Topic: Warp Pipe Project Staying Masked

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Warp Pipe Technologies’s Demasked service for the Nintendo DS will remain shrouded for longer than promised.

N-Sider reports that the mysterious online service will remain under wraps until 2005.

When the project was first announced in late September, the plan was to have the service available shortly after the system’s launch in 2004. Details were to be revealed this month. According to N-Sider’s sources, the WP team is reevaluating and enhancing Demasked’s at-launch functionality in order to accommodate “another party breaking into the mobile gaming industry.”

Warp Pipe Technologies CEO Chad Paulson publicly apologized for the delay in the service and its unveiling in the N-Sider forums.

"I apologize to those who were expecting information on demasked in November. Although, immediate gratification is not possible, I really look forward to pulling back the curtain and sharing the demasked experience with gamers around the globe."

PGC will be there to ask questions when Mr. Paulson and his team are ready to talk.  

[VideoGamerJ]

Bah! More bad news. I just hope this project turns out awesome.

[Hostile Creation]

They're working with Nintendo on this?  If they are, that's really interesting.  They weren't originally, with Warp Pipe, were they?

[Bill Aurion]

Noone knows if they are working with Ninty directly or not, but it seems very likely...It also makes more sense to release it next year when there are going to be more DS games that would actually make heavy use of noline, like Mario Kart and Metroid Prime Hunters...

[Infernal Monkey]

They're working with Capcom. "Sry, Demasked Million Seller will hit PlayStation 2 due to voices. Voices in our heads"

[MaleficentOgre]

its coming out a week before psp's launch

[mantidor]

 in order to accommodate another party breaking into the mobile gaming industry!?!?! I admit my english sometimes sucks, but doesnt this means they are planning to acommodate the psp into this demasked thing too? O_o

[Pale]

I know mantidor...that just seems weird.......and would point to ninty not being involved....

[Bill Aurion]

No, the fact that "Demasked" has always been shown with the D and S in bold and that all the hints have been DS related, I doubt it will be used for the PSP...If anything it could be used as a counter-measure AGAINST the PSP...

[Pale]

But whats with that comment?  I'm so confused...

[ruby_onix]

Quote
...in order to accommodate “another party breaking into the mobile gaming industry.”

Just to clarify this bit with a slightly larger quote from N-Sider...

Quote
According to a source close to the project, outside interest has prompted the delay. Another party breaking into the mobile gaming industry has expressed interest in the Demasked service, which has prompted Warp Pipe Technologies to re-evaluate market conditions...

So basically, "Demasked for the DS" (whatever that is) is getting delayed because Sony wants "Demasked for the PSP".

Unless Demasked turns out to be a useless piece of garbage, Nintendo's really getting beaten down with a club by Sony lately.

The PSP? So cheap it oughta be illegal (and would be, if anyone except Sony was manufacturing the parts).

RE4, arguably the GameCube's first-and-last great 3rd party exclusive? Yoink! It's a PS2 game now.

The super-megatun "Demasked" surprise? Yoink! It's a PSP surprise now.

Hello, world of Full Sony Monopoly. Now all we need is for Sony to put an OS/internet browser on the PS3, and run Microsoft out of business. All will be complete.

[Pale]

so its true then...Nintendo doesn't have anything to do with demasked... i am officially less enthused.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

I think you guys are really jumping the gun with the whole PSP thing.  It is just as likely that a historically PC-only developer is interested in making a new online DS game, and the Warp Pipe team wants to make sure they fully support that developer.

It is possible Sony and the PSP are the culprits, but doesn't Sony have the resources to make an online handheld solution this on its own?

[mantidor]

you are right, argh, I mean with all this batch of "wonderfull" news we've recieved this pasts days I was a bit paranoid, I still believe Ninty is involved in it, those "secretive ways" are so like them, if it was Sony they woulve spill the beans like inmediatly.

[PaLaDiN]

"if it was Sony they woulve spill the beans like inmediatly."

Yeah, for a second I thought it was Sony, but then I remembered they would have boasted about it, same as Capcom.

[Berto2K]

old news....

[JB]

I've read on the WarpPipe forums that the reason they are accomodating for another party breaking into the market, is because they don't want their ideas to be stolen.

[Bill Aurion]

Quote
Originally posted by: Berto2K
old news....

I don't want to hear YOU saying this...

[ruby_onix]

Quote
I've read on the WarpPipe forums that the reason they are accomodating for another party breaking into the market, is because they don't want their ideas to be stolen.

Well, the "Another party breaking into the mobile gaming industry has expressed interest in the Demasked service" part of the N-Sider article seems pretty clear-cut to me, but I suppose it could be possible that...

Step 1: Ken Kutaragi, President of Sony, approaches Warp Pipe.

Step 2: Kutaragi says "Your Internet hype was brought to my attention, but I can't figure out what, if anything, Demasked does, so rather than risk competing with you, I've decided simply to buy you out."

Step 3: Warp Pipe founder-guy says "Farm you! We're Nintendo fanboys! We have no need for money!"

Step 4: Kutaragi turns around and leaves, with a great deal of angry-sounding mumbling in Japanese that the Warp Pipe guys couldn't quite make out.

Step 5: Warp Pipe founder-guy says "Oh farm, he was really mad. What if he steals our idea once he figures out what, if anything, Demasked does?"

Step 6: Another Warp Pipe guy says "I know, lets make Demasked so super-awesome that once we reveal our idea, it'll be too late to steal the idea, because the PSP will already have been killed by our super-awesome idea."

Step 7: Warp Pipe founder-guy says "Awesome thinking! That's much better than my idea of pushing Kutaragi down the steps! So... what was that Demasked thing supposed to do again?"  

[couchmonkey]

I prefer the idea of kicking Kutaragi down the steps.

Anyway, all of these comments are pretty vague.  It's even possible that Nokia or some other phone company-turned-videogame experts has approached them.  I would think that Sony has been putting online plans in place for months now.  It does look like Sony the way it's worded, though...wait, what about Tapwave?

Edit: Anyway, blind speculation aside, if Sony was the one approaching Warp Pipe Tech., then it would seem like Demasked is something worth keeping exclusive to Nintendo, and I hope that the Big N does everything necessary to keep it.

[KDR_11k]

Tapwave would be nice, the Zodiac can do pretty much everything the DS can...

[Hostile Creation]

Quote
That's much better than my idea of pushing Kutaragi down the steps!

Tis not so often I laugh aloud on this internet nowadays.  Thanks very much

[JB]

The fact that all games that support wireless multiplayer will use some of the Demasked technology seems to support the idea that they are working directly with Nintendo. I find it hard to believe that they could be working with the PSP as well. The "Demasking" has also only been delayed by a month or two, so it would be extremely difficult to port it to another system in that space of time.

EDIT: Chad has also hinted towards Animal Crossing DS being able to use Demasked. Which leands more support to the theory that WarpPipe is working directly with Nintendo.