Quote over 80% of Wii owners in Japan have used the Wii Shop Channel and News Channel, Weather Channel on their console.
That's a nice user base for Wii Connect features. I wonder how high the US % is.
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: UERD on July 31, 2007, 01:39:38 AM
I can't believe it would be that much lower for the US; the hardest part for most people would be actually configuring the thing for online access.
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: NeoThunder on July 31, 2007, 02:03:00 AM
i think microsoft bragged last year that something like 2 out of 3 xbox360's have connected to xbox live (silver and gold memberships)
i'm gonna guess that about 65% of Wii's are connecting to WiiConnect24
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Ceric on July 31, 2007, 02:20:05 AM
Those are gee-whiz type features so I say here in the States its probably only limited by Wireless and Broadband penetration.
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Strell on July 31, 2007, 02:25:02 AM
This screams out to me that whenever some Japanese exec says their country doesn't use online features, they are making that up. From Nintendo's insistence that online gaming isn't all that great (which I happen to agree with, but that's a different argument) to Square's "no one wants to download games!" comments, seems like the facts speak starkly otherwise.
Hope this wakes 'em up a bit.
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Ceric on July 31, 2007, 02:27:04 AM
I don't think these numbers are the right ones for something like that. These are talking about free features. Which if you lose you didn't shell anything out for them to begin with so its not as big. People start to get antsy once real money is involved.
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: couchmonkey on July 31, 2007, 04:54:04 AM
I agree with Ceric. Or at least, I'm one vote in the "won't pay for online stuff" bin...I have yet to download anything on VC, and I'll gladly take Friends Codes in exchange for free online play - if I had a 360, I would not pay for a Live membership.
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 31, 2007, 05:12:16 AM
Friend codes aren't a product of "free" online play. They're a product of "safe" online play.
But yes, this becomes a very different discussion when money is involved.
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: EasyCure on July 31, 2007, 07:20:11 AM
Quote Originally posted by: Smash_Brother Friend codes aren't a product of "free" online play. They're a product of "safe" online play.
But yes, this becomes a very different discussion when money is involved.
well in a way it is a matter of free online play because free as accesible to anyone, hence the need to make it safe for children and stupid teens that should know better. on the contrary a credit card being used to setup an account and pay a membership fee would be better ate checking ages, so a parent setting something up for their child could set up the "safe" perimiters (friend codes) while the adults could play w/o.
and if you argue about the kids who steal their parents credit information then, that not a companies fault its the parent/childs.
so yes, i feel friend codes are a product of free online play, because it needs to be safe
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: EasyCure on July 31, 2007, 07:20:13 AM
Quote Originally posted by: Smash_Brother Friend codes aren't a product of "free" online play. They're a product of "safe" online play.
But yes, this becomes a very different discussion when money is involved.
well in a way it is a matter of free online play because free as accesible to anyone, hence the need to make it safe for children and stupid teens that should know better. on the contrary a credit card being used to setup an account and pay a membership fee would be better ate checking ages, so a parent setting something up for their child could set up the "safe" perimiters (friend codes) while the adults could play w/o.
and if you argue about the kids who steal their parents credit information then, that not a companies fault its the parent/childs.
so yes, i feel friend codes are a product of free online play, because it needs to be safe
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Mashiro on July 31, 2007, 07:33:31 AM
If Nintendo wanted to they should just make a parental control setting that disallows a person to access online content without a password. The wii has parental control settings no?
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: EasyCure on July 31, 2007, 07:46:42 AM
Quote Originally posted by: Mashiro If Nintendo wanted to they should just make a parental control setting that disallows a person to access online content without a password. The wii has parental control settings no?
if only
Title: RE: Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 31, 2007, 08:58:39 AM
It does have those settings, but Nintendo, for some reason, felt they weren't enough.
Basically, if it came to a courtroom battle, Nintendo has to be able to say that the kid didn't meet the pedophile by use of the Wii but first needed to exchange codes with them over the regular internet which is the PARENT'S responsibility and not Nintendo's.
Though, you could use the Internet channel to swap friend codes and then technically blame the Wii for all of it...
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: tiamat1990 on July 31, 2007, 07:18:22 PM
Quote Originally posted by: Mashiro If Nintendo wanted to they should just make a parental control setting that disallows a person to access online content without a password. The wii has parental control settings no?
If Nintendo wanted...no it just makes too much sense for them to do it.
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: Crimm on July 31, 2007, 07:36:04 PM
My first thought was to reply Reggie's "We're already serious about online" in my head. My second thought was to say aloud "The hell you are!"
Title: RE:Over 80% of Japanese Wii Owners use online features
Post by: couchmonkey on August 01, 2007, 02:58:28 AM
I recognize Friends codes don't have a lot to do with the fact that online play is free, I'm just saying that the system's most popular whipping boy, Friends Codes, are totally acceptable to me in the light of free online play.
Edit: of course PS3 would offer the best of both worlds, but you arguably pay a premium up front for the free online play on that system.
