Friend codoes -- or something like them -- are probably going to remain.

What will probably change is that Nintendo will seek to make them uniform across all games. That way, you don't have to re-enter the same person numerous times. Also, it will let you see if your friend is on line and what they are playing (like the Mario Kart channel does now).

Nintendo is learning the on-line. It is also trying to do things in a way that is friendly for everyone. They are not just thinking of the college-age gamer whose vocabulary includes a lot of four-letter words beginning in F and S. That is a very small segment of the blue ocean of game buyers.

(And yes, I know this isn't really original since others have suggested it. But it really is the best of all options for Nintendo, given the varied audience it is trying to serve).

Mike from Morgantown

Unlikely.
People here appear to not even know why Nintendo is using FC.
Iwata already gave an interview about that.
He said that as a father he wouldn't like his children to have contact with a stranger in the internet, just as many parents out there.
It's known that the internet has way too may freaks/perverts.

PSaiki said: Unlikely. People here appear to not even know why Nintendo is using FC. Iwata already gave an interview about that. He said that as a father he wouldn't like his children to have contact with a stranger in the internet, just as many parents out there. It's known that the internet has way too may freaks/perverts.

Maybe you should read the thread?  Pretty much EVERYONE knows why they use them.

 

at least the voice chat in ACWii will allow me to hear both ends of the convo and I can protect my kids! unlike headsets which give them unfiltered content they I cannot control.

I have been a gamer since I was 5 years old, my kids, since the moment they could pick up a controller, but in this day and age, you have to do alot more to protect than just letting them get away with things we used to. Just have a few children, you will understand where I am comeing from.

I know I am sounding harsh in my statements, and I know the general idea of what people (say they) want, I would like console code to = friend code, but theres also a problem with that, I have 4 people in my house that use Wii, 2 kids my wife and myself, PLUS countless other users like friends and family members.

I understand peoples complaints, but I like it just the way it is!

The lag online is atrocious anyways....so it's a moot point for me.

Maybe next gen...

I (really) don't see a problem with the concept of a friend code nearly as much as I dislike its current usage.

I personally think a friend code works better than a "Gamer Tag" because I (like most people) want to use the user name I have used for decades and not have to worry whether some gamer at the other end of the country has already registered the name. Had the gamertag been associated with a Mii and persisted across all games I don't see why it would be that big of a problem; certainly it might be a pain to enter in a lot of tags, but that would be a pain regardless of how the tags were formed.

I agree friend codes aren't that bad. ICQ and facebook are using it (it's just called uid instead of friend code) and it's not a problem. The problem is not too share friends between games.

epsilon72 said: The lag online is atrocious anyways....so it's a moot point for me.

It is in a few games, but not in others, its all how its implemented! Online games: SSBB horrible MKWii Great Trades in Boom Blox and Elebits = GREAT! Sure everything isnt perfect, but what else can you expect from a free service, Its going to have its problems. WiiWare/VC is getting better, Well mostly WiiWare, but at least its newer ideas at work, though I am kinda disspointed with Wild West... all that is is Links Crossbow, with a bit of added content, but it still looks like fun

samus086 said: at least the voice chat in ACWii will allow me to hear both ends of the convo and I can protect my kids! unlike headsets which give them unfiltered content they I cannot control. I have been a gamer since I was 5 years old, my kids, since the moment they could pick up a controller, but in this day and age, you have to do alot more to protect than just letting them get away with things we used to. Just have a few children, you will understand where I am comeing from. I know I am sounding harsh in my statements, and I know the general idea of what people (say they) want, I would like console code to = friend code, but theres also a problem with that, I have 4 people in my house that use Wii, 2 kids my wife and myself, PLUS countless other users like friends and family members. I understand peoples complaints, but I like it just the way it is!

There is another reason why they choose a single microphone rather than a headset ...

Since I had a day off yesterday, when I was doing my cardio the news show I was watching ended and I was forced to watch Regis and Kelly for the rest of my cardio (which turned my workout into more of a punishment than anything else). Kelly was talking to some guy about her husband playing videogames online and she commented that he wore a headset to talk to "Lonely people online" and it demonstrates something I have talked about before. Online gaming not a social activity it is an antisocial activity, and most people see it as something that only geeky-losers do.

The Wii microphone is designed to make interaction with people online much more social ... I suspect they are trying to get people to play games online while they're playing games with their real-life friends, and to take it away from being something someone does in a room by themself.