Nintendo 'not satisfied' with online efforts, but no big changes in store
By Darren Murph 
posted June 22nd 2010 1:56PM
posted June 22nd 2010 1:56PM
Le sigh. For years now, Nintendo's online efforts have quite clearly lagged behind those of Sony and Microsoft, both of which have placed a priority on nailing online multiplayer and making it part of the draw for prospective buyers. Xbox LIVE is a entire universe of online goodies, and it's the exception rather than the rule to see a major title launch on the 360 sans online play; in many ways, Sony sings a similar tune. Nintendo, meanwhile, seems to keep online play on the back burner, occasionally throwing it in where it's easy enough to add but never really going out of its way to make sure the latest AAA title will allow Bobby and Jacky to play from across the street. During an investors meeting last week at E3, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confessed that he's "not currently satisfied with the online efforts that we have made so far," and that the Big N is "working at ways to improve those." In an episode of corporate double-speak to end all corporate double-speak, he followed up with this gem: "On the other hand, I do not think that online functionality is something that we should be devoting resources to for every single product." Seriously, Iwata? You can't think of a single reason why the next installment of Balls of Fury could benefit from online support? For shame.
scrapping the friend code system alone would be a large and welcome change
"We know what we're doing sucks but we're not going to do anything about it"
Ah. Something you only hear from true innovators.
@bahoo can i get an amen?
friend codes = 'i'm lazy and don't want to build an actual online infrastructure'
watch out big N, online gaming isn't going away anytime soon and the longer you wait the farther behind your service gets behind (look at Sony and how long it took them to catch up to Live's headstart).
@bahoo So every game should be online, really???what kind of crappy article is this?they already working to update their entire online system and it will start with the 3ds....
@Extinction
任天堂 Nintendo is the innovators
http://club.tgfcer.com/thread-6200921-1-1.html
i don't know how to say it in english. so,please click the upper link
It could be fun to not add friends by adding all those long numbers
Nintendo WiFi Connection is hell on Earth -- So slow!!
@Eli Haj I tried it once with Mario Kart and i've haven't gone near it again LOL.
@GadgetNiall
You guys need to check your internet connection speed.
I'm not touting Nintendo WiFi Connection as an awesome thing (because it isn't), but Mario Kart Wii was the ONLY game that worked on it, and it worked well. Every time I play Mario Kart online, I get instant races, awesome competition, and I usually get 8 to 12 players. The other extreme would be Super Smash Bros. Brawl... That game's online infrastructure was ridiculously bad. You would be lucky to get even a single other opponent to play against. If they invested more R&D into the online aspect of some of their games, like what they did with Mario Kart, it would become much better than where it is today.
@GadgetNiall Mario Kart works great, My sister plays everyday and there's a ton of people all the time.
Of course that might be the only game popular enough with a system good enough. But it carried over from the DS version which is identical.
@Metayoshi Ok maybe I was exaggerating a little but my connection often dips out and it rarely, if ever, does that when I'm playing online on my PS3.
I don't know how many Wii owners are really that interested in online content. I think most of them are just getting to grips with the concept of computer games.
@windywoo
Haha, yes, funny. But BBC's iplayer certainly has been a boon in many a household.
@windywoo
I don't think that is fair, and you've obviously not collected the 241st star on mario galaxy 2, some seriously hardcore skills are required here, and I've been playing games for 25 years. I think the joy of nintendo games for me is that the simplicity of design on the outside hides an amazing scope to get really really good at it, mario for example is basically just an analogue stick plus a jump button, incredibly simple for noobs, but many levels of depth are there for the experienced gamer.
Sorry I just realised I went on a bit.Woops. and you did say "most" so I should shut up basically :)
@wolfticket II I know all about the joy of Nintendo games but I don't think that is what most Wii owners are using their's for. Wii sports and Wii fit and the occasional Mario Kart game are all novel things to them.
@windywoo
Happy happy joy joy :)
I wish ren and stimpy were still about
@windywoo I think Nintendo are focusing on playing with real friends who visit you in your living room, rather than old fat men in a virtual world (ignoring the possibility that your friends are old fat men).
I don't care I can still go on dreamarena with the modem 56k of my dreamcast !!!
I find Nintendo's lack of faith in Online disturbing
@Lord Vader sail we crush the rebels my lord?
They should be embarrassed.
Friend-codes? Come on!
I'm surprised they even have game saves. If they want to go all out with retro-style design, I should be entering codes to go to a particular level.
@Ruben remember what happened last time Nintendo tried online play?
mario cart double dash after only one race you are taken back to the main menu and have to reconnect
I don't really want a big change. I just want it to work. However, if they are going to keep friend codes, at least make it one for the entire system and games.
Take it from a PC gamer, Microsoft and Sony aren't doing such a great job either. There are no dedicated servers and there are no clan systems. It's all a matter of expectations.
@dicobalt Almost all playstation games have dedicated servers and most 360 games so ur comment is void
@dicobalt i prefer direct connections over servers because servers go off line eventually making your game worthless
Sega Saturn games can still be played online to this day using direct connections
@Console fanboy
The matchmaking service is server based, not the game server itself. If the matchmaking service for a game goes offline then you still can't play the game online. Doesn't matter if the game server is running on the console. So your comment is void.
@dicobalt
I'm sure this is true for 360, but I know for sure that clans are supported on many PS3 games. And there are ded. servers as well. I suppose there is some innovation I'm not seeing, but I think online gaming on the PS3 is perfect as it is, and the price is right.
How's this for their online service name: "a link to the vast"??? Should I copyright???
If it ain't not broke, don't fix it.
@d0mth0ma5
But it is broke...
@commenter7 Le sigh, double négative.
@d0mth0ma5 Comment? Je ne sais comment.
Can they please just put up the entire NES and SNES library for download?
@DPSci
Yes. 18 n64 games. rubbish? Snowboard kids is mega smashing.
@wolfticket II
I mean; 18 n64 games? Rubbish :)
Error 91010 is where it's at.
At this point, I don't think improved online play will really help the Wii. People buy the Wii for the family friendly games-- they buy an XBOX or PS3 to deathmatch with their friends. And the Wii is pretty lackluster as a video streaming device (aka: Netflix) since it can't display HD content.
Nintendo needs to focus on getting the online aspect right with their next system. The battle with this generation is already lost.
@RobJ if its so family friendly then why i cant i play a wii game with our cousins in another state? hows that a question for ya?
I'm just praying that Goldeneye becomes the hands-down best multiplayer on the Wii...
@bahoo
Agreed. In this case I'd except a total copy of XBL or PSN over anything creative their thinking up (if thats why its taking so long). SSBB online was the biggest disappointment.
And that my friend is why our Wii collects dust. I can't even imagine buying a game with no live play anymore. Really, live play is the frosting on the cake and more time than not the cake itself! But what can you expect when their best title is My Little Pony!
He's right 'every single product' doesn't need online play. It should only be there where it is worthwhile, not shoehorned in for the sake of it.
@Lloytron
Yep, id rather my money went into better offline gaming, if the game wouldn't benefit from online ie zelda/mario, some dlc is always welcome though.
Nintendo has the worst online system of the past decade. It was laughing stock and felt like an early nineties flashback even when it was first announced (and even though it was announced for a portable!)
While I agree Nintendo's online strategy has serious issues, all he was saying was that not every game should have online just for the sake of it. Online play or content should only be added where it makes sense. I play Mario Kart online with my nephew a lot and it is very slick in its presentation, but I wouldn't bother if a Metroid game had online. I consider those single player experiences, since multiplayer would ruin the sense of isolation.
Nintendo's online system is absolutely shit, there's no doubting it.
I suspect though that a lot of Nintendo fans actually don't much mind - and that certainly includes me. I've got no real interest in online games and when occasionally I do play online on the Wii (Tetris Party way back, Excitebike, obviously Mario Kart) I'm usually pretty satisfied with their offering. The biggest bonus is that their system is so crappy, people can't even talk. Kids I don't know swearing at me and taking the piss is the absolute last thing I want from an online gaming system. I can get that already by an advanced new technology called 'going outside'.
Of course if I had gaming friends to play with, the situation would be different. But nearly all of my friends don't play video games at all and the few who do live in other timezones, so it's not convenient.
I hope with their next system (3DS? or at least Wii 2) Nintendo sort it out so you can have a single friend code for the system - if necessary, they can add some other interface should you want to exclude specific friends from specific games for some reason, which seems to be the only advantage of the current scheme. Beyond that, and maybe some performance things, honestly I'm pretty much satisfied with their online support, and I'd rather they keep concentrating on one-player games. The other manufacturers can deliver great online support for the games I don't want to play, and we'll all be happy.
and that's why Nintendo will never reach out to every hardcore player
"A entire universe" you say?
While I personally don't do much online playing - it seems very stupid to ignore this growing market. Not to mention they might be able to use people being connected to play games to slow down piracy, like Microsoft has been able to do with the xbox360.
Now that Move is coming to the Playstation, I doubt my Wii will get too much use - except for some Mario games. The graphics are not up to par when comparing the same games on Wii vs PS3 or Xbox 360.