MC Hampster

Great European Vacation reference.

How exactly is everyone missing the more important news in that Game|Life update?

"Will Wii users be able to add storage via USB hard drives? No. The Wii's storage will be exclusively via flash memory storage, such as SD memory cards, at least at launch. Kaplan said a hard drive addition could be in the future, but that sounds more like a "Sure, why not?" response than one based in any immediate plans."

I knew that was too good to be true.

Do you guys get paid by the word or something? You could have condensed this news item down to a couple of sentences.

Just say no to crack.

The problem I have with Nintendo's online solution isn't specifically the friend codes, it's the complete lack of online presence. If I wish to play a friend on the DS, I have to somehow communicate that fact to him outside of the entire online infrastructure (IM, phone call, etc.) and then we have to agree to meet online at the exact same time and try to connect. With my Xbox, I can see he's online and sent him an invite. That's the real beauty of Xbox Live. It makes it easy to see when a friend of mine is online and either join them or send them an invite for another game. The Nintendo system is so far from that, it makes it near impossible to actually get a game setup.

I don't mind the input of weird friend codes. It's the lack of online presence and cross-game awareness that makes it really difficult to play online games with friends.

Oh you crazy Americans! You people are such prudes, always getting yourselves concerned with censorship and protecting children. You need to join the rest of the world and grow u....

Oh, what? This is Germany. Never mind.

Tony: That was a joke. Sorry about that.

Insomnia Bob: You may want to look up the term "out of context". Any quote taken out of context is always a direct quote. However, you can take just a part of what someone says and quote it, but miss the surrounding discussion that puts it all into context. For example, I could say:

"I've heard some people say that Joystiq sucks, but I disagree."

And be quoted as:

M.C. Hampster says: "Joystiq sucks"

He sounds pretty arrogant.

Why Nintendo?

This is like releasing a spin-off Star Wars movie staring Jar-Jar Binks.

Nintendo has already stated emphatically that they are a gaming company. Yes, there will probably be some sort of VOIP for gaming, like with Xbox Live and Metroid Prime: Hunters on the DS, but a seperate, dedicated VOIP solution? Possibly, but not likely.

Where is our PDA functionality in the DS? Seems like a perfect, natural fit? Sure, but Nintendo hasn't done it yet. Yes, they're offering Opera on the DS, but that's a few years after the DS had been out. And yes, it will hopefully come with the Wii, but I have a feeling the real reason the Wii is going to have Opera is that it will be the main interface for the virtual console.

Fact is: Nintendo is a gaming company, and for the most part, that's what they stick to. While this sounds completely awesome (think Skype Wii), I just don't see it happening. At least, not at launch. It just doesn't seem Nintendo style.