The advantages of voice chat are readily apparent. It seems like you and Sky haven't ever used it, but even so it would seem like you'd understand the importance for certain games. It's like comparing text messages to talking on a cell phone. Which is easier to communicate with if you need your hands for playing a game? Teamwork requires communication. Playing with friends is far better when you can communicate. It's more fun. It's more entertaining. The only disadvantage Sky Render mentions is that some people are annoying, but I'm not going to mention for the 100th time the easy solution to that. It doesn't ruin the entire feature, just like some people being annoying on a forum doesn't ruin the entire thing. Why have online message boards if people are just going to act immature and ruin communication?! Uh... Now, this point about it not being profitable...it is going to hurt them at some point. It limits Nintendo with many genres. Playing Brawl and Kart online feels empty, but certain genres just aren't going to succeed without up-to-date features that Nintendo is behind on. The excuse that they are leading in sales doesn't sit well with me. You don't stay on top if you fall behind.

I'm going to jump into this on windbane's behalf because I feel he's right.

1. Voice chat is necessary for certain games that require teamwork aka co-op gameplay. How would you expect to play Gears of War or Army of Two online co-op without voice chat? It's damn near impossible. In fact, the game Resident Evil Outbreak for PS2 was ruined because of no voice chat. You couldn't communicate with your teammates, making it impossible to cooperate correctly.

2. The DS has voice chat, so please explain again how Nintendo wants to play it safe with voice chat. Their first game to have it? Pokemon Pearl/Diamond, a game marketed directly to children. If the DS can have it why can't the Wii? I'll wait for someone to scroll through the Bible of Malstrom to find their answer.

3. If the Wii is supposed to be so safe for families, why does it contain an unrestricted web browser? There's plenty of damaging content on the web for children. 

You don't stay on top by doing what everybody else does, either. The mindset that Nintendo's engineers are approaching the subject of online from is very different from a typical mindset. They're not asking "how can we make this better for our customers?", they're asking "how can we make this better for our customers and profit from it too?". Voice chat, while appreciated by certain customers, is not revenue-generating or a draw into online gaming in the forms we know of it.

Whatever Nintendo comes up with to sub for it will be "good enough for most" and will be profitable for them in some way (if only in the sense that it appeals to all audiences). That may turn out to be some form of voice chat, but more than likely it will not be. And suggesting that they'll somehow be "hurt" by not having voice chat, incidentally, is ludicrous. The most vocal sorts would be willing to drop their online play "to make an example", perhaps, but most recognize that it is not in fact critical for enjoying the game. As well, a great deal of those complaining are computer-savvy enough to know how to set up a program like TeamSpeak to run simultaneously with their Wii games.

Ok, so now that we have Nintendo aside, I feel we both understand that part of it, the next issue is the function itself and how it pertains to video games.

Understood team work in FPS's can be made much more convenient with Voice Chat, that is very true. I'm sure you've heard the term "...sure; it sounds good on paper but..." To attack your main stance, no one shoe fit's all, let's use Mario Kart as an example, a parent/gaudian buys her/his son/daughter that game with a T rating, let's say this game had voice chat and people are cursing left and right as they get hit by blue shells and red shells and so on, the rating of that game is no longer T it's M, the major issue there is the parent/guardian bought something that legally was for her/his child but he/she was exposed to foul or suggestive language.
You "Now hold on but you can just mute that person."
I know but look, the kid is on the game playing in a 12 kart race when suddenly 1 person keeps on cursing, the point is that the language was exposed and the ESRB a legally stated rating on a software that applies itself at retail is now moot, when this happens someone is liable, take a guess who.
You "But just mute the game."
Why? the game has voice chat and everyone should be able to enjoy their experience I mean that parent/gaurdian payed $50 for the same game everyone else payed $50 for, why isn't her child entitled to safe online play which is also part of what she/he payed for?

That is the reason why voice chat in the method it's used on the PC/PS3/Xbox360 are flawed, the legality behind it should have games with ratings lower than M with it in serious jeapordy or being sued by that lamoid parent who does have a strong point. This would also challenge and put under the spot light the ESRB's credability and probably lead to strict regulations enforced by the government on Voice Chat.

It's stated in opening credits by the ESRB of every online game: Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB. Nintendo nor the ESRB would be to blame

It sais that the gaming experience may change when online, that's essentially making the ESRB rating void for the software is what your saying?

I'll have to wait until monday to check that, because I want to copy paste the part that litigates that statement and the PS3 will not copy paste =(.

But that sounds like one heck of a disclaimer, something like that should be arguable and maybe even if it was a class action - be taken seriously in court, that's basically selling the game at full retail price to someone but then pervasivlly not giving that person access to certain portions of the game... but they get away with that for DLC that is just an unlocker for things already on the medium so maybe not.

The law is made to protect the people and businesses, so their has to be something for either way, one stating that ESRB nor the gaming publisher is liable or the other way around - wish someone on VGC was a contractual attorney or something that could fill in the gaps for me - I'll pick on that arguement in a different way then.
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Ok gaming on a whole has been led by a misconception of it being led by technology, gaming has been led by demand, the idea is to give what is demanded of you - to claim Nintendo is behind anything is wrong though - I don't see Xbox with gimmicky controllers nor out of the box blue tooth, I haven't seen a PS3 that can stay on for 24 hours 7 days a week for 365 days without frying a circut board. The Wii has it's plus's however the intentions of the Wii are vastly different from that of the PS360, remember those two systems were designed to be media hubs, the Wii was designed to work with things in the living room not replace them. If you understand that then you can understand that it is doing what it was intended to do, I mean it's not like voice chat isn't on it's way and you can use many other means to talk to people, like using the PSP or your computer - most of the people you play with in Mario Kart on your Freinds list are people you met on a forum or know in real life.

Look at it like this, MH3 will more than likely have voice chat, that game is coming out around 1st quater 2009.

Who needs home when we can have a mii parade?

Indeed, no developer is liable for what someone says online, just like vgchartz isn't liable if some kid comes to this website (browser available on Wii) and sees the word "damn" or worse. Oh no! Shelter the kids!

 Was that an advice for yourself? :P

Sorry, but voice chat only under friends, and the problem is solved ;) But it seems a lot of people don't even read what I am writing ;) 

Well, you argued it better than I did, so thank you. I forgot to mention RE: Outbreak. It was mentioned in the EGM article I just read in the new issue. The topic? How Nintendo's lack of voice chat sucks. The title of the article is: "Feeling Disconnected." The subtitle: "Online play on the Wii blows, but does Nintendo even need to care?" I think they do, but that's besides the point. No one has addressed your points about the DS having voice chat and the Wii having a web browser. Edit: Just_Ben: I read you, heh. Only-friends would certainly be a nice option. Voice chat is always an option...if you don't have a headset you don't hear people talk.