Nintendo Uses Akamai For Virtual Console

Wii

December 20, 2006, 10:33 am EST
Total comments: 18

Akamai Technologies is providing Nintendo with the cutting-edge infrastructure that lets you download NES Tennis.

Akamai Leveraged as Content Delivery Infrastructure for Nintendo Wii™

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an English translation of the original Japanese version, prepared for the convenience of our non-Japanese-speaking readers. In the case of any discrepancy between the translation and the Japanese original, the latter shall prevail.)

Akamai Japan K.K., a subsidiary of Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading global service provider for accelerating content and business processes online, today announced that Nintendo is leveraging Akamai’s services as the content distribution infrastructure for its Wii, launched on December 2, 2006 (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/index.html).

By leveraging the Akamai platform, Nintendo can ensure fast and reliable delivery of Wii Virtual Console gaming content to its users globally. In addition to providing cutting-edge delivery services to Japanese companies that offer online game contents, Akamai’s global platform is being leveraged in Japan to drive the commercial use of the Internet by companies in a variety of fields including image-delivery services, financial services, food and beverage services, cosmetics, and multimedia.

Akamai’s Digital Asset Solutions including Electronic Software Delivery and Akamai Media Delivery have been selected by numerous leaders in the online gaming market to date.

"By leveraging the Akamai platform, Nintendo can offer its customers a superior experience through fast, reliable delivery of gaming content right to their consoles," said Paul Sagan, president and CEO of Akamai. “The demand for gaming content is growing rapidly, and Akamai is excited to work with leaders such as Nintendo on the content distribution infrastructure for its brand new Wii system."

Talkback

couchmonkeyDecember 20, 2006

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in the headline?

Smash_BrotherDecember 20, 2006

Akamai? You mean the SAME DOWNLOAD SERVICE APPLE USES WITH THE ITUNES MUSIC STORE?!?!

Dun, dun DUNNNN!!

iTunes channel for Wii: the pieces are all falling into place now...

NemoDecember 20, 2006

"fast & reliable"? I beg to differ.

GalfordDecember 20, 2006

Akamai??? I wonder how long it's going to take for the VC sevice to get hacked.
Every little bit of information that Nintendo releases about this service will do that.

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusDecember 20, 2006

Well it was Akamai that released the info, not Nintendo.

SheckyDecember 20, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: Galford
Akamai??? I wonder how long it's going to take for the VC sevice to get hacked.
Every little bit of information that Nintendo releases about this service will do that.

Releasing information on what you use is not what gets something hacked. Obscurity is a false sense of security. Besides Akamai really plays with the response a user gets to DNS inquiries, so it's not much of useful target.

CericDecember 20, 2006

Yep, Security through obscurity is considered no security at all in the CS world.

CrimmJames Jones, Associate EditorDecember 20, 2006

And in other "news" Nintendo uses generic batteries to power their joy-bringing Wii technology. Somewhat odd this press release came out a full month after the launch of the system (and the download service).

NephilimDecember 20, 2006

I hope this means VC channel will be faster, as its so slooooow
weather channel is like a bullet compared with it

GalfordDecember 21, 2006

I was being somewhat sarcastic. Any time you give a little info out about a network, a good hacker/cracker will use it. If I was trying to hack Nintendo's VC system(I am not and I don't anyone should try) I now know a little more about the system that is uses. Yes I know security through obscurity doesn't exist.

On a side note, along with Apple Microsoft uses Akamai for various things.

As a bonus to all people who read this thread here is a google hack just for you...
Type in "site:akamai.net nintendo" minus the quotes. The first link is a PDF file
that anyone playing the Twilight Princess will find interesting.

I am not responsible for your computer is type it in wrong and you click on a bad link.

KDR_11kDecember 21, 2006

I wish they'd do the same in Europe, it takes ten or twenty seconds to load a single page.

BlackNMild2k1December 21, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: Galford
As a bonus to all people who read this thread here is a google hack just for you...
Type in "site:akamai.net nintendo" minus the quotes. The first link is a PDF file
that anyone playing the Twilight Princess will find interesting.

Ooh a strategy guide, I'll not read anything in that guide until after I beat the game, but it will be useful should I decide to play a second time through.

KDR_11kDecember 21, 2006

NoE sells those for 150 Stars a piece so you're getting a bargain.

EDIT: Correction, 350 Stars. 100 more than you get with the game.

GalfordDecember 22, 2006

Just trying to be helpful...

A free guide without having to sign into Gamestop is worth it in my opinion.

BlkPaladinDecember 23, 2006

There are a ton of companies that use this service to streme their media. They are relitivly cheep (about $6000 a month for about 2TB of download bandwidth) They can be a web host but mostly they just store and send files that are requested from your site/service. I was looking into using them if I did my own electronic publishing for the Wii.

ArbokDecember 23, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
They are relitivly cheep (about $6000 a month for about 2TB of download bandwidth)

Please tell me that's not $6,000 a month for a bandwidth limit of 2 TB a month... as honestly, you can get that for $8 a month now.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterDecember 24, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
There are a ton of companies that use this service to streme their media. They are relitivly cheep (about $6000 a month for about 2TB of download bandwidth) They can be a web host but mostly they just store and send files that are requested from your site/service. I was looking into using them if I did my own electronic publishing for the Wii.

Does this mean...NINTENDO IS TEAMING UP WITH A LOT OF COMPANIES AND THEY WILL BRING THEIR SERVICES TO THE WII!

Dun, dun DUNNNN!!

MEGATOOOOOOON!!!

BlkPaladinJanuary 09, 2007

That is their price they gave me. And Akami isn't a web hosting service. The 2TB is only for storage and streaming of media such as downloads that are paid for they off "uninterupted" downloads for it customer.

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