News: E3 2006 News | Nintendo Wii Gets Connected Page 1

E3 2006 News | Nintendo Wii Gets Connected

10.05.2006

At their pre-E3 conference, Nintendo announced a new feature on Wii integral to their new strategy - WiiConnect24. The idea is that the system will stay connected online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even after the system is shut down.

Upon shutting off Wii, it will switch into a low power consumption mode, while remaining online. While it is in this state, new content can be beamed to your system while you are away or sleep, or other players can leave you messages. An example of its use was cited in reference to Animal Crossing - a player from another town might come over and leave you a gift as you are away without you even being about.

Somewhat disconcertingly, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata named Wii as "the system that never sleeps". Nintendo are hoping to keep the console 'fresh' by ensuring it is different everyday, to make people keep wanting to come back for more to see what has gone on while they've not been around. "What we are aiming for is a system that is new every day," Iwata said.

Stick with C3 for more E3 news as it comes!

Comment on this article

Comments

«s previous1next »

James2t3 10.05.2006#1

Intresting concept thats for sure. It's like it will be alive Smilie

( Edited on 10.05.2006 01:00 by Blade2t3 )

XBL Gamertag: James2t3

TAG 10.05.2006#2

This sounds like a good idea. Nintendo are usually really good about keeping hacker people and such at bay so I don't think that'd be a problem at all. As long as I can disconnect when I want to (say to take it to a friend's) then I'm fine. I'd hate for it to erase my account or something, but I doubt ninty would do something so stupid.

TAG: That American Guy

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

deleted_user 10.05.2006#3

Stupid, stupid feature.

All it will do is consume even more electricity and be constantly contributing to a deteriorating environment.

Companies are meant to be making machines (like TVs, digiboxes and VCRs) consuming less power - not more.

Why couldn't they have it so that players could still leave items, by using a central server network - which you then download the items from/update as to what's happened when you turn it on?

(I appreciate in reference to my earlier comments that it would still use a lot of power to do, and hence pollute - but far less than having every Wii in the world turned on waiting for the off chance someone wants to send something to you).

Spydarlee 10.05.2006#4

I think is a good idea, I mean they can't MAKE you keep it on the whole time so you can just use the feature when it suits you?

Unplugging the console will turn it off and isn't exactly a BIG effort (hell many of you probably have extension leads with switches on that would do the job?)

But the feature could still be used for example in Animal Crossing if you know a certain day that a friend wants to visit your town, but you're not avaliable.

You could just leave it 'on' for that day, I don't think I'll be leaving it on for massive periods of time without a better reason than the ones we've had so far.

(Plus my wireless connection isn't always on, so just turning that off would have the same effect.)

Cubed3 Staff [ Retro Editor :: Previews Editor ]

tiamat1990 10.05.2006#5

How do you stay online all day? What if they don't have wi-fi? Smilie

Robbo 10.05.2006#6

david_reed48 said:
(I appreciate in reference to my earlier comments that it would still use a lot of power to do, and hence pollute - but far less than having every Wii in the world turned on waiting for the off chance someone wants to send something to you).

Good point, but i think Nintendo have probably looked at the amount of technology that is always on. How many people turn there mobile phones off while charging them? How about turning the Sky/NTL box off at the mains? Or (and more on subject) how many people turn there PS2's off by the switch at the back as apposed to the standby at the front?

Nintendo have mentioned the low consumption of Wii on standby for a good reason. There aren't many tecnologies that use low consumption when on standby. Just the other day there was a piece in the news saying that you could save vast amounts of electricity if everyone in a school or office block switched OFF there monitors manually, rather than just the base.

Your right in saying more power COULD be saved, but who in this day and age would bother to make the effort?

deleted_user 10.05.2006#7

And that's just the problem - everyone is using too much power, we've got to start doing the small things to make the big savings.

There are going to be more and more standards coming through to address these sorts of problems in the coming years (and rightfully so). Just because it uses 'little power' (compared to what? when it's turned on? - of course it uses less) it;s still using more power than it needs to be.

The GameCube manages to turn off properly and still work when you turn it on, I'm sure a case of having to download content when you turn it on rather than leaving it running for over 9000 hours a year wouldn't be that difficult to implement - and when you multiply it out to many millions of units being shipped the figures will just balloon.

I'm not trying to say Nintendo are any more guilty than any other company - but it seems completely excessive to me, at a time when all companioes are meant to be looking to making electronic equipment more efficient.

Slydevil 10.05.2006#8

The electricity problem was addressed in the conference, Iwata stated that while on standby it will only consume the same amount of energy as, "a minature light bulb"..you know..the really tiny ones..which is very impressive..

Of course if you are REALLY concerned about pollution then im sure you don't have to have it on standby Smilie

IANC said:
Dude yuor totally awesome. And i won't be killing you anytime soon.

Marzeee 10.05.2006#9

soz david reed 58 why dont you just leave it out. Nintendo are doing the right thing and this is going to be a great feature so if youre so bothered about it get a PS crap I mean PS3.

deleted_user 10.05.2006#10

soz david reed 58 why dont you just leave it out. Nintendo are doing the right thing and this is going to be a great feature so if youre so bothered about it get a PS crap I mean PS3.

"Just leave it out"? As far as I can see I raised a perfectly valid point from the article (what sort of power consumption are we talking for a 'minature light bulb'?) based on the text available on the matter.

TAG also raised the hacking point, whilst saying it will be minimal - but that also seems like an extra risk factor to me.

The only points made to counter my original one (which I admit was a tad sweeping with the opening) was that it's less than other items or a people don't care that much.

Yes lee it would still be possible to turn it off at the mains, but we all know that isn't the best of ideas with products that have been designed to be left running 24/7 (in my experience causes problems of at least memory being wiped and you having to re-programme things).

And if there isn't that problem - then it seems like having it running all the time would be an excess (my original point).

Just because you waste less than someone else, doesn't mean you should try and stop the waste all together.

James2t3 10.05.2006#11

I doubt nintendo force you to do this, it will be just like a TV, turn off with remote for stand by and press the power button on the console to turn off.

XBL Gamertag: James2t3

Buddah 10.05.2006#12

soz david reed 58 why dont you just leave it out. Nintendo are doing the right thing and this is going to be a great feature so if youre so bothered about it get a PS crap I mean PS3.

Smilie

Cheesing It Up 10.05.2006#13

It does seem a bit pointless. Surely something can be sent via an e-mail or similar and received when the player turns the console on?

I dunno, I can't really see many practical uses for it, but at least Nintendo are trying to reduce power consumption while in 'standby mode'

James2t3 10.05.2006#14

I think it's a pretty cool feture, especially since it's aimed at non gamers. They can be spoon fed updates withought worring about doing it them selves, and i'm sure it will help nintendo to combate illegal uses of the console by updating firmware. It's just nice, it might aswell do it when it's "off" if i want to save the electricity i'm wasting then i'll just turn off the light more or turn my VCR completly off. As long as the big blue light goes off i'm fine with it.

( Edited on 10.05.2006 18:19 by Blade2t3 )

XBL Gamertag: James2t3

HazukiSan 10.05.2006#15

As long as the big blue light goes off i'm fine with it.

I'm sure it will, power saving and all that.

Slydevil 10.05.2006#16

With the tiny, tiny power consumption of the wii, there are MUCH bigger problems they need to tackle about pollution. Go protest etc. if you really are concerned or do what blade just said..plus nobody realises the potential of wiiconnect24. They are aiming for, "a new console everyday" so yu'll want to find out whats changed with updates for games presents from nintendo, presents from friends. No waiting for downloading it'll all be done in your sleep. Smilie