FREN-DCOD-ESAR-ECRA (leave off the P for 'phone pad')

I can get THAT DUCE as the first two sets of four, but the second two sets of four (0614-4067) they say have too many zeros and ones, so there isnt any words to use.

lame

Friens Codes Sucks!

Joystiq... can we reply all our complains about the friends codes to Nintendo? Make a poll, and then send the poll to Nintendo please.

*sigh* I hate friend/Wii codes. They sort of remind me of using the old password saves cart games used if they didn't have battery back-up. Friend codes are equally antiquated. They get the job done, but they are far from ideal.

On XBL if I want to hit a friend up I just select my friends tap and if i'm playing a game it tells me when my friends get online. Pretty easy huh.

friends codes are the devil

@Vidikron

Oh god, password saves.......those were evil. Along with Game Genie codes.

It's not like it's going to be difficult to locate/communicate with friends on the Wii. It's just the friend registration process that's a slight pain. Personally, I don't find typing in a 16 digit number ONCE per friend all that difficult.

I'm sure I'll be much more likely to play with random people anyway, seeing as arranging video game playtimes with friends who also have jobs and lives isn't as easy to do as when I was 10.

I think the 16-digits are to block spam, preditors, and griefers. With a telephone number, you can dial a random number and chances are it will connect. But you'd have to go through thousands of Friend Codes before finding even one that works. Think of it like a 10-digit phone number with a 6-digit pin number.

Why should we even care?? It's not like Nintendo is REALLY pushing their weight behind Online play....

What's the 1st Wii Online Game? Pokemon?? WHO CARES??

I'll stick with XBL ...and to a much lesser degree PSN...for online.

And given the amount of time I've been playing my Wii Lately (none).......well....my nieces love it.....

Moan, wail, gnashing of teeth. Some people will whine about anything. The only people that hate friend codes are those people that have more "friends" online than in real life. Out of all the people that I know that have a Wii, I also have their phone number and it is easy enough to set them up once and forget about it. Oh, and XBL is supposed to be better because it lets you know when your friends are online? Great you can set and watch your friends list and wait for them to get online, or I could give my friends a call and set up a time to play together. Some people confuse easy with convenient.

I don't think friend codes are a big deal. It's easy as hell to type in numbers using the Wii-mote (I hate typing messages with the 360 controller now).

@Evan

I think you're right for the most part, but the fact of the matter is: You both have both people add you before you can talk/communicate with each other. Otherwise its useless.

and

@vidikron

It wasn't nearly as easy as it is now to input 16 numbers. I can input 16 numbers on the Wii in the same amount of time as putting in a friends name on my XBL account.

Oh yeah. And zeros being mistaken for the letter O? That should make things even more fun. This is an interesting idea, but you can't fix something that is so fundamentally flawed, as with Nintendo's friends and Wii codes. I'm a Nintendo fan, don't get me wrong; maybe that's why I'm so angry at this completely broken and ill-conceived online option.

Hey Nintendo Apologists.. why cant you just admit that game specific friend codes (which are coming to the Wii) are unnecessary? Its not that hard. Stop trying to rationalise Nintendo's gimped online system.

Phoney McRing-Ring claims that scientists have discovered that even monkeys can memorize 16 numbers!


Are you stupider than a monkey?

@9

[It wasn't nearly as easy as it is now to input 16 numbers. I can input 16 numbers on the Wii in the same amount of time as putting in a friends name on my XBL account.]

It's not all about just the input, this news item is specifically about being able to easily remember and communicate your code to others.

For example... Want to add me on Live? Just send a friend request to 'Thraxen' (my Live name). Want to add me to your PS3 friend list? Just send a request to 'Thraxen'. Want to add me to your Wii list? Hahaha... sorry, I don't have a f'ing clue what my Wii console number is... seriously. I don't have it memorized. That's the main problem with the codes.

Granted, some people use all kinds of characters in their Live names that can make them just as difficult to communicate, but many people (like myself) have names that are easily communicated, memorized, and entered. No 16 digit code is going to be easier than my tag unless it's something like 16 ones.

all I can say is.. suck it up. It's either a hit or a miss.. I don't think a lot of people care about friend codes when there's hardly any online games yet.

But I don't care because I'm only going to add so many people on my friend list for online gaming.

Whoa, Who knew Grant was a Howard fan?

@10

I don't think people confuse easy with convenience.. but necessary and unnecessary. It's not necessary for the friend code to be easy or convenient. If you really want someone on your friend list and to exchange codes.. you both have to agree at the same time and add each other.

Besides having someone on your list.. you can play with whomever is out there. An easy user register system isn't necessary for online play.

Hahaa! Look at the fanboys rationalize this one... "I don't mind 16 numbers, I can type them in real quick!"

Like Vidikron says, relaying those numbers is a bit like "Who's on First?"

369177289'er....

66697889 ?? Three six, Nine, One 7, 2 Eights... WTF?

I guess it doesn't matter anyway... Nitendo's online exists only to sell you VC titles!

Jason,

I'm sorry you can't handle 16 digit numbers. Maybe it was wrong of Nintendo to assume all people were capable of elemenatary data entry. You always have the option of playing with blocks...

...as long as you don't try to count them.

Karmaghost,

Not sure how you'll confuse a zero with the letter "O" if the friend codes only consist of numbers...

Jason is stupider than a monkey.

my xbox live and psn names are going to be 8424382306144067 just to screw with people.

also, i remember my credit card number, which is 16 digits. If i can remember those 16 digits, why can't I remember a wii code?

(not saying I'm for or against wii codes, just saying I'm against stupidity)

@19

He's referring to the news item where you attempt to take the letters on a phone number pad to spell out words with your Wii/friend codes to create words that are easier to remember and share. Zero doesn't have any letters on a phone pad and O is on the number 6. So if you need an O to make a word, someone might see that and think it is a zero instead.

@22

Sure, anyone could memorize them if they wanted, but it doesn't make them any easier to communicate to other people. Instead of simply being able to memorized a simple word/name, most people are going to have to grab pen and paper to write your code down. There really is no way to defend friends codes compared to simple gamer tags. Gamer tags are just easier to use, no way around that.

The problem with these stupid friend codes is not that they exist, it's that there are game specific friend codes. If I only have to put my buddy John in my system once then who cares. But I have to put him in the system and then again for each game we both own. The game specific friend codes blow and don't offer anything over just system friend codes.

@23

How do you know that's what he/she means?

Also, I can't see that being a problem anyway. I know that "troll" is spelled T-R-O-L-L

Not T-R-ZERO-L-L

Also, for the record, I'm not saying friend codes are easier than user names. They are certainly NOT.

I'm just saying that they're not that difficult to handle.

Non-issue.

@26

I know because that's what they said. Let me give you an example.

Let's say part of your friend code is '4673'. So in order to make it easier to memorize you make the word 'HOPE' out of that. Now lets say someone sees your phrase in your sig or something, but when they get home to enter the code they enter it as '4073'. The same thing can happen in reverse... say your code was '4073' which you make into H0PE. But when a friend tries to enter your code they enter '4673' (HOPE).

Vidikron,

Yeah, I see what you're saying. I think the alphabetizing of the code overcomplicates matters. Then again, I could just as easily tell my buddy, "HOPE with a zero." But, yeah, the potential for major flubs is there.

Anyway, I'm gonna stick to my numbers.

Peace out.

Friend codes are, in fact, the bomb. There are many people that prefer them to quicker forms of online registartion.

Those people are not internet videogame journalists or videogame message board enthusiasts, so we don't hear much from on the net. But they are out there, and their money counts, and that's why friend codes still exist.

Actually, last information I had was that not only are Wii codes going to be one per system, but they were actually modifying Pokemon during localization to adapt it to the new system and tie it into the system's code. Based on that line of reasoning, the only reason that it was game specific in Japan was because it was a launch title to go along with the DS titles, and the infrastructure likely wasn't ready yet.

Not that it matters a lick to me, I hate playing games online.

It's not just remembering your own. I remember everything from my car insurance to credit card numbers and such. Engineer major so I am used to remembering lots and lots of number and the like. It does become cumbersome though when you have a large friends list to keep it straight. Us college students I'm sure have lots because the 360 is very popular (at least at UCF) and I have lots of friends with one. I have 25-30 people on my friends list that I actually am friends with in person. About another 60 or so that I don't but have had fun playing certain games with online including a group of people I play HALO 2 and Gears with competitively and a HAlO clan. Not only do I have to remember my code but the code of the people on my list. I know that when I see the name (not going to put full names) WALT it is my step dad or mom online or WOODLIF that it's my best friend or another name that it is someone I don't know in person but that I like to play gears with or test drive. It does make it a lot harder to keep your friends in order. If you could assign them a name after you add them it would be different. It's certainly not the end of the world but it does seem very inconvenient to me. Also, calling out names it going to be harder. I'm used to hearing jayjay when someone addressing me in game. Hearing, hey you 3784756329385783 is going to take some getting used to. I am not looking forward to having to keep 90 friends codes straight, that's 1440 digits. Let's see a monkey remember that.

It's not just remembering your own. I remember everything from my car insurance to credit card numbers and such. Engineer major so I am used to remembering lots and lots of number and the like. It does become cumbersome though when you have a large friends list to keep it straight. Us college students I'm sure have lots because the 360 is very popular (at least at UCF) and I have lots of friends with one. I have 25-30 people on my friends list that I actually am friends with in person. About another 60 or so that I don't but have had fun playing certain games with online including a group of people I play HALO 2 and Gears with competitively and a HAlO clan. Not only do I have to remember my code but the code of the people on my list. I know that when I see the name (not going to put full names) WALT it is my step dad or mom online or WOODLIF that it's my best friend or another name that it is someone I don't know in person but that I like to play gears with or test drive. It does make it a lot harder to keep your friends in order. If you could assign them a name after you add them it would be different. It's certainly not the end of the world but it does seem very inconvenient to me. Also, calling out names it going to be harder. I'm used to hearing jayjay when someone addressing me in game. Hearing, hey you 3784756329385783 is going to take some getting used to. I am not looking forward to having to keep 90 friends codes straight, that's 1440 digits. Let's see a monkey remember that.

:P Mine's R0bu 00Go Tobu Gi11
or as I'm going to call it, ROBU-OOGO-TOBU-GILL!!!

I still say it isn't friend codes we should be bitching about, in and of themselves, but the fact that it is impossible nearly impossible to make friends via Wii titles

The codes would be fine, if we could actually, you know, exchange them in-game

But then again, I don't think Nintendo's going to change their online system anytime soon (across the Wii's lifespan, that is), because they're obviously doing something right

Their service has had 1/2 the unique users of LIVE in about 1/4 of the time (6 million Gold and Silver accounts in 5.5 years vs. 3 million unique WFC users in 1.5 years)

Yes, the system sucks, no, Nintendo won't do anything about it, and no, i'm not going to get another console because of shitty online play (the game should make the Online experience, not the other way around)

And my first 8 numbers make 601-we-dyne

my latter eight made nothing :(

oh, and @jaysins

In most WiFiConnect games, you assign a name to a friend after you enter the number, it may not be the particular name that they have, but it allows you to keep it in order

I sure hope they let us do that otherwise it would be a huge pain in the ass. I already have a lot of friends that have a wii. Not shortage of gamers on campus :)

How about mine?
4890-5807-577-my-sex