Nintendo announces paid online service

[CockroachMan]

from kotaku.com:

Today, during a GDC presentation, Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama announced a new expansion to Nintendo's Wi-Fi services called Wii Pay & Play. Aoyama explained that Nintendo will begin "collecting fees for some services [that] will allow us to adapt flexibly." In other words, by subsidizing additional, unnamed service and feature costs to consumers, Nintendo feels they can explore new concepts and channels.


He added that it was a Nintendo initiative to avoid misleading consumers into thinking they can buy games that can be played entirely free when they cannot (whether or not this implies an initiative to begin charging for multiplayer content was unclear). To aid in a clear cost presentation, the blue WFC logo will be joined with a similar red logo featuring the line "Pay & Play."

While we were offered no additional details, we understand that the red stands for danger.

 

[Gaisuto]

This better be the tiny tiny hint that Animal Crossing Wii will be an MMO-like game.

 

[science]

Now lets get rid of the shovelware and get a headset, and some good online games (other than SSBB)

 

[jumpman17]

Um...what? If they start charging us to play online, we better get something better than these bull**** friend codes.

 

[jalaneme]

oh dear, i don't like the word "pay" no thanks

 

[Maikel Steneker]

I hate paying to play online. So I'll avoid the red WiFi logo...

 

[CockroachMan]

This better be the tiny tiny hint that Animal Crossing Wii will be an MMO-like game.

Exactly what I thought!
Since this is a per-game thing, I believe this will be needed only for games that are essentially online, like MMOs..

 

[NekoDS]

I think announcing this also has a lot to do with Mario Kart for the Wii as well, think about it, after how well Brawl is going to do, they're not going to let an opportunity like this pass them.

 

[Jackreyes]

Nintendo are turning into tards.
I refuse to offer them my support if the prices are high.

I may have to say farewell to my wii

 

[Spikey]

This better be the tiny tiny hint that Animal Crossing Wii will be an MMO-like game.


Exactly what I thought!
Since this is a per-game thing, I believe this will be needed only for games that are essentially online, like MMOs..

I'm excited for the idea of MMO type Animal Crossing. Who wants to join me in Temper Town?

 

[raulpica]

I think it will be for MMOs, afterall they require a LOT of money with all those server expenses, and so it will be only for a few games.

I think he wanted to clarify that when you see the WiFi logo that doesn't mean it's automatically free (to avoid something like this "OMG THIS GAME HAZ LOGO I DUN WANTA PAY") even when you would have to pay it (like MMOs)

 

[Neko]

Paying for this shit of a online system ?
Nintendo starts to suck more and more!

 

[Hit]

Ones that exists
I'm going to throw my wii out of my window
They have already collected enough money on wii sales to pay off wii server
They earn like 50Euro for every wii sold right

 

[mkoo]

Ah I won't be able to despise X360 owners then.

 

[gambit420]

cant belive this!
must be bs!

 

[gov78]

ok anyone actuly thought that this could also be linked to mario kart >_> i mean whos gunna have 16 ppl from friend codes on at the same time ?

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Um...what? If they start charging us to play online, we better get something better than these bull**** friend codes.

Yep. Exactly. No way am I payin for the online "service" as it is.

 

[arctic_flame]

from kotaku.com:

...(whether or not this implies an initiative to begin charging for multiplayer content was unclear)...

...While we were offered no additional details, we understand that the red stands for danger...

Journalism, eh? Seems to have sparked off the fanboys anyway

Quiet note: If you're paying for usenet, your arguments don't seem to hold up, you pay (if it's confirmed) for a better multiplayer system the same way you pay for faster illegal downloads.

 

[xJonny]

Hmm.. this will either be really good, or really bad

 

[shaunj66]

If Nintendo plan to charge for any kind of online system then they better get their arse in gear. Their current system is LAUGHABLY bad and would have been acceptable 5 years ago or so.

I'm not sure they can 1-up Xbox Live, which is exactly what they're going to be up against. And with the current cost of Virtual Console games I can't see Nintendo's pay-to-play online coming cheap...