I'm not saying the Wii doesn't need voice chat, because it does. What I'm saying is the Wii needs a more practical solution, the kind that its competitors utilize: a headset. The major problem for Nintendo, in my eyes, was figuring out where to plug the thing in. With the Nunchuk monopolizing the plug on the bottom of the Wiimote, it's easy to see why they went with a USB-based solution. Seeing as how the console has Bluetooth, though, that idea becomes kind of irrelevant. The PS3 is using a Bluetooth headset, so why can't the Wii get its own headset. Why do we have to use WiiSpeak? Is it even the best solution to our chat needs?
Maybe for a game like Animal Crossing, where communal speech within a local setting (e.g. a group of people, each in a separate room, chatting) is practiced, the device will be a wonderful success. But, what about other games, like The Conduit? In a competitive FPS game, where online trash-talkers are often racist pieces of garbage (believe me, I've played Halo before), having the speech come out of your TV means that the negative stuff that comes with being able to converse online will affect more than just yourself, but anyone else in the room or, if you like to turn your TV's volume up way high, the entire house.
The fact of the matter is that voice chat was a long time coming for the Wii, and I'm, as I imagine you are, glad it's finally come. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Headsets have been working fine since online gaming came around for the PC and even when it first hit consoles. Heck, Nintendo themselves even had a headset back in the day. Why not do a refresh? Also, remember our time with WiiSpeak back at E3? JC, bless his heart, is a bit of a low talker, so it was hard for the device to recognize his speech unless he put his mouth right up to the thing. Headsets help correct that problem.
I get that Nintendo is all about doing their own thing and not conforming to what supposed standards have been set in the industry and that's great. But when one of those standards is an actual honest-to-goodness better solution then what you want to present, and you're being different just for the sake of it and not because your different approach is better, than I have to call it like I see it. The Wii may be a great party system, but do you really think you're going to have 4 people over your house online with Animal Crossing, chatting with another room full of people, and enjoying it? I just can't see it happening.
