Nintendo officially revealed details on their Nintendo Network last week. This new online network for the Wii U and 3DS will allow for multiple user accounts on one device, downloadable content, and Nintendo is considering offering complete retail games for download, as is often seen on other networks.
So in other words, Nintendo has basically announced they’re finally catching up to their competitors, Sony and Microsoft.
This is both good news and perhaps not as good news. It’s obviously good because, well, it’s about time, Nintendo. What took you so long? Fans have longed for these kinds of experiences that they can find on competitors’ machines, and frankly, in this day and age, the lack of most of these services likely lead to Nintendo losing a lot of customers, even though the Wii was still a smash hit. This may not be as good news though because if Nintendo is only just now going to start catching up, well….they have a lot of catching up to do, and well, one has to wonder if Nintendo really can truly make up for it now, to some degree. There have also been rumors about Microsoft’s next console lately, and how ‘much more powerful’ than the Wii U it will possibly be; although, Nintendo World Report posted a hilarious article about how confusing these rumors are, and how numbers literally don’t add up. But rumors are like that, and that’s not the focus here.
Granted, as I mentioned, the Wii was a phenomenal success anyway, even without these common online features; going online isn’t why people wanted a Wii. However, Nintendo fans, and critics of course, have still hammered the company excessively for ignoring the possibilities that had been forsaken, as well as communities of fans themselves by excluding what many would call a basic necessity of a major console or game device in this day and age. I’ve learned not to underestimate Nintendo, but that doesn’t mean I agree with all of their decisions. I don’t, and haven’t.
Will Nintendo be able to win back disgruntled (former) fans with these new but overdue features? It’s hard to say; hopefully enough. I know a lot of folks are just too bitter with Nintendo, and some have become hardened to them, so nothing Nintendo does will make any difference. Although I don’t agree, I understand some of these feelings. What will matter the most, as it always has, are the games themselves, and if Nintendo builds up a very strong, solid line-up of premium titles that are fun to play, and keeps fresh marketing going. They also have to make sure they have strong third-party support as well, and so far, it sounds like they have some decent Wii U backers already.
Nintendo also revealed that the Wii U’s controller will have NFC, Near-Field Communications technology, which allows it to communicate directly with other devices with the same functionality via radio waves, if such devices are in close proximity. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata explained that “by installing this functionality, it will become possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via noncontact NFC and to expand the new play format in the video game world.”
So….the purpose of this functionality is for Nintendo to make and sell toys that don’t do much else? Granted, Nintendo is a company that does indeed make things to sell, obviously, but my point is, Iwata isn’t making any other clear purpose for this feature except as a way for Nintendo to make more merchandise that may not even be necessary to play any games. Now, it’s Nintendo’s right to do that, and I’m not saying they can’t, but once again, Nintendo is being too vague, and this probably isn’t going to be a good selling point right now for some players. Also, it just sounds kind of strange to me that Iwata mentions this as a way to interact with ‘cards and figurines.’ Maybe Nintendo has big, secret Pokemon plans?
I’ve mentioned before that Nintendo needs to start making the case for the Wii U before the next E3, and it sounds like they have with these little, but crucial, bits of information. It may be a good start, but Nintendo has to do better than this, too. Why are these online features worth the wait for all the years that Nintendo hardly had any? Why is the NFC feature on the controller a big deal, and why should players be interested in connecting to toys? I’m sure fans, semi-fans, and detractors alike are all wondering the same thing.
I love Nintendo, and I’m not picking on them here; I’m just wondering where this is all going and building to, as many fans and even haters are.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more news!
Sources: IGN
[http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1217360p1.html]
-Nintendo World Report