Nintendo has confirmed that its new Wii channel and accessory will launch in the UK on December 5. The Wii Speak channel will let you chat, IM and share pictures with up to three other Wii users over the Internet. The Wii Speak omnidirectional mic means that one Wii can be used by an entire room for party-to-party conversations.
Nintendo also confirmed that Animal Crossing: Let’s Go To The City will be the first game with Wii Speak functions built-in and will launch the same day, with an Animal Crossing/Wii Speak bundle.
Once again, though, Nintendo is arriving late to the Internet messaging party, after Microsoft’s Xbox Live headset and Sony’s built-in Bluetooth. And while this might be a hit for family parties, how many teenage girls or grannies do you know who know their friend code and can be bothered to find their friends on Nintendo’s awkward service?
Out December 5 | £25 Wii Speak, £60 with Animal Crossing | Nintendo
Wow, it is about time Nintendo decided to catch up to current gaming standards. I guess they are just spending too much time on their innovations like motion sensitive controllers and great games like…ummm….
Just kidding, but seriously people have been talking via PC gaming for years and console gaming has been doing it since 2001 with the Dreamcast.
Bravo Nintendo! Can’t wait to see what they come up with next! How about a SD storage solution already!! Makes no sense to put all these free roms…cough… I mean $15 retro games on the Wii Shop Channel and no one can purchase them because they don’t have the space. Yes, I am talking mostly about NEO GEO, N64, and Homebrew titles.
Additionally, I would like to see Nintendo actually enforce some quality standards on their games. Low quality game standards has historically, in part, killed console makers (Atari, 3DO, Sega, etc.).
But, hey let’s be positive and celebrate! We can finally talk smack to 4yr olds over the Wii Chat Channel….ummm… what was their 12 digit number again. Which reminds me, how about some kind of streamlined friend system like the Live service…and kind of like the broken down PS3 online service? Let’s hear it for INNOVATION!!