Wii Online Play Still Coming: Nintendo

Your Wii code will be useful for more than just sharing Miis... at some point.

The Wii is exemplary of Nintendo's newfound fascination with the internet. Where once the company spurned anything to do with the internet, new services now let Wii owners go online for the latest news and weather. But what about games?

Nintendo has been quiet on its online gaming plans for a reason. According to Perrin Kaplan, an executive at Nintendo of America, the company is easing its audience into the idea.

"Worldwide online play is a priority for Nintendo and you will see it," Kaplan said during an interview with GameSpy.

Kaplan said that if the company had shown off all the Wii can do - what with the Wii remote, the channels interface, Miis, and more - people would have been confused.

"I just think it would have overloaded the mass consumer," she said. "We have more things coming, and online is definitely one of them."

Quite what that translates to in real terms is unclear. In Japan, Wii owners can already play Pokémon Battle Revolution online, but the company has yet to announce any games for Westerners that will be playable online, Nintendo's Robert Saunders said.

Another bit of technology that Nintendo has sailed around is high-definition video. Unlike the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, the Wii won't do HD. But Kaplan isn't too concerned about that.

"I think the enthusiasm [for the Wii] speaks for itself," said Kaplan. "I don't feel that forcing people to pay extra for a high-definition system would have necessarily enhanced the experience."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo