Nintendo to charge for Wii's online game services

[Joshawott 7]

At the recent 2008 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama has introduced Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play: additional online services to Wii games--but at a small fee.

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Online play through Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service will no longer be completely free. Some games will require that one pay to use its online services, in turn for more functionality during gameplay. Current Wii games that feature online play, such as [i]Pokemon Battle Revolution[/i] or the hotly anticipated [i]Super Smash Bros. Brawl[/i] will not be affected.

However, it is unknown whether the new service will be required to play online on Nintendo's forthcoming title, [i]Mario Kart Wii[/i].

Games that require Pay & Play will be marked on its box, as past Wi-Fi compatible games have been, to reduce confusion as to what's free and not.

Transactions will be paid with Wii Points, the currency used to buy Virtual Console games and WiiWare on Wii's Wii Shop Channel.

Source: [url="http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36237/98/"]TG Daily[/url]

[PokeFan 0]

boo to nintendo . this is turning into an x-box 360 live....
oh well, atleast brawl wi-fi is free...

[Haviklink 0]

that sux bad... not very nintendo like but hey they need the money. gotta do what you gotta do

[avalanche3387 0]

thats dumb how they are making you pay i cant find any wii points cards but im so happy how brawl isnt affected by this couse i dont wanna pay for going on wifi

[Sentri 1]

well that sucks

[Knockdown 0]

[quote name='SirJoshizzle' post='124807' date='Feb 27 2008, 09:15 PM']At the recent 2008 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama has introduced Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play: additional online services to Wii games--but at a small fee.

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Online play through Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service will no longer be completely free. Some games will require that one pay to use its online services, in turn for more functionality during gameplay. Current Wii games that feature online play, such as [i]Pokemon Battle Revolution[/i] or the hotly anticipated [i]Super Smash Bros. Brawl[/i] will not be affected.

However, it is unknown whether the new service will be required to play online on Nintendo's forthcoming title, [i]Mario Kart Wii[/i].

Games that require Pay & Play will be marked on its box, as past Wi-Fi compatible games have been, to reduce confusion as to what's free and not.

Transactions will be paid with Wii Points, the currency used to buy Virtual Console games and WiiWare on Wii's Wii Shop Channel.

Source: [url="http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36237/98/"]TG Daily[/url][/quote]

Sure Nintendo go ahead and charge us for a crappy Wireless connection at least let us use wired...

[Twili 0]

What it says: "At some point in the future we may charge a fee for certain online services maybe."
What most people think it says: "DUDE WE'RE GONNA DEMAND TONS OF MONIES FOR EVERYTHING INVOLVING ONLINE PLAY GWAARGH!"

If they've made it this far with simple online play for free, I'm sure it will be continued. Its most likely that the stuff that requires a subscription will be really big, involved things that need lots of expensive servers to run. Like maybe an online public city in Animal Crossing, or big Mario Kart tourneys.

I just find it funny that first the Wii was decried for its lack of online play, and now everyone's freaking out at the possibility of it.

[Gingerlink 2]

[quote name='SirJoshizzle' post='124807' date='Feb 28 2008, 01:15 AM']At the recent 2008 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama has introduced Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play: additional online services to Wii games--but at a small fee.

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Online play through Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service will no longer be completely free. Some games will require that one pay to use its online services, in turn for more functionality during gameplay. Current Wii games that feature online play, such as [i]Pokemon Battle Revolution[/i] or the hotly anticipated [i]Super Smash Bros. Brawl[/i] will not be affected.

However, it is unknown whether the new service will be required to play online on Nintendo's forthcoming title, [i]Mario Kart Wii[/i].

Games that require Pay & Play will be marked on its box, as past Wi-Fi compatible games have been, to reduce confusion as to what's free and not.

Transactions will be paid with Wii Points, the currency used to buy Virtual Console games and WiiWare on Wii's Wii Shop Channel.

Source: [url="http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36237/98/"]TG Daily[/url][/quote]

again, confusing and not completely correct information. The pay to play thing will not affect Mario Kart for a start for certain.

The pay to play actually relates to downloadable games, specifically Wiiware games. In fact the description of the service is as such:
[quote]It will enable you to buy WiiWare titles with Wii Points and is designed to be "simple and comfortable" to use[/quote].
It's a new system so stupid people don't download stuff without knowing it costs (I geuss this could happen if someone else was on the wii).

Just to reiterate, ONLINE 1ST PARTY NINTENDO GAMES WILL STILL BE FREE TO PLAY ONLINE (although 3rd parties can still charge for online if they want, but that's been the case from the start)

EDIT: There actually seems to be a lot of variation on this story, although the most reliable source reporting the version SirJoshizzle has reported is SPONG...