish Pokemon was not the first online title coming out. From what I've read, you can only use rental (extremely crappy) Pokemon and Pokemon from your other Pokemon games, which I don't own or ever look forward to owning. :/

[Ray-- @ Mar 13th 2007 2:25PM]

oh great gamespy... the one thing the Wii was missing... ad-laden craptastic online match-making... whippee...

[DoSomeResearch @ Mar 13th 2007 2:42PM]

Gamespy was horrible compared to the new technologies like XBL. I wish nintendo would innovate in this area instead of pawning it off on a has-been company like gamespy.

@sam-I definitely want some online wii tennis also, but I don't think it was built into the game.

[Kivi @ Mar 13th 2007 2:45PM]

I guess this means that, if any of the games from the triumvirate of power are released before June 25th (SSBB, Mario, Metroid), then it will have to be Mario, since SSBB and Metriod are supposed to have online functionality.

On the other hand, Nintendo might just tease us for a while longer.

[JL @ Mar 13th 2007 2:52PM]

LOL

Didn't engadget report way back when that MS offered to help both Nintendo and Sony with online gaming??

Methinks they should have taken them up on it.

Personal rant:
Isn't anyone concerned over the fact that you have 3 next-gen consoles and three separate online/multi-user ecosystems?

I mean, if you buy a title that is on all the platforms and supports online multi-player, shouldn't one be able to play against or with anyone regardless of what version/console they have??

I know - it's just pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking..

[CowboyGA @ Mar 13th 2007 2:52PM]

The Wii version of GameSpy will be painfree and automatic, unlike the craptastic pc version that I never cared for.

[Loban @ Mar 13th 2007 3:24PM]

People people people. Just because they're using Gamespy, doesn't mean you're going to have to install gamespy's craptastic advertisement bloated application on your Wii or anything stupid like that. They're simply using their services, not their application, and their online services work great. Nintendo knows what they're doing. They'll ensure it's seemless and simple for everyone to use.

[AKBlade13 @ Mar 13th 2007 3:31PM]

Thank you! Some people need to learn.

Anyway, I hope this works out like with the DS.

AKBlade13

[Paul @ Mar 13th 2007 3:41PM]

"I mean, if you buy a title that is on all the platforms and supports online multi-player, shouldn't one be able to play against or with anyone regardless of what version/console they have??"

This is why PC is and forever will be the best "platform" for multiplayer gaming.

[Jason @ Mar 13th 2007 4:29PM]

"Nintendo teams up with GameSpy again for multiplayer Wii..."
...because they did such a zippy job with the DS. Hah.

[James @ Mar 13th 2007 4:34PM]

...because the PC can play against or with anyone regardless of which console they have?

Oh, right, only if it's a Live Game, and they have Vista, and the console is a 360.


Uh, never mind.

[Sam @ Mar 13th 2007 4:59PM]

I've gotten so used to online gaming on Xbox Live that it surprised me when I couldn't play Wii games online. Just seems odd.

[Brennan @ Mar 13th 2007 7:20PM]

hell ya, friend rosters n ranks from Gamespy? Now im happy about Wii going online ^_^.

cant wait for SSBB to come out!

[steve @ Mar 13th 2007 9:33PM]

i dont care if its game spy
no friend codes
now i can buy a wii and know the multiplayer wont be horribly disappointing
as soon as i can find one....

[Ian @ Mar 14th 2007 3:19AM]

about time nintendo gets its consoles in on the online line gaming market. they said theyd do it for the cube but well that failed terribly.

@James
Thats not what he ment, he ment say you have a ps3 game that is on the wii and 360, what if you could play each other over all three different consoles. that would be kool even though it probably will never happen. just thinking about it is kinda interesting.

haveing three different systems be compatible with each other would be almost impossible if they even wanted to but... well i think you get the point