ok.... so maybe I'm being a debbie downer above. That potential outcome and developer point of view doesn't make it as bad as I originally figured.

I interpreted this differently than everyone else. O_o

I read it as online having not been figured out at this point, but that their goal is to create a flexible system that can adapt to different developer's wants and needs.

However, I see the other way of reading this, too.

I wish they'd just come out and say something instead of handing out vague nonsense. Honestly, I don't really understand what they're trying to say here

lol i read it as "they are working with 3rd parties to create an on line system that best suits the 3rd parties". it is not that they cant make a unified system later on anyway so i see this as a good thing well better than i thought they would do anyway.

 My impression of what he said in the video was that they're going to have the core infrastructure, but 3rd party devs will have freedom to create online their way.

Same with things like connecting to EA's network without any hassle. There will have to be a unified account, because we'll still need to connect to the eShop and there will be friends list and such.

I think what they're really getting at is that the Wii online system was fairly rigid and not meshed with the console as it should be, and the Wii U system will be more flexible and open depending on what the publisher wants. The basic system will be there for developers who need it. Don't forget that Nintendo's own games will be online as well, so small developers will be taken care of.


Alot of the third party devs nowadays have their own online system/network (Ubisoft, EA, Capcom, etc) so they would love this. They wouldn't be at the mercy of the company telling them what to do. It gives them creative freedom and they wouldn't really have to share the profits.

It's kind of like what we saw with Ghost Recon Online at the round table.


It's also kind of like how it works on PC.

What this means is that its gonna be just like the Wii, each game will just have its own network.

I personally think thats stupid and I hope I'm wrong.

Well reading what he said, it is very vague. I think most people are looking at the word "centralized" and only looking at that piece. Before he uses the word centralized, he deals with flexibility so it is possible "centralized" was being used more to mean "restrictive". The followup after he used "centralized" also deals with flexibility.

I don't think anything he says has confirmed something one way or another. It is possible Nintendo could have it setup to where it is developer choice on how they want to setup the online, but of course that would be the same online setup as the Wii. I think what is really being stated here is that when setting up their online, they aren't going to have it "centralized" under Nintendo ideas, construction, and management, and instead are being flexible by reaching out to third parties to see what they want incorporated into the system. So really it is almost as he is talking about the online setup as a "work in progress", which probably isn't entirely true but obviously can only state so much.

Personally, the online setup isn't a huge factor for me with Wii U as it is doubtful that all my online gaming is going to magically disappear away from Xbox Live haha. But I would like to see a nice setup so when I play Ninty online games, they will be easily accessible and fun.

They are being really vague as usual, this can go a multiple ways no matter how you look at it. Leave it to the 3rd party people? or have a central friends list but let 3rd party handle their own online? Valve doing Steam integration is something I can already see for sure though. The way I see it ATM, it will work a lot like Steam overall, where 3rd party is not bound to using a centralized network, which is a really really good thing.

I don't think he really confirmed or denied much. In what he said when he talked centralized he specifically said not cookie cutter one size fits all. I think he was refering to the likes of Live where all games use the same code and all the developers have to conform to Microsoft's standards and use Microsofts system.

He said Nintendo would work with developers to customize the experiance with each game (At least thats what I got). I don't think this is all that new when it comes to Nintendo. Heck their was very little universal network on Wii or DS. Each game featured different unique online capabilities. Even Nintendo's own titles were each unique. Some used friend codes only to play, others used a global networking system to match you with an opponent. Some had their own trophy like system while other did not.

All he really confirmed to me is that Nintendo isn't going to hold back developers. Nintendo is going to give developers full freedom to do as they wish online. I think this could be good for the developers and publishers they can run online any way they want. For those who wanted an X-Box Live experiance this is bad, your probably not going to have trophies and achievments in every game, you might not have a universal friend system where you add friends to your console and can play them in any and every game found on the system. Heck some games might even charge for their online.

So this is both good and bad news, depending on what you as a consumer want. If you wanted a centralized Live experiance your probably out of luck. If you wanted a unique robust experiance with each game then hellz yah your gonna be impressed.

Also I think a huge part of this is Nintendo trying to appeal to third parties. Giving for example EA the ability to build their online network the way they want and run it how they feel, that will earn major bonus points and drive EA to develop alot more content for WiiU. Also Nintendo knows third parties have been frustrated with how Live and PSN are run they will be really happy to do as they wish.

This is too vague to make out anything about what they're gonna do... but I hope that they go the PSN way, with a binding network that is free to use.