Nintendo WiiConnect24 Details, Overnight Deliveries Coming

[Serapth]

Gamasutra has more details on Wii Connect24 (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9556) and in my mind, what they describe as a feature, frankly... sucks, hard!

Turning to WiiConnect 24, which was announced at E3 as a way for the Wii platform to stay connected to the internet and communicate even while not in use, Iwata gave this example to the publication: “Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis. This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something. They would then be able to download the promotional demo from their Wii's to their Nintendo DS's.”The always connected console idea I liked. The idea they are going to push shit on me I didnt ask for, that I really DONT like.

The interview also had a bit one cheap online games and some Sony style bragging about controllers.

[Kamalot]

I don't mind having demos accessible, so long as it isn't eating up precious space for ROMS. If there is a seperate space that Nintendo can use to keep the latest demos and trailers in automatically, that's fine by me.

Think of it this way, everyone bitched when the 360 couldn't download trailers and demos in the background. Nintendo does it for you, and people bitch anyways.

:D

Edit: I suppose it won't bother me that much anyways since I have an extra 1GB SD card I'll stuff in the Wii from day one. I think I saw 1GB SD cards in the flyers for Best Buy for cheap, under $30 cheap.

[benig]

They're just saying that Nintendo can send you little gifts. Like you wake up one morning and you have a demo of New SMB 2 on your system you can play on your DS.

[The-Builder]

Most likely a feature you can turn off it bothers you.

[jeffool]

Hm. I dunno. At face value, loading things on the console while I'm not using it (and can afford the space) isn't a big deal, but so long as it knows I'm not using my bandwidth for anything else, too.

[benig]

The title of this needs to change because I'm pretty sure most people would think this was a good, cool feature. The poster makes it seem like Nintendo totally fucked up, when they just announced a feature that rocks.

[Xaerin]

I'm pretty sure they'll allow you an option to disable certain types of automatic downloads.
Like for those crazy 4 people in the world who don't own a DS (including me :o )
I'm sure they don't want people eating their bandwidth that won't appreciate their free gifts as much as you don't want them sending it to you.

[51|RandoM]

Long as they're pushing content and not just advertising, it'll be fine with me.

[reptilezero]

that's awesome. i'm sure it can be turned off for the people who don't want it :)

[NoName]

I like the idea, though I'm sure there'll be a way to turn it off. This won't be for everyone.

[Zaro]

Long as they're pushing content and not just advertising, it'll be fine with me.
Me too. I don't want a spam machine.

I don't why it can be a bad thing.

[51|RandoM]

The title of this needs to change because I'm pretty sure most people would think this was a good, cool feature. The poster makes it seem like Nintendo totally fucked up, when they just announced a feature that rocks.

Well, you have to consider who submitted it. He is currently the local Microsoft representative.

[captainstrombosis]

I like this idea. I'm one of those people that would wake up all giddy and feel like I got a present.

Wii is just sending you some digital love. It's ok, give into the wii!

[DirtyChimp]

"Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis."

it seems like it's a feature you can turn off it you don't want it.

[Keldi]

I really think the title and post should be edited; it's very, very biased.

Less "news article" than "opinion piece", and it's not even enough real commentary to justify even that label.

[bapenguin]

Title edited. This is a good thing anyway as long as it can be regulated to stuff you actually want.

[Rirath]

Please edit the submitted post, opinion does not belong in the news text or title.
(Edit: Thanks Bap.)

Look, I'm not one to overly defend Nintendo, but there's nothing wrong with this. I wish my 360 did it. TiVO "pushed" content to me all the time you might say, by recording shows it thought I would like. A lot of times, it was right. Made for fun random pre-recorded channel surfing to suddenly have an episode of Star Trek TNG to watch at 2:00am.

So long as it's not spam, so long as I can turn it off, big freaking deal.

[Serapth]

I stand by my statement. Until its verified that it can be turned off, I hate the concept of anything being pushed my way, especially on a machine constrained to 512megs of storage internally.

51|RandoM, hey, i'll admit it I am a big fan of the Xbox 360 and live in general. I personally intend to pick up a Wii, im pretty excited by the controller ( but not so much the online as you may be able to tell). However, had Live announced the exact same thing I would have worded the title the exact same. I dont trust any of the big three not to use such a mechanism for advertising ( which, in essense a demo is ).

[Rirath]

I stand by my statement. Until its verified that it can be turned off, I hate the concept of anything being pushed my way, especially on a machine constrained to 512megs of storage internally.

The thing is, we don't care to have your opinion crammed down our throats in the news title and text. You're welcomed to it, but we could care less if you stand by it.

[Serapth]

So long as it's not spam, so long as I can turn it off, big freaking deal.

By definition, anything unsolicited is spam. Also, there is no confirmation that it can or cant be turned off. Until that is known, I really dont like this feature. Hell, had the interview said "give the user the option to..." or any similar wording, I wouldnt have an issue with this. Yet as it stands now, it doesnt and that makes me weary.

[peeweejd]

whats the big deal? I think its a great idea (as long as you can turn it off). think about this on the 360, imagine the demos just came down automagically in the night and you could play them or delete them. no more waiting for it to download. also, steam does something like this for the PC right?

[Serapth]

The thing is, we don't care to have your opinion crammed down our throats in the news title and text. You're welcomed to it, but we could care less if you stand by it.

I actually never intended to submit this to news, I thought I was posting it to the console section. On the bright side, I finally figured out how to actually submit a news story, so something good did come of it all.

[Wedge]

They're just saying that Nintendo can send you little gifts. Like you wake up one morning and you have a demo of New SMB 2 on your system you can play on your DS.

That is the optimal best case scenario. The somewhat worse case scenario is getting a bunch of demos you have no interest in.

Does not sound too good to me, and it is a feature I hope I can switch off. I'll pick myself which demos I'll download, thanks.

I guess I might be old fashioned, but I really like control over things like this.

I really hope it will be possible to tailor the Wiiconnect settings to suit one's preferenses. I'll pass on the demos, and take the in-game dowloadable items & Wii newsletter, for example.

[Rirath]

I actually never intended to submit this to news, I thought I was posting it to the console section. On the bright side, I finally figured out how to actually submit a news story, so something good did come of it all.

Dude, you have 2,000 posts and the link on the main page that says 'Submit News' has escaped you? That, plus the wording... Frankly, I don't buy it.

[agentgray]

Dude, you have 2,000 posts and the link on the main page that says 'Submit News' has escaped you? That, plus the wording... Frankly, I don't buy it.
An editor can take any post from the forums and move it over to the news.

[Serapth]

Dude, you have 2,000 posts and the link on the main page that says 'Submit News' has escaped you? That, plus the wording... Frankly, I don't buy it.

I hate the main page, I have it book marked in to the forum view with forumid=2. I havent been to the main page in over a year except to immediatly click the forum link, so yes it escaped me ( I just went searching for it now ). Actually, you can submit news by clicking "New Thread" apparantly when you are in the forum view. Hell, ask any mods if I have submited news up to this point, I havent. Any news story has always been moved in from other forums.

Yet, long and short, I really dont give a damn if you buy it or not.

[EvilBob46]

Nowhere does it say Nintendo is going to push "shit on you" without your approval, and the likelihood of them doing this is slim by any stretch of the imagination.

I grow tired of reading newsposts that wildly speculate about or misinterpret vague information and statements and then rant about the lack of/negative impact of certain features even though there is not basis for doing this.

Just read the news article:

"Iwata gave this example to the publication"
"This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos"

In other words, they gave examples of what they would be able to do with their service. Big deal.

[Serapth]

"Iwata gave this example to the publication"
"This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos"

In other words, they gave examples of what they would be able to do with their service. Big deal.

Also from the article:
Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something.

Big difference between monthly promotions and daily pushes. The second starts looking a whole lot like spam. Like I agreed in the past, if you can opt out, no big deal. If not, like I said, its a terrible feature to me.

[Jiguryo]

Seriously, guys. Even Animal Crossing: Wild World -- which isn't constantly online -- asks you if you want to receive content or not. I think it's quite predictable to enable / disable such feature at will.

And as I live in a country that doesn't have DS download kiosks, I think the idea's pretty awesome.

[donkeydrop]

This seems a better way to get demos than on XBL, no waiting around. I pretty much try any demo; sometimes I know within 20 seconds that I'm not interested, but its a lot quicker to delete the ones I dont want than to wait while dl ing the ones I do want.

The question I would have is given the small amount of memory in the Wii, do you really think he's talking about demos of Wii games, or are these gonna be demos of old NES and SNES games? I know you can get 2 GB SD card pretty cheap, but I dont think you can assume that most people will do that.

[Kefkataran]

An editor can take any post from the forums and move it over to the news.

We didn't though -- it was posted to news, intentionally or not. Either way, it's a good story, so I'm glad it's up here. Personally, I'm with most the other posters in disagreeing with Serapth. While I certainly hope they give us the option to turn this off and filter what we get, I think it's a great idea.

[Ajguy]

For those concerned with bandwidth and file sizes, the average DS game is not very big at all, so I imagine a demo would be even smaller. And although it is not overtly stated, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to turn this off. Nintendo isn't that dumb.

[jacktion]

Wow, the guy who posted this story is crazy.

Nintendo announces an awesome new feature and this guy complains?

Nintendo is going to be putting free DS demos into your home so you can try out games for both the Wii and the DS. This was a feature that you had to drive to a Walmart to use previously. These demos will download in the background while you sleep so it doesn't interrupt your gaming time. This is unlike the 360 where you had to sit and wait while it downloaded stuff. Sometimes leaving you unable to play your 360 for hours while you were waiting. And this guy bitches?

Talk about being a nintendo hater.

This guy would complain if Nintendo said they were giving away money. "But I don't want the money!!1! Nintendo is screwing up big timez!!1!"

[Jetherik]

People don't get what they want, they bitch. If they get what they want, they bitch. It is a cool idea and they seem to understand that a person should be able to turn it off and on. Also, if you don't like what they sent you, there is a thing called "delete."

[AndoCalrissian]

Sounds like the OP is feeling a bit bitter about Nintendo today or something. I'm sure they're going to make you download everything, without giving you any choice as to what content you receive. :rolleyes:

Oh, and Nintendo has a controller to brag about, Sony does not.

[LilEvilFish]

*puts all the people crying about it in a big box and nails it shut*

You guys do realise all you have to do to opt out of this is unplug the fucking power? Or like switch it off at the wall socket. Or just not care.

[Wonka]

This discussion is all very interesting. I just read a study that showed (yet again) that people remember what they believe rather than what was materially presented.

You guys are all evidence of this.

Some of you believe that Nintendo will NOT push spam commercials onto you and so you defend this point of view (even with no information about it whatsoever). Others believe that they WILL do this and so you defend that position (again with NO information).

All that they said was that something would be able to come in the middle of the night to your console. No information whatosever has been provided about it being able to be turned off, OR about whether or not you would like what they sent you. You all just assumed that you KNOW based on your own personal beliefs about Nintendo.

This whole thread is really more a measure of the inate trust that people have in Nintendo than anything else.

[Serapth]

Wow, the guy who posted this story is crazy.

Nintendo announces an awesome new feature and this guy complains?

Nintendo is going to be putting free DS demos into your home so you can try out games for both the Wii and the DS. This was a feature that you had to drive to a Walmart to use previously. These demos will download in the background while you sleep so it doesn't interrupt your gaming time. This is unlike the 360 where you had to sit and wait while it downloaded stuff. Sometimes leaving you unable to play your 360 for hours while you were waiting. And this guy bitches?

Talk about being a nintendo hater.

This guy would complain if Nintendo said they were giving away money. "But I don't want the money!!1! Nintendo is screwing up big timez!!1!"

WOW! Not liking a feature they announced makes me a Nintendo hater... nice deductive reasoning there. And yes, I dislike this feature greatly IF and I have said this time and time again, already... you cant turn it off. If you can turn it off, meh... no biggy, im cool with it.

However if it cant be turned off I look at this as basically the same thing as spam. Not to mention its the beginning of a slippery slope if you cant opt out. Today they may push demos to you ( which dont kid yourself, demos are advertising pure and simple ), next thing you know they could be pushing "articles" then just straight out advertisement. Hey, maybe that concept doesnt bother you, but it sure bothers me. Then again, I like choice, and if you cant opt out, this is a mechanism that takes choice away.

To all the people saying Nintendo would never not give an option to turn this off, I beg to differ. At heart, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all companies. Every decision they make is a calculated balance between keeping customers happy ( thus buying more shit ) and making as much money as they can. Judging by the initial lack of concern of content being pushed out by Nintendo ( in this thread anyways ) I could easily see Nintendo making it a standard "feature" as the amount of goodwill they use up ( the number of people pissed off ) is much lower then the increased sales or revenue they would gain.

As to this being a Nintendo bash, it isnt. Like I said, had Sony or Microsoft announced the exact same "feature" I would have the exact same stance.

[TheEpicOfTyler]

If you don't want it. Turn off your wi-fi.

[Kefkataran]

All that they said was that something would be able to come in the middle of the night to your console. No information whatosever has been provided about it being able to be turned off, OR about whether or not you would like what they sent you. You all just assumed that you KNOW based on your own personal beliefs about Nintendo.

My assumption that you'll be able to turn it off and/or filter content is not based on my personal beliefs or trust of Nintendo -- it's based on common sense. All I said is that "I certainly hope" they give us that option, because it's the most sensible thing to do. If they don't, I'm not going to defend them and say "Well, it makes sense that they didn't put that in."

[Serapth]

This discussion is all very interesting. I just read a study that showed (yet again) that people remember what they believe rather than what was materially presented.

You guys are all evidence of this.

Some of you believe that Nintendo will NOT push spam commercials onto you and so you defend this point of view (even with no information about it whatsoever). Others believe that they WILL do this and so you defend that position (again with NO information).

All that they said was that something would be able to come in the middle of the night to your console. No information whatosever has been provided about it being able to be turned off, OR about whether or not you would like what they sent you. You all just assumed that you KNOW based on your own personal beliefs about Nintendo.

This whole thread is really more a measure of the inate trust that people have in Nintendo than anything else.

Thing is, there is a big difference between speaking in absolutes and speculating. Something that people seem to have lost the ability to discern. Any dissenting opinion to their own is simply wrong. Especially so if you go against the popular norm ( in this case, Big N ).

[Phades]

Here's a novel idea, if it's not something you want.... delete it. I doubt Nintendo is going to be sending you hundreds of items every night so let's say once or twice a month you check your files and delete a couple. It's a cool feature. I like the idea of getting home and finding out that rather than hearing a new demo is out that I want to play, it's already been pushed to my console and is ready to go!

Of course, if I don't want it..... delete. What a concept.

[morose]

Simply too early to tell if it's all good or all bad (likely at least a bit of both). Good catch on the news Serapth, and I'm comfortable enough with forming my own opinions that what you said didn't bug me. It's an opinion... not a big deal.

[pdeupree]

“Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis."

This quote from the original article (that appears to be a direct quote from the Nintendo CEO) says "in a mode that allows". To me this says that you can turn off WiiConnect 24. Just an observation for those that are talking about whether it's an option to turn it off or not.

[Serapth]

My assumption that you'll be able to turn it off and/or filter content is not based on my personal beliefs or trust of Nintendo -- it's based on common sense. All I said is that "I certainly hope" they give us that option, because it's the most sensible thing to do. If they don't, I'm not going to defend them and say "Well, it makes sense that they didn't put that in."

See, wording that way is valid. "My assumption" completely changes the context of the sentence doesnt it? A great many people here are saying "You can turn it off!", pretty much stating opinion as fact.

Thing is, from a corporate perspective I can see it being "common sense" taking away the ability of end users to turn it off, especially if its to evolve into a secondary revinue stream. If someone described TV + Commericals to you 50+ years back, as a consumer wouldnt common sense lead you to believe that you would be able to turn the commericals off? Not all decisions a company makes are in the consumers best interest.

[Eran Hawke]

By definition, anything unsolicited is spam.You must loathe TV.

Anyone think about how TINY the DS demos are gonna be?

Also, if you consider it advertising, at least it is GAME related. 360 has movie trailers and music videos that have NOTHING to do with games junking up the marketplace. BOO!

And if you think this is bad, just wait till you see the Advertistation 3. There's a reason PS3's online is free, it is advert-based.

Boo!

[Chameleo]

i'm absolutely certain that i can unplug my LAN and not receive anything.

so its not a big deal; i don't care; it doesn't reflect badly on nintendo; the poster was just taking 'news with attitude' and stretching it into 'flamebait'.

and he's succeeded. dont feed the trolls remember?

its like him against the whole fucking board. leave him alone, and just talk about the feature as if he didnt post any inane opinion under it.

[EternalGamer]

This guy would complain if Nintendo said they were giving away money. "But I don't want the money!!1! Nintendo is screwing up big timez!!1!"


I'll take Nintendo's games over Money anyday. Demo of New Super Mario Bros 2 is far far better than money. Money is useless by comparison.

[Serapth]

You must loathe TV.


Pretty much yes. I bought a PVR specifically so I dont have to watch so damned many commercials. Then again these days im liking tv less and less anyways, so its no biggy. The majority of TV I do watch are HBO time networks ( no commericals ) or a handful of shows like Lost, which I PVR and skip commericals.

Also, if you consider it advertising, at least it is GAME related. 360 has movie trailers and music videos that have NOTHING to do with games junking up the marketplace. BOO!


Yep, and if those music videos and trailers were pushed to me without my say so, I would despise live for it. Thankfully they arent. I appreciate the choice of being able to download them if I want, but its just that... a choice. Like I said, if Sony or Microsoft announced push based content I would have the exact same view.


And if you think this is bad, just wait till you see the Advertistation 3. There's a reason PS3's online is free, it is advert-based.
Boo!

Has this ever been confirmed? I have heard it as a rumour but never from the horses mouth? With the PS3 im taking a wait and see attitude. However, if they do offer push based content of all the companies Sony would probrably scare me the most as they are also a media company.

[Serapth]

Here's a novel idea, if it's not something you want.... delete it. I doubt Nintendo is going to be sending you hundreds of items every night so let's say once or twice a month you check your files and delete a couple. It's a cool feature. I like the idea of getting home and finding out that rather than hearing a new demo is out that I want to play, it's already been pushed to my console and is ready to go!

Of course, if I don't want it..... delete. What a concept.


That sounds a whole lot like how I deal with junk mail. I get probrably a dozen or so credit card offers a week, half a dozen magazine bundle offers, etc... In the end, if I don't want them I throw them out. I still find it an annoying process. Much the same as I get calls from telemarketers all the time. I dont have to buy anything at any time I can just hang up, what a concept!

I already deal with junk mail, spam email and telemarketers today... I dont really want to see the same thing happen to gaming. What a concept.

[Chameleo]

Has this ever been confirmed? I have heard it as a rumour but never from the horses mouth? With the PS3 im taking a wait and see attitude. However, if they do offer push based content of all the companies Sony would probrably scare me the most as they are also a media company.

whats been confirmed about wiiconnect24?

that its there.

[Kamalot]

Yep, and if those music videos and trailers were pushed to me without my say so, I would despise live for it. Thankfully they arent. I appreciate the choice of being able to download them if I want, but its just that... a choice. Like I said, if Sony or Microsoft announced push based content I would have the exact same view.

I can see how it may seem intrusive, but I see it otherwise.

The non-gaming stuff mucks up the marketplace. For each movie trailer (totally NOT game related) I have to wade through 2 instances of it to find game-related things (420p and 720p versions). When I DO decide to download something, I have to WAIT. I would think it is better to have these demos and trailers already downloaded to your machine, much like your PVR records things for you that you may like. If you don't want them, remove them, just like your PVR.

In fact, the more I think of this, the better it sounds.

Has this ever been confirmed? I have heard it as a rumour but never from the horses mouth? With the PS3 im taking a wait and see attitude. However, if they do offer push based content of all the companies Sony would probrably scare me the most as they are also a media company.
I remember hearing a LOT about Sony's advertising-based revenue model at GDC05. Not much was made of it then, but I am of the understanding that it will rely much more on advertising than the 360 or Wii.

Does anyone have any Sony articles from GDC?

[SexualChoc]

Awesome idea. The thought of waking up to a download excites me. Only problem is not everyone would want it, or maybe not all the time. Perhaps the option to toggle it on or off would be good.

[Kefkataran]

See, wording that way is valid. "My assumption" completely changes the context of the sentence doesnt it? A great many people here are saying "You can turn it off!", pretty much stating opinion as fact.

Yes, and I was talking about my post. At the very least my post doesn't fit under what was said which was stated as though it were a fact about all the posts (i.e. "you guys are all evidence of this"). Thus: Wonka's apparantly giving in to his own complaints, isn't he?

[Major Dan]

I don't mind having demos accessible, so long as it isn't eating up precious space for ROMS. If there is a seperate space that Nintendo can use to keep the latest demos and trailers in automatically, that's fine by me.

Think of it this way, everyone bitched when the 360 couldn't download trailers and demos in the background. Nintendo does it for you, and people bitch anyways.

:D

Edit: I suppose it won't bother me that much anyways since I have an extra 1GB SD card I'll stuff in the Wii from day one. I think I saw 1GB SD cards in the flyers for Best Buy for cheap, under $30 cheap.

That is called SPAM, I don't like SPAM, I don't.
I don't like SPAM on my PC, no I don't
I don't like SPAM on my XBox 360, I wont!!!
I don't want SPAM on my WiiWii....err WII....er Nintendo WII, I don't
No Sam, I don't want your SPAM

[CapnBob]

Maybe I missed it because I just skimmed, but it seems like Serapth keeps ignoring that inconvenient little "in a mode that allows" line from the original article because it frames the entire hypothetical situation in the context of an optional setting and makes his assumption appear to be somewhat jackassed. I suppose it would be reasonable if Iwata had a history of saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, but I don't recognize that as any sort of established pattern. If the feature is as he described, I can only see it as a positive thing.

[HardScores]

disconnect the Wii if oyu don't like it. Duh.

[benig]

A DS demo would have to be small enough to fit in the RAM of the DS. That's at most a few megs.

[bapenguin]

i'm absolutely certain that i can unplug my LAN and not receive anything.

Except it's Wi-Fi. ;)

The non-gaming stuff mucks up the marketplace. For each movie trailer (totally NOT game related) I have to wade through 2 instances of it to find game-related things (420p and 720p versions)

I think that's why they decided to separate them out in this upcoming update. Too much junky stuff, not enough gaming stuff.

[Wyrm]

I wrote an angry rant, realized I was an asshole, and deleted it. Seriously though, spilled milk. Spilled milk.

[pacmanfever]

Maybe I missed it because I just skimmed, but it seems like Serapth keeps ignoring that inconvenient little "in a mode that allows" line from the original article because it frames the entire hypothetical situation in the context of an optional setting and makes his assumption appear to be somewhat jackassed.

CapnBob FTW!

[ParrapaEast]

Dark the path of this Wii be Wow. America. The only place in the world where you can whine about getting FREE DEMOS. Huh huh. This is sad

[Serapth]

Maybe I missed it because I just skimmed, but it seems like Serapth keeps ignoring that inconvenient little "in a mode that allows" line from the original article because it frames the entire hypothetical situation in the context of an optional setting and makes his assumption appear to be somewhat jackassed. I suppose it would be reasonable if Iwata had a history of saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, but I don't recognize that as any sort of established pattern. If the feature is as he described, I can only see it as a positive thing.

No, I just have much different reading comprehension skills then you apparantly.

Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis.

That reads to me as if your connected in an always on manner. I dont particularly believe that line refers to the wii itself, but the manner in which you are connected to the internet. Keep in mind, not all ISPs are "always on". I read that sentence as "is connected to the Internet in a manner that allows...".

[Serapth]

Wow. America. The only place in the world where you can whine about getting FREE DEMOS. Huh huh. This is sad

The issue isnt the demos, or the price of said demo's. The issue is the delivery mechanism.

[Kefkataran]

I dont particularly believe that line refers to the wii itself, but the manner in which you are connected to the internet.

I read it the other way. I think it's arguable for either.

[Serapth]

I read it the other way. I think it's arguable for either.


I suppose, but my way would be right and yours would be wrong! :p :D

[Kamalot]

I suppose, but my way would be right and yours would be wrong! :p :D
Through the power of the Internet, I can inform the rest of the world how right I always am. ;-)

[Achilles]

I don’t really mind this feature. The demos will likely be really small since all they’ve mentioned are DS game demos. And you’d have a tough time filling up the Wii flash memory to the point where it would matter if you download a DS demo. Keep in mind most old SNES and NES games were freaken’ small. Maybe if you had 14 N64 games on there you’d start to run into problems. When creating a packaged game to be priced at 5,000 yen, developers tend to feel the need to create a rich game. Yet it is possible to create a reasonably entertaining game in 2 months with a team of three.I like rich games. If you’re going to be giving us games that are “reasonably entertaining” and constructed by a team of 3 in 2 months, they better cost as much as Geometry Wars.

[CapnBob]

No, I just have much different reading comprehension skills then you apparantly.

That reads to me as if your connected in an always on manner. I dont particularly believe that line refers to the wii itself, but the manner in which you are connected to the internet. Keep in mind, not all ISPs are "always on". I read that sentence as "is connected to the Internet in a manner that allows...".

Yes, it shows that you don't have any clue how to use the word "mode." The usage of "mode" implies that it is one method of usage out of two or more. If you mentally substitute "manner" for "mode" in order to intentionally remove the implication of multiple states of operation, then the entire phrase "in a mode/manner that allows" becomes totally redundant and unnecessary. So, either you simply don't understand how the english language works or you're saying that you know what Iwata means to say better than he does. Either way, it's a really jackassed position for you to take on the matter.

[Serapth]

Yes, it shows that you don't have any clue how to use the word "mode." The usage of "mode" implies that it is one method of usage out of two or more. If you mentally substitute "manner" for "mode" in order to intentionally remove the implication of multiple states of operation, then the entire phrase "in a mode/manner that allows" becomes totally redundant and unnecessary. So, either you simply don't understand how the english language works or you're saying that you know what Iwata means to say better than he does. Either way, it's a really jackassed position for you to take on the matter.

Funny... go to dictionary.com and read the first entry for mode...

A manner, way, or method of doing or acting: modern modes of travel.

Notice the second word? Hmmmm...?

Now heres something new to try... Type MODE into Word, right click it and select Synonyms... see what shows up... "MANNER".

Reading that line as I did, at least you know... using the English language, is a perfectly valid interpretation. Hey its not my fault English is a maddeningly interpretive language.

[Kefkataran]

Personally, I'd be pissed if English wasn't so maddeningly interpretive. ;) Thank God for deconstruction.

[Furtive]

Poor Serapth... god forbid he give his oppinion on a feature. Anyways my take on this is its a cool feature so long as Nintendo doesnt abuse it. Ideally not only would it be an opt-in service but would let me set the schedule on which it would phone home for things. I dont mind it phoning home during my internet downtime but if it picks a late night hour when I'm playing DoD:S or something I'd be upset. While I'm fairly certain nintendo will be smart enough to have an On/Off toggle to this feature I'm worried they will not include any sort of scheduling as a result of nintendos new "over-simplified isnt simple enough" approach to the internet.

[thenefariousone]

All modes are created equal, but some are more equal than others...

It would be unwise to automatically assume that every mode will be user-controllable, and have the same priority.

For example: there could easily be a "mode" where:
a) The console turns itself on at a random time at night (daily/weekly/monthly)
b) Phones home to Nintendo and checks for firmware updates and bug fixes and applies any found to automagically fix bugs or cut down on piracy
c) Sends various stats about the console eg: what games are played
d) Turns itself off when done.




The concern about content being pushed without user control is quite valid, as pushing content is very valuable to content creators/advertisers/3rd parties, and will be hard to resist. For them, taking away the choice to "opt out" is valuable, as they can then employ various advertising models, or perform data mining.

Knowing that on a certain day, five million people will see "New Level for Mario brought to you by <Insert Company Name>" is an advertiser's dream. Being able to find out more detailed information about their consumers (e.g.: Tivo knows which shows people watched last night, which commercials were watched, and which were skipped) is extremely valuable to a company.

However - some people are not interested in having their bandwidth used to download things without prior notification.


Yes, it shows that you don't have any clue how to use the word "mode." The usage of "mode" implies that it is one method of usage out of two or more. If you mentally substitute "manner" for "mode" in order to intentionally remove the implication of multiple states of operation, then the entire phrase "in a mode/manner that allows" becomes totally redundant and unnecessary. So, either you simply don't understand how the english language works or you're saying that you know what Iwata means to say better than he does. Either way, it's a really jackassed position for you to take on the matter.

[Serapth]

Poor Serapth... god forbid he give his oppinion on a feature.

Meh, its par for the course around here since the Rev was first revealed. Hell, you can get away with calling Jesus Christ an ass-munching clown on this forum and nobody would say shit. But boyoh, say something even slightly negative ( or even critical ) about the Wii and watch out. HARK! Behold, for thy new messiah is Nintendo, know now that your messiah can do no wrong! Now go forth and kill the unwashed heathen that art the Playstation or the followers of X!

[51|RandoM]

Wow. America. The only place in the world where you can whine about getting FREE DEMOS. Huh huh. This is sad

AOL demo cd in the mail, over and over and over again.

[ddbrown30]

The always connected console idea I liked. The idea they are going to push shit on me I didnt ask for, that I really DONT like.

As it says in the quote you put in the post, these demos will only be pushed if you activate the mode that allows 24 hour connection. Without a hard rive, it is very unlikely that they will be sending a bunch of shit that you didn't ask for.

As well, Iwata's example is actually kind of shitty. The stuff I'm excited for is when games will use it to improve gameplay.

[ddbrown30]

Meh, its par for the course around here since the Rev was first revealed. Hell, you can get away with calling Jesus Christ an ass-munching clown on this forum and nobody would say shit. But boyoh, say something even slightly negative ( or even critical ) about the Wii and watch out. HARK! Behold, for thy new messiah is Nintendo, know now that your messiah can do no wrong! Now go forth and kill the unwashed heathen that art the Playstation or the followers of X!

That's because only one of those things is real.

[Kefkataran]

Meh, its par for the course around here since the Rev was first revealed. Hell, you can get away with calling Jesus Christ an ass-munching clown on this forum and nobody would say shit. But boyoh, say something even slightly negative ( or even critical ) about the Wii and watch out. HARK! Behold, for thy new messiah is Nintendo, know now that your messiah can do no wrong! Now go forth and kill the unwashed heathen that art the Playstation or the followers of X!

Oh geez, man. You had some people disagree with you. No one (worth listening to) insulted you or drug your name through the mud or anything. Chill.

[Eran Hawke]

I would rather the system take care of itself while I sleep instead of staring at a download bar for firmware updates, demos or trailers.

The idea of coming home fromwork or waking up in the morning to find a new DS demo, Wii demo, game trailer or messages from friends is exciting.

Think about the 360. You can go for days without turning it on, not knowing you have messages on there or that there are new demos to try.

With Wii, it will notify you when something cool is out there.

Think about casual gamers. This is a godsend! You don't have to go actively LOOK for demos, they come right into your home.

This is very exciting for gamers AND Nintendo. :)

[Serapth]

Oh geez, man. You had some people disagree with you. No one (worth listening to) insulted you or drug your name through the mud or anything. Chill.

Nah, no worries im calm. I dont care that people agree or disagree with me, although of course everyone likes people to agree. Your right, no one "worth listening to" insulted me in any manor. I was responding to his comment about "Poor Serapth" basically getting jumped all over for expressing my opinion. And Kefk im referring to the not worth listening too crowd. Well, that and im joking sorta. Being critical of the Wii is pretty taboo around here right now, well except making fun of the name.

[Kefkataran]

Your right, no one "worth listening to" insulted me in any manor. I was responding to his comment about "Poor Serapth" basically getting jumped all over for expressing my opinion. And Kefk im referring to the not worth listening too crowd. Well, that and im joking sorta. Being critical of the Wii is pretty taboo around here right now, well except making fun of the name.

Yeah, there's no doubt a lot of people are psyched for the Wii, and there were a few people who were overly critical of your post. I guess I just read that as you saying you were *really* jumped on. Heh. But when you're really jumped on by the EvAv community, you feel it. :S

[CapnBob]

Funny... go to dictionary.com and read the first entry for mode...



Notice the second word? Hmmmm...?

Now heres something new to try... Type MODE into Word, right click it and select Synonyms... see what shows up... "MANNER".

Reading that line as I did, at least you know... using the English language, is a perfectly valid interpretation. Hey its not my fault English is a maddeningly interpretive language.

That's completely deprived of all understanding of context, sure... you could use them interchangeably, but that usage of Manner also implies that it's distinct, as opposed to some OTHER manner. In either case, Iwata says "a" and not "the," which sadly negates your parsing. And if you want to equate synonyms as being equivalent regardless of context, you know what a synonym for "a" is? "One." So, your parsed sentence now becomes "Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in one manner that allows activation on a 24-hour basis" which once again does nothing but suggest that there are other modes/manners for it to operate in.

[Nessus]

That reads to me as if your connected in an always on manner. I dont particularly believe that line refers to the wii itself, but the manner in which you are connected to the internet. Keep in mind, not all ISPs are "always on". I read that sentence as "is connected to the Internet in a manner that allows...".


Considering the Wii is wi-fi only, broadband only, which crappy ISPs are you talking about which have anything but an always-on "mode" for their broadband service? If an ISP's broadband service isn't in always-on "mode" that tends to be cause for me calling them up and complaining.

Any reasonable person would read that sentance and get that the Wii is the object of the mode. It doesn't even make sense in the context you're suggesting.

In any event, that part isn't news. The entire premise of Wii Connect 24 is the idea that it will always be online, even if your console is "off". They said as much at E3.

The only new bit is an example of the form of content they plan on delivering, which is free game demos.

How is that a bad thing?

Yes, they could mess it up with tons of advertisements and spam, but nothing in that article suggests that.

You adopt a "wait and see" attitude for the PS3's online service, yet you don't afford Nintendo the same benefit of the doubt. Honestly, out of the two companies which one do you think is most likely to leverage in-game advertisments?

But yes, they could really screw it up. But given Nintendo's debilitating paranoia with regards to online and protecting children, etc. I can't see them not including an option to switch it off, as evidenced by his saying of mode.

If they don't, I will agree with you that that is a stupid move, though even then I still doub they'll be shoveling too much in the way of truly worthless content our way.

[Serapth]

But the difference is, you are attaching the signifigance of mode/manner/one, etc... to the word Wii, which is one way to read the sentence. However by its ordering it seems to me to apply to the word Internet.

Regardless, all I am saying is the statement is ambiguous. Mean that it can’t be used as evidence for or against the fact the content is optional. That, and completely ignoring the fact the quote probably came to us via a translator anyways, getting into an argument of syntax is probably moot.

[Achilles]

Modes or no modes, if you disconnect the power it won’t be able to download anything. Saying that there are no other modes is just as valid speculation as saying there are other modes where you won’t be downloading anything. The article doesn’t go into it, they only mention the one mode.

I assume it'll work like the stand-by mode on the PS2, where if you flick the switch in the back the machine is dead, but if you use the switch in the front it'll be in a power conservation mode.

[Serapth]

You adopt a "wait and see" attitude for the PS3's online service, yet you don't afford Nintendo the same benefit of the doubt. Honestly, out of the two companies which one do you think is most likely to leverage in-game advertisments?


Difference is, Nintendo has made concrete announcements of what there network consists of. With Sony, the wait and see part, is me waiting for the to announce something more then "Like Live, but better and free!". As I said earlier, I wouldnt put push content past any of the big 3 and Sony is the most likely to be abusive of it as they have a media content aspect.


But yes, they could really screw it up. But given Nintendo's debilitating paranoia with regards to online and protecting children, etc. I can't see them not including an option to switch it off, as evidenced by his saying of mode.

If they don't, I will agree with you that that is a stupid move, though even then I still doub they'll be shoveling too much in the way of truly worthless content our way.

Frankly, thats what ive been saying all along "IF" it cant be turned off its a bad move, otherwise im fine with it. I just dont think that quote says if it can or cant either way.

Also, has it actually been announced the Rev is broadband only? Ive heard it in internet forums etc... but I dont recall hearing it directly from Nintendo. I honestly dont know, but I would assume it would be broadband only.

[Nessus]

I like rich games. If you’re going to be giving us games that are “reasonably entertaining” and constructed by a team of 3 in 2 months, they better cost as much as Geometry Wars.

In the interview he suggests a price of $5.

[Nessus]

Yeah, Wii is broadband only, because it's wi-fi only, just like DS (DS' Wi-Fi Connection won't run on dialup, even if you have a wireless adapter).

[Achilles]

In the interview he suggests a price of $5.Ah you’re right, the yen passed me by. If they pull an XBLA, that’ll be great. As long as they don’t make it their retail philosophy as well, and charge regular game prices ($40-$60) for 30 min experiences. For example; the conductor game they showed at E3.

[Nessus]

Hrm, upon reading the interview I also noticed this:

This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something.

According to him (albeit through a translator probably) it isn't going to be a daily occurance. People took the second sentance out of context and arrived at the conclusion it would be every morning. The "each morning" instead seems to be referring to the morning of the monthly promotion.

From that it doesn't sound like they are going to be swamping your in box.

[Achilles]

According to him (albeit through a translator probably) it isn't going to be a daily occurance. People took the second sentance out of context and arrived at the conclusion it would be every morning. The "each morning" instead seems to be referring to the morning of the monthly promotion.

From that it doesn't sound like they are going to be swamping your in box.I was wondering if that was a conservative estimate. As in “We plan to only do this once a month”. I can only assume that if the Wii really takes off and they have enough stuff to pimp, the downloads will be more frequent. It’s best to be more frequent than give each download more content. Imagine if Marketplace was only updated once a month, Live would be ground to a halt around that day.

[Siraris]

I don't see the point. Why not just have it when you turn on the system it updates it. Why does it need to be when you're offline.

[Zanzibar]

I'm not gonna read through this whole thread.

I'll bet $50 that this feature can be turned off if you don't want it. As a matter of fact, I'm certain it will ASK you when you first set up your connection if you want to receive it.

I wish the X360 had this feature. Hear that, MS? Sony's ripping off all the good ideas from Nintendo, I see no reason why you shouldn't try keeping up with them ;)

[SMES]

I think I saw 1GB SD cards in the flyers for Best Buy for cheap, under $30 cheap.
I just bought a 2GB pqi SD card for 34.99 the other day.

[Achilles]

I wish the X360 had this feature. Hear that, MS? Sony's ripping off all the good ideas from Nintendo, I see no reason why you shouldn't try keeping up with them ;)Well Nintendo’s pulling down the Marketplace and XBLA ideas from MS. :p
But keep in mind the Wii will be very quiet, wheras a 360 in ‘sleep’ mode (like when it’s recharging your controller) is still noisy as a mo-fo. I wouldn’t want to leave the 360 in that mode, plus your hard drive would be full by the time you woke up, with all the demos/music videos/developer interviews/ all the other crap they’d put out on Marketplace.

[Spudcula]

Here's this: I'd be willing to bet that there aren't going to be very many people who wake up to a playable DS demo and think, "Damn you Nintendo!"

[Major Dan]

AOL demo cd in the mail, over and over and over again.
Man I hated that, but again you can call that SPAM in my hat.
And I hate SPAM any way like that!
Sam, the SPAM man, can go away
I am glad I get no more CDs this way,
But I still get a lot of Credit Apps SPAM
And that makes me go WHAM!

[Zanzibar]

Well Nintendo’s pulling down the Marketplace and XBLA ideas from MS. :p
But keep in mind the Wii will be very quiet, wheras a 360 in ‘sleep’ mode (like when it’s recharging your controller) is still noisy as a mo-fo. I wouldn’t want to leave the 360 in that mode, plus your hard drive would be full by the time you woke up, with all the demos/music videos/developer interviews/ all the other crap they’d put out on Marketplace.

Amen amen amen amen. I agree, I wish the X360 was quieter overall, but especially in any low-power mode. It's still louder than hell.

I'm hoping that you can filter what you want to download. For me, it would be demos 'always', game trailers 'always', movie trailers 'always', themes 'never', gamerpics 'never', XBL Arcade game trial versions 'always'. Granted, I'd always want to keep at least 4gb free, so I'm hoping you can set a minimum requirement for that.

Who are we kidding? MS won't implement this.

[Achilles]

I'm hoping that you can filter what you want to download. For me, it would be demos 'always', game trailers 'always', movie trailers 'always', themes 'never', gamerpics 'never', XBL Arcade game trial versions 'always'. Granted, I'd always want to keep at least 4gb free, so I'm hoping you can set a minimum requirement for that.

Who are we kidding? MS won't implement this.If they had those options it would work fine, though noisy. I think they may implement this if they can figure out a way to do it really well (like the one listed above, assuming that it doesn't cause problems with things we're not taking into consideration). They're certainly working on enough other ways to spruce up their system. The spring/summer update's going to have a truck-load of changes.

[cool8man]

I have no problem with them automatically sending demos down to the device. If I don't want the demo I'll just delete it. I prefer this method to having to sit there and wait for an 800MB Xbox 360 game to download. I will say that they should at least make it a user option to turn this feature on or off.

[Major Dan]

I have no problem with them automatically sending demos down to the device. If I don't want the demo I'll just delete it. I prefer this method to having to sit there and wait for an 800MB Xbox 360 game to download. I will say that they should at least make it a user option to turn this feature on or off.

Agreed, that would cut the SPAM
and cut spam is better then any SPAM, from the Nintendy Man
But the MS guy, is going to let us download in the background
So you wont get SPAM, or have to wait for the goods,
Which isn't SPAM at all, because you asked for it.

[Serapth]

Agreed, that would cut the SPAM
and cut spam is better then any SPAM, from the Nintendy Man
But the MS guy, is going to let us download in the background
So you wont get SPAM, or have to wait for the goods,
Which isn't SPAM at all, because you asked for it.


Are you posting entirely in haiku today?

[jacktion]

Yeah, I didn't mean to be too harsh.
This just seems like a good idea so I was surprised others didn't agree. But that's what good about the internet.

And really, it seems that there is a popular sentiment that this gift from Nintendo might not be wanted. Joystiq also comprises a list of reasons why free DS demos would be bad. I will paraphrase.

1. If you don't have a DS then these demos will be useless. Thus angering millions.
2. The light that blinks to notify you of a new free game will keep the joystiq author up all night.
3. The quality of the games might not be good.

I shit you not. These are the actual reasons they cite to not like this new idea from Nintendo. This is why Joystiq is kind of stupid. Thank god for Evil Avatar.

[RMan]

It’s pretty odd that someone would have a problem with this feature, but it is the internet we’re talking about. On all three systems, this type of feature would be a good thing, unless implemented poorly (which applied to most features, doesn’t it). It’s definitely unfair to assume the demo presentation will be obtrusive and with a decent data storage system, the data can be cleaned when nearing capacity so that even if the download option was keeping the thing 99% full all the time the user doesn’t have to be affected by it. I’d like to see the PS3 or 360 do automatic background downloading, even if done only when the systems are on both systems should have ample multiprocessing capabilities to handle automatic downloading and network throttling so that getting the demos wouldn’t impact the speed in even a measurable, much less noticeable way. With good TiVo like software, the system could learn what I like and not only get me demos I’m interested in as fast as possible, but even get me stuff I didn’t even know was available without me having to wade through websites to possibly find it (IOW, casual gamers may end up playing something other than Halo or GTA3 or whatever has enough mainstream marketing to catch their eye). I just don’t see how this type of thing could be bad, again, without assuming that it will be implemented poorly.

[Major Dan]

Are you posting entirely in haiku today?
Lack of sleep, and for some reason it reminded me of Green Eggs and Ham. Things are pretty crazy here in nowhere and sleep has been at a minimum lately, I thought it was funny, punchy-funny mind you.

I hate spam though, maybe it wouldn't be like spam but I don't know for sure. Any way if I can turn it off that would be good.

[mister_slim]

The concern about content being pushed without user control is quite valid, as pushing content is very valuable to content creators/advertisers/3rd parties, and will be hard to resist. For them, taking away the choice to "opt out" is valuable, as they can then employ various advertising models, or perform data mining.

Knowing that on a certain day, five million people will see "New Level for Mario brought to you by <Insert Company Name>" is an advertiser's dream. Being able to find out more detailed information about their consumers (e.g.: Tivo knows which shows people watched last night, which commercials were watched, and which were skipped) is extremely valuable to a company.

However - some people are not interested in having their bandwidth used to download things without prior notification.
Anyone know how Microsoft is implementing Massive, by the way?