Voice Chat Stiil Being Considered

via IGN


The Nintendo Wii is currently the only gaming system unable to give players the ability to voice chat over the internet. Though a few games have been released on the Wii featuring online play, none allow players to converse through them. It's a frustrating limitation.

During a question and answer session in a Nintendo conference call this morning, Reggie Fils-Aime addressed this issue.

According to Fils-Aime, the system is clearly capable of this function, and Nintendo is constantly adding and tweaking features of the Wii system through system updates. The issue boils down to locking down the specific technologies and getting the specific peripheral to allow voice chatting.

Fils-Aime noted that, since Nintendo found this tech and peripheral on the Nintendo DS, he "wouldn't be surprised at all" if the feature appeared on Wii. "It's something we value and constantly look at."

The technology is definitely there screaming to be utilized. The controllers operate on bluetooth so I see no reason why the firmware couldn't be patched to allow the use of any standard mobile phone ear piece. Of course, this is nintendo we're talking about here, so probably in order to talk to anyone at all, you'll probably have to have their Wii ID number, 15 proofs of purchase for Mario Galaxy, expressed written consent from a parental figure, and a few hairs plucked from your first nintendog. And of course it will never be a feature accessible from the Wii dash board, but rather only in a few obscure Japanese Mahjong and Hanafuda games, then possibly one or two decent western titles. Just my 1/5th of a dime.