Dom

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has given an extensive talk on the state of the industry to the Japan Economic Foundation - including evidence from sales figures which he claims prove that online gaming is not yet an important factor.

Iwata presented sales figures for a PS2 online golf title which failed to match the sales of its offline predecessor (Sony's own Minna no Golf / Everybody's Golf titles, released in the west as Hot Shots Golf) as "proof that customers do not want online games."

According to highlights of his presentation which have been posted online, Iwata told the foundation that "most customers do not wish to pay the extra money for connection to the Internet, and for some customers, connection procedures to the Internet are still not easy."

Alone out of the three major platform holders in the current generation of hardware, Nintendo has been reluctant to commit to online gaming; the company launched a modem and broadband adapter for the console in order to support online titles from other companies, but has not developed any such titles of its own.

With both Sony and Microsoft's future console plans featuring online as a core component, it's still not clear how Nintendo will incorporate connectivity into its next-generation "Revolution" console - if at all.

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Source: GameIndustry

dipstick

Big mistake by Nintendo, online is where its at IMO. I guess they are unphased by the millions playing Xbox and PS2 online?

germanjulian

millions... where did u get that figure from?

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dipstick

magazines...
Apparently 2 million PS2 are being used online and there are about 1 million Xbox live subscribers

teh_moleman

I have no problem with online games or multiplayer as long as the developers put the same, if not more effort into the single player part of the games. The only internet access I have is dial-up, so online gaming is very limited for me. I also don't get into big groups with friends for split screen type gaming. So, I always look for games that have a great single player, and if it has a good multiplayer, then great. Again, I'm not saying there shouldn't be online games, but online shouldn't be the sole focus of games. Unfortunately, this seems to be the trend now, and in my opinion, games just aren't as as fun as they used to be a couple of years back.

edgar

Damn it Nintendo. I like you a lot, really I do... But you're making our relationship so difficult! Can't you just start an online service? Please? I'll be your best friend!

BiGBrOwNPimpsta

online play is important, and through consoles since everything is preset it makes it a hell of a lot easier. looks like nintendo has this idea its too complex, thats why only game they were successful at the arcades was cruisin USA and whereas sega, capcom and midways has tons more due to its fun multiplayer ability. they have also branched into the online sector and still going fairly well.

nintendo doesnt understand that playing with others always has been fun and always will be. arcades once allowed us to play together now it's dead and it's home consoles/pc's with online play with upto thousands of people

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AlternateVirus

Nintendo has gone down the shitter for the past 5 years. I'm not surprised about this. They are not the leader of the video game industry anymore, so why would anybody listen to what they think?

@/2ct!<

The thing bad though is you have to subscrive to Xbox live for a fee, thats not good.

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No_Style

Things are tight over at Nintendo and they don't want to waste resources on something a small fraction of their customer base uses. It's true that online gaming is not the number one or the number two reason people buy consoles. There's a difference between multiplayer and online gaming. Nintendo understands the need for multiplayer, but doesn't see it fit to give online play.

Online play is expensive on a console right now. Here's the break down of typical (worst case scenarios) online play costs:

High Speed Internet - $30 to $60 per month (CAD)
A router or a switch if there is a need for connection sharing - $50 to $120 (CAD)
Online Game Service fee (ie. X-Box Live!, FFXI, or other services) - ~$10 to $20 CAD per month
Network Adapter (For consoles that need it) - ~$80 CAD
Ethernet Cable (Depending on length) - ~$15 to $30 CAD

Costly. I personally dislike to pay for online gaming services ontop of my ISP bill..

To say Nintendo is out of the loop is a little too much, I say that they're just cautious. Look at the DreamCast which had online play way before everybody else, but nobody used it as extensively as Sega would have hoped for.

In North America, High Speed internet is growing more popular and it's relatively easy to find an ISP which will provide that service, but in other parts of the world..it is not that easy.

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dipstick

heh, Xbox live costs $50 a year. That's like 13 cents a day

Rayder

I never really got into online/multiplayer gaming myself. I guess it's just my anti-social side showing through or something, but I NEVER play games online/multiplayer. It's single-player or not at all for me.

I've tried it.....but I usually get my butt kicked HARD. Either that or the people aren't playing seriously....as in the case of a racing game I tried to play online, it was more like pinball racing. Besides, I'm not really the hardcore gamer I used to be, I don't have the time to become uber elite at whatever game is currently popular. I just don't have the time like I used to to learn all the intricacies of a game anymore. I play games for FUN, not competition.

I can never compete with all the cheaters and 24/7 online junkies. And I absolutely REFUSE to pay a stinkin' fee just to play a game online.

If a game doesn't have a single-player option, it doesn't get played or bought by me.

Now, I'm not saying that Nintendo is right by not offering online/multiplayer gaming, they're not. Many people live by their online games. I'm just not one of them. But Nintendo is cutting their own throat by not offering that variety of gaming to those that DO want it. It's going to be, and is, felt in their console sales. I think they should have an online solution, but make sure the game always has a solid single-player game to it too for people, like me, that don't care about online/multiplayer gaming. They have to be diverse or they're gonna die.

Why is it that nobody's like us can figure that out, but a big corporation like Nintendo can't?

dj_stick

us "nobodys" play the games. Nintendo executives don't.

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teh_moleman

What I don't understand is that once a company like Nintendo makes an announcement like this, a ton of people start saying "Nintendo is the worst game company ever" or that just because there is no online/multiplayer component that the games will automatically fail. Nintendo has made some of the best games ever like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, and none of those have multiplayer. But people still want to make comments like those. The same thing is happening with game reviews. I was watching a show on G4 where they were reviewing Star Wars KOTOR. They gave it a bunch of praise but then at the end they said "but it has no multiplayer which is a BIG mistake" so they gave it like a 6/10. I just don't see why everything these days has to have an online/multiplayer.

mike2h

because it is big bucks for the companys involved.
this has infected the pc arena too. they want us to pay the same amount as for a regular game(ie played from your comp), & also pay them a monthly fee for the privilege of playing it.
i will NEVER buy a game- pc or console(i have ps2 w/online) that requires a fee to play besides the initial cost.

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PoopyTheJ

With you on that one Mike2h, my buddy is all over SWG, I won't do it. It's ridiculous, especially when there's great games to play online without the additional cost like Ut2k4, Zark rifle ROCKS!

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No_Style

Gamespot is still true. Gamespot has some of the highest quality gaming reviews ever. They rarely give in to the lack of online multiplayer aspect of a game. 8.8 was given for the PC version of KOTOR while the X-Box version was given a 9.1. Yes, a lot of people have gone into the multiplayer craze and it's getting out of hand in some cases.

I'm already beginning to see some issues with the flood of MP games. A solid MP game goes through these phases.

Phase 1: Initial Release
Everybody gets this game and plays it online. Servers are everywhere and you can always find a server and have fun with it. Newbies are everywhere..everyone is learning and having fun doing so.

Phase 2: The Game's Life
This is where the real test of the game's quality is. The community has sprouted and mods our immerging. There's a good mix of newbies and pros. The best time to play the game is here.

Phase 3: Die hards only
This is when the wave of people who play the game regularly/occasionally have left for other games. Pros are more dominant now. Newbies and regulars have left this game and are scarce.

I remember when phase 2 for a game would last for over a year (RTCW)..and now the phase 2 is being reduced drastically since so many MP games have been coming out. COD for example had a shorter Phase 2 than RTCW and MOHAA. Some people complain about being smoked in MP games.. that's because the newbs have left and the game is in it's Phase 3.

Also, it's important to note that the lack of developer support can greatly reduce the phase 2 of an MP game.

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dipstick

heh, you guys are missing the point. Games that have their own monthly fee definitely suck. But you pay $50 a year on Xbox live and you can play a ton of games online with no other fees, have buddies, clans, chat on msn, and soon video conference. I don’t think $50 a year is bad price at all really. Plus think of it this way; by the time these consoles come out its going to be 2006, that’s 2-0-0-6! I think it about time to give the customer the option to go online if he wants to. I really wonder who they asked to get their opinion that gamers don’t like online play.