Nintendo Taking the "Bare-Bones" Approach With Revolution Online Play

When Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo’s Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, was asked about how online play would work on the Revolution in a recent Electronic Gaming Monthly interview, this was his response:

“I would think it’ll be similar to the DS. Again, that’s been part of our plan in creating an environment that is more friend and peer-to-peer based, versus simply, “I wanna go take on everybody” for certain types of games”.


Although the DS wi-fi online play was a good start for the company’s first for tray into the online gaming realm, I was hoping that the Revolution’s would be much improved over the stripped-down, bare-bones approach that the DS was going for. Hell, I was hoping that Nintendo would improve the DS online experience down the road, but its not looking that way right now. Sure, it’s a simple an easy way to get
connected, but compared to the established PC online experience and Microsoft’s mighty Xbox Live, it just doesn’t compare. I think Nintendo should be taking great strides to be getting itself up to date in the online realm, because despite the comments they have said before about online play “not mattering”, judging by the huge success of Xbox Live (and even the partial success of Sony’s online efforts with Playstation 2), today’s players definitely want it in their gaming. Plus, if I wanted to exchange friend codes and to only play online with certain people, why wouldn’t I just play with them in the comfort of my living room? Nintendo is looking in the wrong direction with their online plans, and to keep up with today’s gamers and to make the Revolution more appealing to a larger range of people, they’re going to have to take online gaming in a more serious manner in the next-gen.

Oh, and if you can't read the caption I had written underneath white-trash Mario, here is what it says:

"Thanks alot, Nintendo. Since you're not taking online play seriously, Mario hasen't been taking himself seriously, either - and look at what has happend to him!".