A Wii For Grownups

Leigh Alexander has an interesting proposal (one that will never, ever happen, but interesting nonetheless): two versions of the Wii console to rid the system of the pesky Friend Code system (which is, as Alexander points out, frequently a pain in the ass):

Friend Codes are a pain, right? The Wii doesn't have the sort of lobby system that just about every other game machine has managed to perfect. The mechanism exists, sure, but I've never seen it function usably. If current reviews of Brawl are to be believed, it's best to match up with a friend than to try and get a random battle.
Of course, the Wii is a family console; I don't think Nintendo has anything to gain from making it easier for random strangers to hook up with kids on the internet. But why don't they make like Xbox did and offer different console packages?


Clearly, the Wii is selling like hot cakes and Nintendo doesn't need to do anything; but it would be nice to have the option of dumping the clunky Friend Code system, no?

http://kotaku.com/368322/a-wii-for-grownups

I think it's mainly due to this is the first console aside from the DS that Nintendo has done networking with. They have been a bit late to jump on the wifi boat, as Microsoft and Sony both got onboard a generation before Nintendo did (the only game that uses the BBA to my knowledge is PSO and Nintendo has nothing to do with it's lobby servers), so Nintendo has not had anytime to fine tune it's online services.

I don't think its 'not enough time to fine tune'. Its lazyness and over protection. Nintendo has the friend codes, but chooses to use alpha-numeric generated ID's rather than having a normal ID like xbox live or PSN. Voice chat is there in Metriod prime Hunters and other wii games, but only being able to voice chat in lobby with 'friends only' sucks.

They really need to go wild with the online. ATM this is the only thing stopping me getting a wii or a DS.

I really have no problem with friend codes. In brawl, when you play with a friend and they have another person in the game who isn't your friend, you just press a button to add them. You can get lots of friends just by doing this. I got 6 friends added without friend codes on the first day.

They definitely need voice chat and they better get something out before Mario Kart Wii comes along.
For brawl, my friends and I go on metroid prime hunters and tape our "x" buttons down so we can voice chat, lol.