Topic: Wii U's Online May Use EA Origin

[Patchkid15]

An anonymous source reveals information in regards to the future of the online capabilities of the Wii U.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/28436

An anonymous EA Intern has revealed some information in regards to what EA has in store for the online component of Nintendo's next console, Wii U. Supposedly EA is talking with Nintendo in an attempt to make their service, Origin, a large part of the next console's online strategy.

EA is apparently already assisting Nintendo in building new online features for the system. These different features include voice and video chat support, leaderboards, and a more detailed friend list. A quote from the source claimed that "Many publishers are happy with Xbox Live’s features, but they aren’t happy with how strict Microsoft’s guidelines are.  Nintendo went with an open flexible approach with online because when Nintendo asked developers/publishers what they wanted in an online service, that was the number one thing they asked for." 

With EA already helping Nintendo so closely to build the new console, it may also result in EA's Origin service come to the system. Having Origin on a console would attract many new players to EA's product, while Nintendo could see it as "as an opportunity to rebuild relationships with Western gamers because they feel that only a massive western company such as EA understands what is needed to make an online service attractive to western gamers."

According to the anonymous source, EA Origin is not the only digital distribution platform fighting for a spot on Wii U. Valve is alledgedly attempting to get their Steam service onto the console, but it appears EA is fighting for this not to happen.

Time will tell if these rumors are true, as Nintendo will surely reveal more information over the course of the next year.

[Muzy72]

If the Wii U has Steam, this is definitely a Day 1 purchase for me!

[supergtt]

If it's steam, I'll have a nerdgasm. if it's origin, I'll never hook my U to the nets.

[the asylum]

Please go with Steam. Please go with Steam. Please go with Steam. The sooner EA shrivels up and dies the better

[BlackNMild2k1]

If the system works as I think it does, then Steamworks will likely be the most used Digital service amongst 3rd parties.
EA trying to trojan horse themselves into the Nintendo Online camp as the sole provider is just trying to make sure that all those 3rd titles that come to PC are also Origin enabled since they will need to be to be on the Wii U.

Hopefully Nintendo knows better than to allow EA that kind of power over their digital distribution and 3rd party relations.

[NWR_insanolord]

Hopefully Nintendo knows better [....] digital distribution and 3rd party relations.

Well, ****.

[StrawHousePig]

Honestly makes no difference to me at this point. I've never bought a system based on its online capabilities. If it's too invasive I may not buy it, actually.

In the end I'd rather they did it themselves. The fewer hands and eyes on my junk the better.

[Stogi]

Just as long as it's free.

[DanielM]

I'm a supporter of Origin. The service is still young and will go through many changes. I highly doubt that the main online service will be Origin, but if origin becomes used then we can see a lot of high end titles from EA. I think its a good thing.

[Kytim89]

I actually hope that Nintendo creates a one size fits all online system that can accomodate every online option. I really hope that Nintendo allows Steam onto their next because I would really love to see the eShop and Virtual Console modelled after Valve's online system.

[broodwars]

I've heard mixed things about Origin after its Prime Time appearance in Battlefield 3 on PC.  I've seen praises for the interface once you set it up, and I've seen complaints about having to go through all that web-required nonsense just to play a simple game.  If I remember correctly, the Origin servers had issues as well.  Overall, it sounds like a headache I don't want to deal with on consoles.  Let the PC users have to suffer with that crap.

If Nintendo is truly incapable of designing a competent online system on-par with PSN and XBL, I'd rather they went with Valve and used Steam as a launching pad.  I'm not a huge fan of Steam (simply because I don't play many PC games and have rarely had reason to use the service), but Valve has proved over the years that they know what they're doing when it comes to online gaming better than any other 3rd party developer.

[ShyGuy]

When did Patchkid15 get a job??

Also, I predicted this in the chat during the live E3 conference.

[Chocobo_Rider]

As long as it's free and works as well as all my previous consoles.

[Enner]

I've heard mixed things about Origin after its Prime Time appearance in Battlefield 3 on PC.  I've seen praises for the interface once you set it up, and I've seen complaints about having to go through all that web-required nonsense just to play a simple game.  If I remember correctly, the Origin servers had issues as well.  Overall, it sounds like a headache I don't want to deal with on consoles.  Let the PC users have to suffer with that crap.

If Nintendo is truly incapable of designing a competent online system on-par with PSN and XBL, I'd rather they went with Valve and used Steam as a launching pad.  I'm not a huge fan of Steam (simply because I don't play many PC games and have rarely had reason to use the service), but Valve has proved over the years that they know what they're doing when it comes to online gaming better than any other 3rd party developer.

Oh, nice of you not to mention the privacy concerns and spyware allegations.


The Origin client is okay. It works and has a (EA) friends list and overlay browser. As for Origin server troubles, I didn't have any trouble patching Battlefield 3 during the pre-load period. Perhaps problems occurred that I wasn't aware of. As for the mandatory web-browser Battlelog interface for Battlefield 3 on PC, it is odd to go back to such things when picking a server from the in-game browser has been happening for the past couple of years. However, picking a server is much easier and better than in Battlefield: Bad Company 2's in-game server browser. It would've been best if both the web browser and the in-game browser were available. Then again, DICE is not known to make good interfaces. Or launching games with a comfortable amount of bugs and problems.


As for suffering through crap, said crap are the sorts of things that is attached to all online gaming.


While I'm fine with Orign so far (though plenty of other people aren't), I hope that Nintendo doesn't turn to EA exclusively to providing Wii U's online offerings. At the risk of confusion, I would like for Steam, Origin, and other online game services to be available on Wii U. This is assuming Nintendo can't or doesn't care to make a competitive online service.

[oohhboy]

**** no. I would rather skip another generation than have Origin or any EA driven service on a Nintendo machine. Please tell EA to **** off because nothing good will come of it. Trading civil rights for games is an absurd non-choice to make.

[broodwars]

Oh, nice of you not to mention the privacy concerns and spyware allegations.

I don't use Origin, and I don't care enough to remember every little controversy the incredibly anal PC gaming community has with these things.  Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the Germany spyware allegations until you brought them up.

As for suffering through crap, said crap are the sorts of things that is attached to all online gaming.

Which is why I don't bother with online gaming for the most part.  All that hassle, and rarely is it ever worth it IMO.  Single-player storytelling all the way, baby!   

My main interest in this is the next-generation Nintendo shop, which would presumably also be handled by Origin.

[SilverQuilava]

Regardless of everything that everyone has been talking about the Wii U, about the games, online stuff, downloadable content, content in particular, or WHATEVER,..I just have this to say. And bear with me. For every person who has a Wii, they are bound to have like a PS3 or Xbox 360 right? Well, ever since I bought a PS3, I kinda wish I had bought a 360 instead. It's just, so much dissapointment since I bought the thing. Barely got any games for it, don't know what games to buy because of my near nothing budget, and just FPSs and RPGs are being released nowadays. The biggest reason I even got it was because I grew up with playstations just as much as Nintendo consoles. I mean, what a horrible difference between PS1/2 games and PS3 games! Now my point. I am putting my hopes in that the Wii U will make up for my mistake, this way I'll know what games are good and bad because, well, it's Nintendo. If there's a better way to know what games are good or not, whether it's on PS3 or Wii or 360 or whatever console, I don't know what that is. I just don't. I just know playing them answers that for me. And I can't even afford to rent them like on GameFly. (and demos take over 5 hours to load so forget all that)


But anyways, here's to the future of the Wii U. Let's hope its done even better than the Wii, like it should be. Thanks alot for reading! =]

[Chozo Ghost]

Just as long as it's free.

What if its free, but it costs you your soul as part of the terms of the EULA?

[Lithium]

well i bought BF3 on PC and origin isn't as terrible as people make it out to be. Sure its not perfect but remember when everyone used to hate steam? (well i guess you wouldn't if you never played valve games around that time)


also pretty sure this wont be true.

[Kairon]

I can't wrap my head around what an EA-driven Nintendo online would work... it's absolute suicide if third party games HAVE to use Origin. All of EA's rivals and many indie games will probably be driven AWAY from the Wii U if so, COMPLETELY defeating the goals of Nintendo with the Wii U with regards to third-parties again.

I have no problem with Origin, or Steam, being a large part of the Wii U online system, but they can't be mandatory communities. The entire point of Nintendo throwing up their hands at trying to define an online system was to get AWAY from a "one-size-fits-all" strategy, and go agnostic, more like PC/Android than Apple/iOS

[Chozo Ghost]

Its a law of gaming that a Nintendo console always will have at least one thing about it which drives 3rd party support away. Its like there's moore's law and the law of gravity and all that, well there's also the Law of Nintendo and 3rd parties. Every generation there's always something, and it looks like with the Wii U this something is going to be EA's Origin system.

[oohhboy]

Steam was terrible when it was initially released, but Steam didn't violate your civil rights from day one and hasn't nor made a move to do so, now or in the future. You can give them hardware and installed software information, but it is completely voluntary and is anonymous.

Privacy is a valuable right and for those people who say they have nothing to hide, just wait until they chip away to the point where you do have something to hide. If it's not ok for the government to violate privacy, why would it be ok for unaccountable corporations to do so. That's why you must push back loudly and often. Privacy is a sword and shield protecting you from persecution, exploitation and discrimination regardless of source.

The Germans rightly protested as they have first hand seen what happens when privacy breaks down and lists start being formed. History has time and again shown bad things happen when rights are violated.

[NWR_insanolord]

If you're done comparing EA to Hitler, I'll say that I doubt they'll doing that anymore, given the lawsuits and bad PR and all that that are really bad for business. You may be willing to boycott something forever over one mistake, but I don't really think that's rational if they've addressed it and have moved on.

Put me in the camp of wanting a good service that's free and not caring who developed it.

[Chozo Ghost]

The Germans rightly protested as they have first hand seen what happens when privacy breaks down and lists start being formed. History has time and again shown bad things happen when rights are violated.

I wouldn't go there. Rights may be being violated, but I seriously doubt EA is planning mass murder.

Put me in the camp of wanting a good service that's free and not caring who developed it.

But as a consumer, don't you want a service which every developer wants to support? Even if Origin is perfectly fine on the end user end, if its something developers don't want to support then it becomes our problem because we are going to miss out. It can be "good" and free to use, but if its something no one other than EA and its puppets want to support then its going to suck.

[MegaByte]

Having seen EA's presentations regarding Origin, I absolutely believe that they're pushing for this, and I do hope it is an option as I'd like to see cross-platform multiplayer games. I don't know if Nintendo would go for it as the sole online platform, however.