For the first time, Animal Crossing fans will be able to interact through voice with a whole room full of people. Wii Speak acts as a large microphone that players set down on a surface with no worries of microphones or headsets. Every new Wii Speak peripheral includes a code for the download of the new Wii Speak Channel. People will have the ability to chat worldwide with any registered Wii system friend. While users chat, they will see a Mii representation of themselves on the TV screen. Parents will also have the option to set controls on the device through the Wii, limiting their children's access to Wii Speak.
The peripheral seems to have become an issue of debate because of the methodology in which the Wii Speak Channel is acquired. MTV Multiplayer revealed last week that a code is being packaged with the peripheral to enable download of the channel, though it is only good for one download. Nintendo states in the Wii Speak pamphlet that the code "cannot be replaced by Nintendo or your retailer if it is lost or stolen."
This is a very large concern, because it severely limits the usage of the product if purchased used. Anyone who purchases Wii Speak used will not be able to download the associated channel when it becomes available in December. Because the code is only available in new Wii Speak packages, anyone who would like the channel will need to buy a brand new Wii Speak to use it. However, player will be able to use it in future Wii titles including Sega's first person shooter, The Conduit. Other concerns such as performance malfunctions are also popping up from concerned consumers. Many customers have reported problems with echoing, screeching, and poor sound quality among other issues with Wii Speak. Nintendo has recently posted a Wii Speak troubleshooting section on their website, and enourages people having problems to read over their suggestions in order to get their Wii Speaks performing optimally.
This is likely to keep Nyko at bay as well.
Maybe it's just a way to make sure only Wii Speak owners can download the channel -- otherwise, there might be a lot of confused people who try to download it even if they didn't buy the microphone. That would be even worse if they had to pay for it. Nintendo has never before offered a free download to a select group of Wii owners.
Maybe it's just a way to make sure only Wii Speak owners can download the channel -- otherwise, there might be a lot of confused people who try to download it even if they didn't buy the microphone. That would be even worse if they had to pay for it. Nintendo has never before offered a free download to a select group of Wii owners.
I assumed this news post was just going to be about how Animal Crossing being in stores now. I just read it for the first time now and find out about this weird ass implementation of Wii Speak.
It's Nintendo being Nintendo. Did Nintendo invent voicechat? No. Do they ever implement an idea some else came up with without f*cking it up somehow? No. This is what Nintendo does. They always do things their own way. The problem is when the RIGHT way to do something has already been done by someone else first Nintendo still feels they have to reinvent some new Nintendo way to do it. So they f*ck it up because the best solution already existed and by being different "just because" they had nowhere to do but down.
