I find it ironic that Nintendo, often held up as an example of how to well polish games, has such a hideously unpolished online service.

That's what everyone thought last gen.

It's only ironic if games and online services were similar things to develop and program. They aren't. They merely happen to overlap.

It's a matter of standards, not programming.

So what? Online standards are still not game standards, so my point still stands.

It's a matter of games making more money than online services, so they make the best games in the world, and worry about the other crap later. They've tasted success with Mario Kart Wii though, and it makes them hungrier for more online gaming money. They will improve their online experience next gen to make that money. They are a monster.

And they won't do online that matched the other guys. Many of you should stop forgetting about their blue ocean policy. If XLB and PSN have certain features, then copying them is red ocean, not blue ocean.

Expecting their service to match those is a fantasy. They will find features that they aren't trying, and that reach consumers wanting those untried features.