New Wii features: Message Board & Play History
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Sep 27th 2006 at 5:15PM }
It's not holographic projection, but it'll let you "email" with your Wii. Nintendo sheds light on new features:
Message Board
- Stores user achievement data and shares it will other users of that console
- Integrates with games to alert players of important events; e.g. "Concert next Saturday in town" (Animal Crossing)
- Utilizes date sorting and calendar integration
- When connected to the internet, can be linked to other consoles' Message Boards to exchange notes, data, screenshots, etc. (in other words: simplified email client)
- Compatible with mobile phones
- Data collection function, which cannot be cleared
- Compiles total amount of playtime (and possibly other stats) for every game played
- Doubles as a monitoring system for parents wanting to keep a watchful eye on their kids' gaming habits
- Will be used by Nintendo (with user consent) to pool data into useful statistical categories; i.e. "most played game of the year"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
SomeShow @ Sep 27th 2006 5:22PM
WOW! spyware for your console! Awesome idea Nintendo.
Dracula Jones @ Sep 27th 2006 5:24PM
"Stores user achievement data and shares it will other users of that console"
"When connected to the internet, can be linked to other consoles' Message Boards"
Hmm, I wonder if that means I can share "Achievements" with friends, too... making some sort of mini-Leaderboard. That's all I really look at on XBL... whether or not I'm beating my friends' gamerscores.
spoo @ Sep 27th 2006 5:24PM
1984, Big N style.
kelekod @ Sep 27th 2006 5:27PM
Now there's proof if someone else is playing with your Wii. These features are really stupid. Well the message board, not so much so, but tracking which games you play? Do they really need a tracker? Couldn't you get at that information from game sales?
Perkins @ Sep 27th 2006 5:31PM
Great news for import gamers. The wii will be region free if you have a freeloader. Isnt that great!!!!!
Aphony @ Sep 27th 2006 5:38PM
Um, why would anyone be concerned about privacy issues? Come on people. They're just games. You don't need to hide behind your Wii-motes. I really doubt they'll be interested in tracking specific user's gaming habits. Let Nintendo know what we are playing and how much and they can get a better idea of which of their games works and which ones don't.
I personally find the idea very interesting and still can't wait for Wii!
striderhayasa @ Sep 27th 2006 5:36PM
yeah, that totally sounds like spyware but hey, it's not like I'm downloading smut or hentai on my Wii. I hope there is a dedicated leaderboard that allows for compiled lists of highest scores and achievements for all games played.
Also, NINTENDO! DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE DAMN CHEATERS ON NINTENDO WIFI! I keep coming across these asses that cheat like the devil in Metroid Prime Hunters. Infinite jumping, infinite health (three shots to the head with the Imperialist and still no kill? WTF is that?) Nintendo has to implement some kind of measures to ban cheaters. I love they way Bungie handles it with Halo. Nintendo should do the same
DBX00 @ Sep 27th 2006 5:30PM
That whole play history is bogus; they should just make it an option under parental controls. Can I get some control over how people monitor my behavior these days.
If you don't want your kid playing something, don't buy the game for them or just put the console in the living room where you can see when they're playing. Heck, you can even join in playing the game and spend some time with your child. Parents are looking for an easy way out of raising their children and need to just accept responsibility for having some control over their kids.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:31PM
So hey know what games you play !! Big deal. Far from 1984. Good things can come from this in the form of 'Most PLayed Game ', quite an eccentric stat.
I for one want mini top score tables e.g. Donkey Kong. It can create a real point of shared interest with your kids and it can be done in the space of a half an hours 'fun'. Family and friends leader boards . . . . ..
Lectoid @ Sep 27th 2006 5:31PM
People complaining about the tracking, how is this any different from the Xbox 360. And knowing Nintendo, you'll probably be able to choose to be anonymous. And who cares, if you don't think the store you bought the game from is collecting data on you, then you're wrong.
Seifer @ Sep 27th 2006 5:32PM
Big N is watching you.
eight @ Sep 27th 2006 5:34PM
Its not that much different from anything LIVE is doing right now. You dont think the MS servers are tallying each game as its played? come on, lets be for serious about that. They already rank everyone in every game they play, its a running total of who is playing at all times. What could Microsoft or Nintendo possibly do with the list of games i've played? Make better games that i want to play? I'm not worried about it. Hell, i pay Microsoft for them to do that, Nintendo is doing it for free...
If your so paranioid about video game companies knowing what games you are playing then unplug your console and/or dont allow your wireless router to connect to your console.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:35PM
THe inculsion of tracking in Brain Training allows comparison and competition. I was down to 21 and my wife was 28 and she kept playing until she got the better of me !
Antonio @ Sep 27th 2006 5:36PM
Woo Hoo - Nintendo is copying "Achievements" from XBL. Competition really is great. Now let's hope that they can deliver 720P gaming next year by way of a download. I want my Zelda and Metroid in 720p!
Infil @ Sep 27th 2006 5:36PM
If Xbox can keep track of all the games you play and display it on your , why is it automatically stupid when Nintendo does it? They might not do it as well as Xbox does, but the principle is no less smart or stupid when Nintendo does it.
I think this is kind of neat. I don't mind Nintendo asking my Wii what's my most played game. They're not going to be spamming my primary email address or something. Xbox collects very similar information and it's displayed for everyone to see.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:37PM
Competitiveness in simple games makes games more fun. Smooth Moves sjould be a good example of this but I am most looking forward to Donkey Kong leader board !
Any other examples ????
otakucode @ Sep 27th 2006 5:41PM
I like that they're getting more integrated with games. I really wish the 360 would do this. For instance, I'd love to be able to send photos from Dead Rising to my friends...
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:43PM
Are games a waste of time ?
They lack wisdom and human empathy. They are shallow pieces of entertainment. They make you chase material things to the point of insanity. Everyone is waiting for a Wii or a Sony box and chasing the new TV in the process and the better sound system and the better game. It's all a waste of time and the videogame companies are really playing people for fools ;)
"There's a fool born every minute and two to take him "
Chris @ Sep 27th 2006 5:45PM
Am I the only one drooling over R-Type in the top right hand corner?
Jarrett @ Sep 27th 2006 5:46PM
@DBX00-
You are either a kid or you don't have kids. Either way you are wrong. Parenting is not as easy as you might think but contrary to popular belief...parents can't be in two and three places at once. If I am at work like a lot of parents and my kid is home from school I can't see what he/she is doing. I can only hope that he/she is doing the right thing. But as a lot of us on here can attest they don't. So safe guards are in place for those that can't be everywhere. Internet monitoring. Parental Control on cable boxes. Now parental control on gaming consoles. It is a tool that can be used to help. I for one would use a feature like that just in case my son/daughter decided to sneak that M rated game into the house while I was not home. No need to berate the feature as a safe guard.
Todd @ Sep 27th 2006 5:46PM
Cool features.
melcrose @ Sep 27th 2006 5:49PM
Personally, I think it's cool. I've got a bud that I used to play atari with all the time, It'd be great if it would update his current high score of WHATEVER so that the next time he plays he'll see that I've beaten him. Go nintendo, I love it.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:50PM
If more kids sat down to read stories an poetry after school the world would be a nicer place.
To Jarrett - Sedentary screen based entrtainment only makes your child materialistic and dumb who needs 'technology' to be entertained. Very sad and very poor parenting.
dantebk @ Sep 27th 2006 5:55PM
oh God, achievements on the Wii...
I hope that doesn't end up doubling my play time on Super Smash Bros. Brawl...
reguy @ Sep 27th 2006 5:52PM
@striderhayasa
re:cheaters, you get what u pay for dude.
in xbox live we pay for them to take care of things like that. while nintendo wifi, which i always have trouble connecting to (thats not a diss at nintendo, its at my router) is free, and i dont see why they would spend the money to moniter and ban cheater, but heres hoping they will.
but they wont............
Nathaniel T. @ Sep 27th 2006 5:52PM
Hey daver, why don't you get a heart? Does this "observation" include board games as well? Can you not spend time with family or friends while playing a game? Buy a DS Lite and Brain Age; you won't be sorry.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:52PM
I agree melcrose. Good point little lady.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:54PM
when you stop playing games you start growing old.
As Nietsche (speellllling) said " Inside every real man is a child who wants to play"
Derbeste @ Sep 27th 2006 5:55PM
To the people criticizing this as spyware:
1) The very nature of SPY ware is that someone snuck it onto your machine. Since Nintendo is TELLING you BEFORE YOU BUY IT that it is a feature, it's not spyware....it's part of the O.S. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. I don't hear any of you complaining about error reporting in WinXP.
2) What personal information are you putting on you Wii that you are worried about Nintendo seeing it? O.o
3) The information you provide is for additional services....NOT FOR ADS!!! So really....why are you complaining? What's the down side? Do you NOT want the company you buy products from to know what you like??????????????????
4) It was stated quite clearly that the whole fucking information collection feature was contingent upon USER CONSENT!!!!! Since some of you clearly are retarded, I'll dumb it down to Sony Fanboy language.....
YOU CAN TURN IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly...I think some people complain just feel better about themselves somehow.
Metaly @ Sep 27th 2006 5:56PM
Hopefully this will be something like the 360's gamerscore and achievements. Those are some of the 360's most compelling aspects to me.
People complaining that this is spyware need to calm down.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 5:57PM
I have a DS lite and brain age. They are passing fads with no real satisfaction. The DS is very gimmicky and besides rather than playing a handheld people and their children could actually have conversation or read !
@ Nathaniel T
otakucode @ Sep 27th 2006 5:58PM
daver: Games are not shallow by their nature, they have the potential to be just as moving and important as books and film.
And your arguments against consumerism are so unbelievably old. From the time we first tanned animal skins, it was said mankind was making himself a slave to luxury as he followed herds and travelled across great wildernesses to satisfy their desires. It's a human tendency, and you do not escape it by redefining your own terms of luxury to hemp clothes and pachouli oil.
Jay @ Sep 27th 2006 6:06PM
Christ on a bike I love the sound of that! I don't care if they're monitoring me, I've got nothing to hide. Even so just the collected stats of games (hopefully comprehensive like Smash Bros Melee) will be very nice. I keep finding myself checking up on them stats, reading through who plays as who best etc.
Cheers Ninty! the email thing sounds cool.
Really can't wait for all this now. Thank god I took out a student loan to fund my future Wii addiction.
JodyAnthony @ Sep 27th 2006 6:01PM
I would like to know what daver is doing on a website devoted solely to video games talking about how people shouldn't play video games.
Yamen @ Sep 27th 2006 6:03PM
@daver
I've seen trolls, but you certainly take the cake. No one here is going to change anything about themselves based on what you write, and you know it. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that you write these posts simply to get a reaction. I hope you remember that no one cares about you here, and any attention you garner by your useless posts is temporary, and negative. If you crave attention so badly that you must seek it out from total strangers who don't actually care about you, you have some problems, and you'd be doing everyone a favor by leaving your sedentary screen based entertainment and finding real life people to interact with.
================================
So, I personally think that these features are pretty cool. I'm not worried about the limited tracking described, and I think it could be used in a positive way. I mean, I'm submitting this through a Google mail account, and they watch every email and web search I do.
Phoenix @ Sep 27th 2006 6:05PM
Shit! Now my little brother will be able to see how long I've been playing My Little Pony Wii. I'll never hear the end of it...
mykie @ Sep 27th 2006 6:03PM
Nathaniel T:
daver already mentioned he plays Brain Age with his wife. However, that doesn't excuse him from coming across like a complete ludite.
I'm all about this development, I think Nintendo has proven they can do great things with Wifi, I can only see that being improved on with the Wii.
Jarrett @ Sep 27th 2006 6:03PM
@ Daver-
I have to agree...if kids read more after school the world would be a nicer place. And to be honest with you my kids can't play games or watch tv during a school week. Between after school sports and homework there is not enough time. But on the weekends when they want to divert from reality for a minute video games is a valid medium. I game with them. I think all parents should game with their kids from time to time.
Now as for your comment about "very poor parenting" comment on what you know. How could you possibly know what my parenting skills are like or anyone else's is like? You don't. So I'll let you make it on that one and chalk it up to you "trying" to be sarcastic.
otakucode @ Sep 27th 2006 6:03PM
JodyAnthony: If his misguided views are sincere, then he's doing some community outreach in his eyes. Probably he's just a troll, but the views he is regurgitating are quite common among non-gamers and any competent response might aid any gamer reading these comments, should they face such ignorance in the future.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 6:06PM
I am interested in videogames.
@ otaku###
consumerism has never been as loud as it is today and it is driven by technology and marketing. and tanning cowhide is nowhere near the same argument as buying 30 games, a HDTV and all the bells and whistles to go with it.
Are gamers by their very nature shallow ?
I'm a gamer myself and this is something that does concern me because I am also a parent. I don't want to parent in videgames to my kids if it is detrimental to their capacity to develop as humans.
Hiro Protagonist @ Sep 27th 2006 6:13PM
Daver:
Friedrich Nietzsche.
Cheers.
Derbeste @ Sep 27th 2006 6:09PM
@Jody
If you think about it.....can you tell him where he could go to find a better audience to preach his specific message to? (not that I agree with him)
nambit @ Sep 27th 2006 6:09PM
Spyware?
Can't you read? It says "WITH USER CONSENT". If you don't want to share your statistical data, then don't consent.
WTF is with you guys and your attitude towards anything Nintendo related? I'm so sick of the double standards of many gamers these days. You all act like the same children that you are so afraid of being associated with.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 6:15PM
It is pretty sad when a discussion becomes a personal attack.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 6:18PM
For the record I was looking for a valid discussion and in no way meant to insult.
@ Jarrett.
I was not being sarcastic. If I had wanted to be sarcastic then I would have made it more pronounced.
Simple discussion tarnished.
otakucode @ Sep 27th 2006 6:15PM
daver: You show a lack of a knowledge of history to claim that consumerism is more rampant today than previously in history. That is simply untrue. In prior societies, what you owned determined whether or not you could even VOTE. Tanning a cowhide is absolutely a legitimate comparison to draw (though I was thinking more along the lines of wild deer). Hunters spent weeks 'working' the fields hunting down deer. They put their family in harms way as they travelled to follow a herd. The work itself was very dangerous and left the possibility that they might be killed and leave their family without a provider. All so they could have something soft and warn when leaves and more meager things could have met their needs for survival. Buying an HDTV and 30 games rarely puts a family in similar danger in modern society.
I can understand your wariness about videogames, since they are a relatively new creation. When books came out, parents had the same reaction. And plays, and painting, and radio, and singing, and dancing, and countless other developments in entertainment. Do what you see fit as a parent, but try to educate yourself beyond what you simply hear and what your gut tells you. There is a mountain of history and a similar mountain of developmental psychology that can help you understand the impact games might have on your children. Surely, educating yourself in such a way would not be too much to ask if you feel as strongly about your childrens development as you say.
The man's name is spelled Nietzsche BTW, and he also said things like "The existence of grammar proves that god does not exist" and "Germans are incapable of competent though because their diet is too irritating to the bowel" (both of those from Ecce Homo which I read in junior high while I was a hardcore gamer).
AzaMcWazza @ Sep 27th 2006 6:26PM
I think it's fine then tracking what games I play. If they find out that 50% of Wii's bought are being used to play a specific game, then we'll get another version! This is also more accurate than sales. You might buy a game but hardly play it cause it sucks. If they combine the game time tracking, along with metrics from games themslves (i.e. How far did s/he get through zelda in that time) they can get interesting information about how easy/hard games are etc.
Tracking my website usage would be another thing though.
daver @ Sep 27th 2006 6:18PM
perfect.
@ otaku...
can you point me in the direction of that 'mountain of history' and i will merrily go educate myself.
flamecannon @ Sep 27th 2006 6:21PM
There's some advantage to the play history. I love competing with my friends with who's gotten furthest in a big single-player game when we all buy it on release. It's especially fun when a whole lot of people get it (KHII was awesome in that regard).
Subnet6 @ Sep 27th 2006 6:21PM
I think these features sound great. Yes, they sound similar to what MS is doing on XBL. To that I say, wonderful! I was worried that Nintendos only, being free, would not be a robust or feature rich as Live. Most likely it won't be, but this news increases my confidence is a service that we don't know a lot about.
If they have per-game rankings, with hours played and such, that can only enhance their other offerings. Thinking back to all the time I've spent on my current gen consoles, I would love to have access to how many hours I've played on what games and in total. I think that would be a great feature to be able to track, particulary if you can track it separately for each console user. When I first saw the Mii channel, I thought it looked pretty cheesy, but if this integrates into a competant profile system with leaderboards and all that, then I'm all for it. As for the collection of information, it sounds more like they are simply collecting your play stats which is pretty much what XBL does. In either case, I think it will be beneficial to games if MS and Nintendo can get electronic feedback on what gamers like. Hopefully it won't turn into games reporting how long you viewed the "coca-cola banner" to generate in game ad revenue.