Nintendo unveils Wii Speak channel for four-way voice chats

Remember that Wii Speak microphone that Nintendo announced at E3 for Animal Crossing socialization, and then everyone promptly forgot about? Well, shuffled in with its other announcements yesterday, Nintendo announced the Wii Speak channel, that will allow for up to four people to voice chat directly without all that pesky fishing and digging and tea sipping and cute getting in the way. Unfortunately, literally nothing else is known about the feature -- we're curious if we can use that USB mic we got for karaoke, and we're sure you have burning questions of your own, but Nintendo's clearly going to debut this feature and the related hardware in its own sweet time.

[Via Joystiq]

[SteveJ @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:33AM]

This is good, but it's too bad that WiiSpeak isn't also a camera, and thus support video chat. But... hey... what about the nifty DSi? Something for the future?

[paragraph @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:33AM]

All i care is if i can start this up and migrate over to another channel or a game and keep the chat open, it's not going to happen, because that would be too 'core' for the N, but one can dream...

[gdtjr @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:35AM]

Nintendo should just do a thingy like the Xbox 360...becuase that would be a better organized way of putting it....and have a headset for each individual on the Wii itself.

[CT @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:38AM]

The closest thing to a four way most gamers would ever have.

[Alex Terry @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:54AM]

HA

[Nacho PATA @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:38PM]

One of the avatars might even be a girl!

[konshuss @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:35PM]

"HEEEELLLLP WE'RE DISEMBODIED HEADS!!!"

"US TOOOO!"

[blizz419 @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:11AM]

hmm, cannot use this along with ethernet adapter, i have wireless but ethernet much more reliable.

[Phoenix @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:39AM]

Erm... 2 USB slots? Why can't you use both?

[TavisJohn @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:57AM]

It is a fancy device called a USB Hub. I tried it out on my Wii just for fun, and it works just fine! My Wii went from having 2 USB ports to 8! (Thanks to a 7 port USB Hub) My Keyboard and USB Flashdrives (Thanks Homebrew Channel) work just fine when plugged into a USB Hub.

[Miguel @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:11AM]

lame

[zxdxz @ Oct 5th 2008 10:09AM]

wii-deo or Mii-deo conferencing?

[SlickD @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:42AM]

I think it's good that Nintendo is brainstorming on new things, but most of these accessories have little use than the game it is deigned with.

[THizzle7XU @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:40PM]

Add by new ideas, you mean implementing features the other systems had from the start.

[nathan @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:50AM]

Nintendo suck at online, it's gonna require friend codes which will make it pretty much irrelivant

[Ozzman_79 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:08AM]

Unless, of course, you just get your buddy's friend codes and chat with them, thus making it not irrelevant

[Abdo @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:53AM]

Nice

[Gav @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:54AM]

Video Chat would be great, it'd offer a video phone, on a tv, on a device that a lot of people could use.

However, Voice Chat? Why? Heard of a telephone?

[Kevin @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:59AM]

Because I'm sure grandma has a four-way conferencing system. And yes, my grandmother does have a Wii.

[Jusin @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:05AM]

ummm.. I am slowly losing all respect for Nintendo. When the DS was first announced I was excited... when the Wii was first announced I was excited. Now, with the DSi and crap like a Wii SPEAK CHANNEL? This is just dumb. Why would I want to sit around and talk with four other people while my Mii's mouth moves up and down. How is this innovative? How is a .3 megapixel and removing a GBA slot innovative? I think Nintendo has finally lost their touch. BOO!

[ZaxCG2 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:32AM]

You sur are a moron. You need to realize that nintendo is now marketing towards the core gamers (Nintendo fanboys) and the casual gamers like your grandma.

If you don't like Wii speak, get over it, they're not forcing you to buy it. They're really smart for doing it... it allows technology inept grandma to talk to her family by talking to the TV.

I think Nintendo is doing good keeping their fanboy's pleased (like me). I can't wait for Wii Punch Out and Sin & Punishment 2. They did a smart move by Wii-i-fying Gamecube titles too. I'm glad I held off on buying Pikmin!

[Byron Jacob @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:17AM]

So instead of waving a the controller about - you know have something to talk into.
although - is it gonna be used for games or is it just for this channel?

[Silverfrog @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:17AM]

Oh sure, they'll do this but they won't allow auto-sharing of friend codes. Nice, Nintendo...real nice.









/sarcasm off

[ZaxCG2 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:33AM]

Go play PC games and stop whining.

[Ozzman_79 @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:54PM]

They are screwing up? How is that? By selling millions and millions of units and making truckloads of money? Wish I was screwing up at MY job then.

You know, no one from Nintendo is coming to your home, dragging you to a store, and taking your wallet and putting your money on the counter for you. If you think there accessories are a ripoff, DON'T BUY THEM. IF you do like them, buy them. Amazing what choices are available.

The Wii has Bluetooth?

[Ozzman_79 @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:10PM]

was supposed to be in response ot Paco's comment. Have I mentionned lately how much I love this comment system?

[Anthony @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:19PM]

When is Nintendo just going to admit that all these Wii accessories are really mind-control devices to get people to buy more Wii accessories?

It's a vicious cycle...

[paco @ Oct 10th 2008 9:34PM]

zaxcg2, you are an idiot. You just can't defend nintendo blindly, you do know that they are screwing up, unless you wanna get ripped off by them buying all that unnecessary gear.
Wii speak? what a joke!. Why if the wii has bluetooth can't use headsets?.
DSi? It's OK but not perfect. The media player doesn't play MP3s, only AAC (which is better, but I won't rip again all my CDs). I like the better wifi chip and non-glossy looks though.

I like nintendo and I own both a DS Lite and a Wii, and I love many of the available games, but I despise people like you. Nintendo is pushing gimmicky stuff rather than innovating.

[TavisJohn @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:12PM]

Why won't nintendo add Blutooth Headset Support? Or even better A2DP?
That way if you want to play and not annoy people, you slap on a bluetooth headset, mute the TV and you are all set!

[Ruben @ Oct 3rd 2008 6:41PM]

The Wii is for children. Children don't have bluetooth headsets.

[wiregr @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:45PM]

Now if I could just find 4 friends of mine who have a Wii, and actually still play their Wiis, and are online at the same time as I am, and for whom I know their friend codes, and who actually have a microphone... You know what, just forget the whole goddamn thing.

[Ozzman_79 @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:03PM]

If you don't already have/know most of this information/friends available, then maybe this accessory isn't for you. For a lot of Wii owners, multiple friends codes and having friends online has been resolved long ago from previous online activity.There are over 20 million Wiis sold in the world today. If you can't find 3 people you know with a Wii online, perhaps you have bigger issues then a $30 microphone.

[Silverfrog @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:49PM]

Ozzman, you are a Nintendo apologist. You know you are, just admit it.

Having multiple friend codes for multiple games is just plain asinine. Sure, it works if you already know your RL friends, but what **if** you want to MAKE new friends online? You can't.

[HektikLyfe @ Oct 3rd 2008 6:35PM]

More crap to bulk up your TV with. More cables. I have the external NIC because wired is MUCH faster and more reliable so now I have to add yet another device (hub) to take advantage of this.

They should have just called this system the Nintendo Octopus because of all its extensions.

1. NES
2. SNES
3. GameBoy
4. N64
5. GameBoy Advance
6. GameCube
7. Nintendo DS
8. Wii

It all makes sense now. ;)

[TavisJohn @ Oct 3rd 2008 8:01PM]

I see no Gameboy Advance or Gameboy anything on the Wii. No Gameboy VC games, no Gameboy addons, nothing.

So what are the GBA and GB extensions you are reffering to?

[Volvagia356 @ Oct 5th 2008 5:35AM]

Emulators?

[霽月瀛台 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:36PM]

what? chatting with Wiimates?
omg, forget it, Let's exchange email address and chat on MSN, dudes.

[engadget comment writers dont think @ Oct 7th 2008 10:11PM]

i can see a variety of uses for this

if people use skype, then people will use this
think outside the square, except this doesnt require u to be sitting in front of a pc, could possibly switch the wii on when a call came in and could be a good money saver

if the only result of this is a few more sales or a few more hours in front of the wii then mission accomplished