25 February 2008
Ferry

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay And Play online Wii games subscription service planned

Nintendo project leader Takashi Aoyama announced pay-to-play service at the Game Developers Conference 2008 last week. While Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection online service has always been and will remain free, they do want to introduce this optional pay-to-play service in the future.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay And Play will let users subscribe on a game-by-game basis to certain titles. No titles nor their pricing were mentioned. Wired further reports that: “to avoid customer confusion, Pay And Play games will have a red icon on the game’s box that reads Pay And Play, in place of the traditional blue Wi-Fi Connection icon, which will only be used for games that are free to play.”

Is this meant for Massive Multiplayer Online games?

26 February 2008 04:59
Daniel Primed

To answer your question, yes. This announcement screams Animal Crossing at me and quite loudly too . I think that this represents that Nintendo has realized that they can capitalize on an online Animal Crossing game.

They understand the casual market and have already encouraged this maket to play online via the DS’ iteration of Animal Crossing. So I think that they have probably seen huge potential in making an AC or even some other online game (on the Wii) for this audience and then luring them in. Creating lots of revenue in the process.

13 July 2008 10:50
Cat

Thats so stupid you have to pay they just keep trying to figure out ways to get even more money!!! >:(

13 July 2008 11:19
DominicDA DBZ fan

Wait
For all the new wii games that are comming out you have to pay for online

For what???

My smash bros game lags about 87% of the time. And when I have a good match it will start lagging at the end and then I loose connection.

I would hate to pay for something that laggs all the time.

22 September 2008 20:00
Joonho

If there is a pay and play icon will the online play reain for free? Even if if it is, it’s STILL A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

27 September 2008 15:35
dean

its not a scam its just a way to make money the wii is not that expensive and the online play is free tell me what console is both of them xbox costs for online ps3 cost loads of money just for the console

29 September 2008 13:31
RaSaan

I can see a small, yet hurting lawsuit coming out of it which wil hurt Nintendo in the long run….

Honestly, good games are out there like: SUper Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart, all EA games which offers “All Play”, the old and UPCOMING Rock bands….. But when you think about ir really hard, The Wii has been out now for More than a YR, Actually 2 (I think). Point is, You can count with your hands the GOOD Wi-Fi games and probably come up short of 10. They don’t even have consistency in releasing Great Online titles like the PS3 and XBOX 360 consoles.

Now here is an idea for Nintendo that they can get away with. If they launch a patch on all future Systems that they ship they explains they will have that new feature, “Wii Pay 2 Play,” They can pay monthly or yearly through Wii Points. But trying to go after your loyal consumers that already invested into the Wii with the understanding their WI-FI is FREE would be contradicting on their part. That’s the issue that will be a MAJOR disaster. It should remain FREE.

Unless Nintendo offers everyone who already has a Wii a few months free, explaining the changes, while charging everyone else who gets it straight out of the box (Similiar to the way they did the Internet Channel).

The issue is it goes back to the fact, the games right now ARE NOT WORTH IT.

NOW HERE’S an idea!!!

The DS is getting a Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Release a GTA for the Wii with some kind of Multiplayer option and begin charging for the online DEAD ON… That will drives sells from Rockstar, Wii Consoles everywhere, sucess in launching your Pay-2-Play..

Seriously, who wouldn’t PAY for GTA Online?

22 November 2008 05:04
play games online

It’s actually a wireless router for those Wii fans having difficulty getting the console online. It’s got a switch for different modes depending on how you want to use it.

25 December 2008 13:36
Cute Girl 56

What? so now we have to pay so we can play wii wi-fi. Wow!! it bad and good, for us (the gamer) is bad, but for the company is good (obvios). I think that idea is pretty late because all the good game that use the wi-fi( the blue circule) will be remain free and the other game that came that have the new colored wi-fi (red) we pay, but that if you want to play in online services. Still we have all the best game in wii that will use the free wi-fi like Super Smash Bros Brawl and the Mario games, this game will remain free in wi-fi, but the new one that have the red simbol we just have to pay. All you that read this situation of the new wi-fi services take it easy.