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Who needs friends (codes) anyway? photo

Nintendo Gamers Online, the site that was created in response to Nintendo's pig-headed refusal to design a decent online matchmaking system, is reporting that they have undisputed proof that the friend's code debacle is here to stay. In their latest article titled Sad: Individual Friend Codes Confirmed (how's that for original?), they give us the down and dirty ...

A friend match, as you would imagine, lets you play with up to 3 of your friends. In these matches you can voice chat with the other players(depending on the software). This is great fun, but it's unnecessarily difficult. In the interest of protecting children, Nintendo made it necessary for each friend to swap a 12-digit friend code. This wouldn't be SO bad, except for the fact that BOTH friends must enter the code, and there is no friend request system(think Myspace), which would have made things much easier.

It was because of this that we were much relieved to find a friend code embedded in our Wii's when we all started receiving them. Even though this is still a far cry from the Gamertag system used by Microsoft on XBox Live, it would at least allow us to have a unified buddy list without the hassle of repeatedly entering new friend codes for each game. However,.. images of Mario Strikers Charged posted on IGN a few days ago confirm that we were wrong, DEAD WRONG. It certainly appears now, that the Wii code is for nothing other than sending messages to your buddies and swapping Mii's. This means that you will STILL need to swap codes for each game you play online.

While you can file this under info that we already knew but just didn't want to believe in the first place, I give points to anyone who takes the time to point it out and throw it in Nintendo's face. The whole set up is laughable, and a major deterrent for those that are already enjoying the online thing the way it was meant to be played.

Some might say that Nintendo is bombing out in all fronts, but for me it's just the friend's code thing. If they would just be a bit more reasonable about that, most of us could overlook the the overpriced Virtual Console offerings, or the lack of "must have" games at the moment. 


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75 comments | showing # 51 to 75

Clockwork's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 15:36
Clockwork
The LEAST they could do is have us create usernames and have us just play with people's usernames we have, rather than 700 digit friend codes. I wish i didn't have friends.
Quix's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 15:39
Quix
"I'd say lack of online is the least of the Wii's worries going forward."

Yeah Summa, we get it. You believe the Wii is doomed. Blah, blah, haterade blah.

Let's talk again at 20 million consoles sold, hmm?
Gameboi's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 15:40
Gameboi
Damn! I see I'm not the only one that feels this way.
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:00
Pangloss
@Gameboi: Surely you didn't think anyone that wasn't getting a Nintendo paycheck believed Friend Codes was a good thing?

The Wii, like the other machines, has its share of problems, and Friend Codes are the biggest one I can see. Especially considering that it's not a hardware problem or bug or architecture issue; it's just Nintendo making one of the dumbest console decisions this side of including the Blu-Ray player in the PS3.
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:02
Pangloss
WOULD-BE EDIT: I meant to say that Friend Codes are the biggest issue I see on the Wii, but in hindsight, I kinda believe it's the biggest flaw in the current generation in general. I have a 360 sitting here that I have no regrets about, same on my DS. Once the PS3 drops its price and I find a good reason to pick it up, I won't have any regrets about it either, I'm sure. My Wii, though, keeps bugging me, because of those damned Friend Codes.
brad drac's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:08
brad drac
-> madcow: Sounds like the reports of wii ownership you've heard were tremendously one sided and biased. It's a neat console, just somewhat lacking in software(as all consoles are for their first year of release).
broham's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:24
broham
Well, the way I look at it right now, how many Nintendo games will I really WANT to play online? For me, it might be 2. So I guess the friend codes don't bother me so much.

Also, does Nintendo have a universal online policy like Microsoft in the works? You know, will all of their future games require online capability?
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:29
subnet6
@pangloss,

"one of the dumbest console decisions this side of including the Blu-Ray player in the PS3."

Ok, now you're just being mean.
;)
DrRockso's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/03/2007 16:41
DrRockso
Gratz on the editorship.

I agree. Friends codes suck. But you know... its not gonna stop me from playing SSBB online. Its just gonna keep me away from Croyts. Google that name if you dont know what I mean.

But yes. Suck in the long run, most definately.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/04/2007 19:19
Azrael
Quix? 20 million Wii's sold? In what planet?

Here on earth 5 million Wii has been sold (world wide) in 6 months. thats half of the xbox 360 (before halo 3) and less than a quarter of the PS2 (after god of war)

And this has been the best year EVER for the Wii, other years dont look as promising because the novelty of the controller is wearing off as we speak. Just look at the comments and posts in any gaming site fanboys are decreasing at an alarming rate, while detractors are increasing and ussually they are Wii owners)

The PS3 (believe it or not) in its WORST year ever, has made 3 million sales worldwide. (WORST year ever everybody hates the PS3 everywhere theres no doubt about that!) and yet is only 2 million sales away from the Wii. And thats the worst sold next gen console.

This is going to be the best year for the xbox 360, halo 3, fable 2, forza 2, gta IV, MGS4, home, little big world they are coming. You dont think thats going to affect sales a bit? what about the announcement of Starcraft 2 MMO for next gen consoles (and PC's) only? (I cant tell you where I got that from but wait a few weeks and you will find out)

The Wii is ok as a side console, but if you think you only need a wii to get the best games and that is going to beat every other console, you are going in for a whole lot of dissapointment (in case you still havent noticed)

brad drac's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/05/2007 09:18
brad drac
Wow azrael, I didn't know you could unerringly predict the future with your mad precognitive skillz. Oh that's right, you can't. Noone ever said people should only get a wii, and fuck everything else. Most of us are going to have more than one console this generation, a lot will have 3. You seem to be the only one trying to tell people what they shouldn't get.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 00:59
Azrael
Brad drac: ok I went a bit overboard there, sorry but yes, I've got some "sources" who told me about the New starcraft, no precognition required. ;) (they could be wrong.. but.. it doesnt look like that from here, we will just have to wait)

What? wait you just CONFIRMED what what I just said, I dont blame you for not reading the whole rant, but is right in the last paragraph "The Wii is ok as a side console" and I agree with you, this generation is going to require 2 consoles I already have 2 myself.

Sorry is just that fanboy talk about the Wii blowing everyone out of the water, just sometimes gets on my nerves. Good, cheap console to own? sure! best seller this year? maybe, best console out there? not in a freakin million years.
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 09:39
subnet6
It would seem that being in love with the PS3 impairs your math skills seeing as the Wii is closing in on 7 million units sold in 5 1/2 months. The PS3 is closer to 3 million sold. A difference of four million, not 2.

"This is going to be the best year for the xbox 360,"

Thats a scary notion considering that so far in the first third of this year the 360 is barely outselling the original xbox. Personally, I think the 360 will continue to gain momentum and have increasing sales for at least the next 2 years. As for the PS3, well, it's not doing very well now but I think and hope it will improve. With so much power, it would be a shame if it's sales don't get at least a little better over time. Sure, most of it's exclusives for the next year have jumped ship to the 360, but I think it still has a little punch in it's bag.

Also, Azrael, unless I missed it, you didn't respond to my comment about you claiming you have to enter a 12 digit code EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO PLAY an online Wii title. Where did you get this information? Maybe it was from the same inside source as your Starcraft MMO? I have never read such a statement anywhere on the web. Then again, you say a lot of crap that I've never seen anywhere else on the web, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 10:53
Azrael
Subnet6. Nope, math skills are ok, I cant remember where (kotaku I think) but actual Nintendo PR people, mentioned they havent reached their 6 million sold goal and that they are around 5.6 sold (I also thought they were on 7 I even posted about it in my blog).

Good year for the 360?.. Halo 3 is coming this year (Im in the beta), believe me, if that doesnt sell 360's nothing will. But all points that it WILL.

Sorry I cant tell you, but I will share this, I actually work with a minor, minor game dev, I go to places meant for game developers (c++,xna,tgb, algorithms and stuff) looking for info, sometimes people talk, I probably shouldnt have said anything (and most ussually I dont), but is not actually that "secret" any way.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/nooooooooooo%21/starcraft-mmo-coming-say-sources-257902.php

Also come on, you just have to add 2 and 2 blizzard wanted a next gen console MMO but couldnt use WOW because it was always meant for PC's and recoding would be a nightmare of biblical proportions (server side specially) no matter how much MS offered, the only solution was to work in a new one. They already have all the Fantasy geeks hooked, now they are aiming for the scifi geeks.
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 11:59
subnet6
"Nintendo PR people, mentioned they havent reached their 6 million sold goal and that they are around 5.6 sold"

This is where you messed up. Nintendo reported they hadn't met their 6 million sales goal BY MARCH 31st.

This news you're talking about is over a month old.

http://gamesnewsi.com/index.php?itemid=5233

To be specific, they had sold 5.84 million units as of March 31st. They also said they are shipping about a million units per month and that they are still not meeting demand. Onc could extrapolate that a month after March 31, they are at about 6.84 million and a week after that, they should be right at about 7 million. So yeah, 7 million units in 5 1/2 months. Thats 70 percent of xbox 360 sales in less than 1/3 the amount of time. So far it hasn't slowed down a bit seeing as they are selling every unit they ship even today. Of course it will slow down at some point but until then I wouldn't rejoice just yet. This is looking to be the console most casuals have as well as most gamers have along side their 360 or PS3. In any case, the thing is different enough to warrant having 2 machines. One can't really say the same about the 360 and PS3. Their performance is more or less identical at this point and their game selection is seeing more and more overlap with each passing month with a strong advantage to the 360.

Anyway, now that I've corrected you about the sales numbers you had wrong, I would still be interesting in hearing your response to explain your comment that you have to enter a 12 digit code "EVERY TIME YOU PLAY" online on the wii. You got anything to back that up yet? It is, after all, the topic of this post.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 14:06
Azrael
subnet6.. Hmmm, ok since we are backing up pur rants, (and you didnt even cared to mention I answered where I got my SC2 info from) maybe you could back up where did you got the "updated" sales info, Im not saying is not true, but it would be interesting to read. And yes it seems Im outdated on that.

AFAIK, and as mentioned in this article, right now no one really knows what game would need you to type the code when you want to reach a friend or where or how.. however my comment was: IF you actually have to do that, well that really wouldnt work at all, specially for Nintendo's most targetted market: casuals and children.




subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 16:16
subnet6
"IF you actually have to do that, well that really wouldnt work at all, specially for Nintendo's most targetted market: casuals and children."

So, but extension, does that mean that if you DON'T have to do that (enter a code every time you want to play), it might actually be ok?

And why would you EVER have to enter a friends code EACH TIME you play? What is the precedent for this architecture? Is there a Nintendo game, or any game, that forces you to input a friends code EVERY TIME you play? It sounds to me like you're making this stuff up to scare people who don't actually know better.

As for your SC2 info, I can't really debate you on "friend of a friend" combined with a kotaku rumor. Sounds fine to me. I hope it does happen, that would be sweet. Hell, any type of SC sequel would be great. My only point was that since your sales numbers were so far off, we might be less inclined to put weight into the SC2 rumors if they came from the same source.

As for my "updated" numbers. I gave you the link with 5.84 Million as of March 31st right? Right. Ok, so here is the link that says they are making a million per month and still not meeting demand (which means they are selling as much as they are making).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=24582

So if they are selling 1 million per month and they were at 5.84M as of March 31 then it's reasonable that they have sold 6.84M as of April 30. Likewise that breaks down to 250K per week roughly. So 1 week after April 30 is today which would put them OVER 7 million. These are all just estimates until it's confirmed but based on the facts that we have;

a. ----5.84 on Mar 31
b. ----1 Million per month
c. ----1.25 months have passed since Mar 31

these numbers should be very close.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 17:25
Azrael
subnet6:
"So, but extension, does that mean that if you DON'T have to do that (enter a code every time you want to play), it might actually be ok? "

Yes, actually if you just need to do that once, I wouldnt be so bad at all.

"And why would you EVER have to enter a friends code EACH TIME you play?"

Because thats exactly what the article we are discussing about says? right here: "This means that you will STILL need to swap codes for each game you play online." did you even read the article?

"As for your SC2 info, I can't really debate you on "friend of a friend" combined with a kotaku rumor. Sounds fine to me. I hope it does happen, that would be sweet."

Er... so then what are you discussing about? I already told you I cant be any more specific than that.

"there were 5.6 so therefore they musy have sold a million maybe two like RIGHT NOW!"

You are acussing ME of not having my facts backed up? meanwhile you are GUESSING sales based on other months?

¬¬
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 17:33
Azrael
Just to be clear.

If you only NEED to type your codes once per friend, well it still is a nuisance, but is sort of passable. If you need to type those or manage them more than once. Then definetily this system is of no use to anyone.

subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 18:03
subnet6
"This means that you will STILL need to swap codes for each game you play online."

Yes, "each GAME you play", is not the same as "each TIME they want to play". One game might be Mario Strikers. Another game might be Metroid Prime. You have to enter a friend code for each individual game you take online. Not every time you play that game as you were insinuating. Notice the word "STILL". That references that it is similar to the current setup on DS. Since you don't currently have to enter a friend code each time you play on the DS, then you wouldn't need to now. I'm not sure, maybe you've never used a DS online so this could be new to you. Also, it uses the word "Swap" not "enter". It seems I'm not the one who misunderstood this.

And I'm not guessing sales based on other months. I'm estimating sales based on the information we have TODAY. You were misquoting sales data from over a month ago to suit your argument and predictions. You should be able to figure out which is more accurate. The fact remains the Wii is darn close to 7 million in 5 1/2 months, even if it hasn't passed it already. The PS3 is barely at 3 Million in the same time frame. Unless of course, you think Wii sales have stopped since Mar 31st, which it hasn't and that can also be proven with links if need be.

To be clear,
It looks like the Wii setup is similar to the DS. You will have a friends code for each friend you have in each title you own. So if you are I were friends and we both owned Strikers and Prime, I would need 2 friend codes from you. 1 from strikers and 1 from prime. I would enter each code once and then any time I booted up Strikers or Prime, I would be able to see you online and invite you to play and vice versa with out ever entering your code again. Not perfect to be sure, but that's a far cry from entering a 12 digit code "each time they want to play" a game.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 18:27
Azrael
Subnet 6: If you have to actually TYPE that EACH GAME then the system is USELESS, I mean can you imagine your mom or your little brother/son typing that EACH game? I cant even imagine them typing it ONCE. If you are willing to do it, more power to you, but if you think no one is going to mind that, Im sorry but you are quite mistaken.

YOU CANT just guesstimate sales! Sales are unpredictable if they werent everybody anyone could make millions in the stock matket and not lose a penny once. So NO. your estimates are not acceptable as facts.

Im done with this discussion anyway. Friend codes SUCK big time, deal with it, or just dont use them at all.

Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 18:30
Azrael
-Each game session I meant. just to be clear.

And they SUCK, just to be clear on that too.

subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 20:45
subnet6
You'll never have to type them each game session. That should be clear, even to you now. I apologize if I've been gruff because it seems like maybe english is not your first language.

I agree friends codes do suck but they must not be so broken since the DS online has grown faster than xbox LIVE did.

I'm not guessing. These are facts. Please attempt to dispute them if you think can.

a. ----5.84 on Mar 31
b. ----1 Million per month production
c. ----1.25 months have passed since Mar 31

Facts. Simple.

So would you say they are closer to 5 million as you claimed or closer to 7 million as I did? Hmmm? Yeah, exactly.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2007 22:20
Azrael
Is ok, actually the problem is not english, but the fact that I have never used a DS online so Ive got no idea how that works and to be honest is not very clear.

Let me see if I finally got it, you type the code ONCE for each game and of course each time you add someone, is that it? It is a nuisance, but is not THAT bad if you can do it ONCE and forget about it.

Yeah your estimates are more or less ok, but you are considering ships not sales, I know is practically impossible to believe but the Wii is not getting sold out in other countries, mostly because is VERY expensive outside the US. so dont count all of those as sales. ok?
subnet6's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/08/2007 00:01
subnet6
I think you've got it. Let's move on shall we?
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