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Technology Lifestyle 1000 retro game downloads an hour on Wii VC
Technology Lifestyle 1000 retro game downloads an hour on Wii VC | 1000 retro game downloads an hour on Wii VC |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Saturday, 02 June 2007 | |
  
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That’s evident by looking at the list of top 5 downloaded games as supplied by Nintendo. No prizes for guessing that the No.1 download retro game is the original Super Mario Bros from the original Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. No prizes for guessing that the number 2 game is also Mario flavored, this time being the groundbreaking in-its-day Super Mario 64, from the Nintendo 64. Games 3 and 4 are also – surprise surprise – sweetened with the Mario marinade, being Mario Kart 64 (N64 again) and then Super Mario World for the SNES. Only once we get to game 5 do we find one that’s not starring Mario, but another of Nintendo’s most enduring creations, this time in its original format. Of course we are talking about Zelda, with game 5 being The Legend of Zelda for the NES. While all Nintendo Wii consoles are capable of going online if your home has a Wi-Fi network that’s connected to the Internet, some suggest that the lack of a built-in Ethernet port in the Wii has blunted the number of Wii owners that do actually end up going online. It’s a shame an Ethernet port wasn’t included, but Wi-Fi is common, and third party manufacturers have spring up to offer a USB to Ethernet adaptor for the Wii at less than US $40 for those wanting to give the Wii a wired connection or who simply don’t have Wi-Fi, but do have broadband Internet. So, what is the rate of Wii owners who do go online? George Harrison, the senior veep of marketing and corporate communications at Nintendo of America, has the answer. In Nintendo’s statement, he says that: “With an Internet connection rate reaching 40 percent, Wii owners have more options than ever to find the kinds of games they love to play. Beyond the Wii Shop Channel, all types of people are getting connected and checking out the information and entertainment options available on the Wii Menu. Whether voting, creating a Mii or just checking the weather, everyone has a favorite channel.” Of course the Wii now has the full ‘release version’ of the Opera Browser in the Internet channel, transforming the Wii into a web browser, fully able to stream YouTube videos from the day the Opera browser was available in beta format for the Wii. This little fact puts the lie to Steve Jobs’ claim as he demonstrated the Apple TV at the D: All Things Digital conference that the Apple TV was the first device to bring YouTube videos to your TV in your lounge room. I’m sure plenty of Wii owners who’ve been surfing YouTube on the Wii for months did a double take on that one. Of course, there’s plenty more potential left for the Wii, just as there is for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. As we get closer to the year, you can fully expect to see all kinds of announcements from all three players as the end-of-year sales battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers in the holiday gift buying season erupts. It’s set to be the games console biggest battle yet of the 21st century, with the winners tallied in early January taking home the spoils of ever more third party games development. That’s important, because in a world where games cost as much, or even more, than US $20 million each to develop, a misstep here and there can have a serious effect on the bottom line. Still, so far, Nintendo is sitting pretty, with third party manufacturers rushing to create exciting new games for the Wii console – games that will no doubt be enjoyed on the ‘Virtual Console’ of Nintendo’s future games console circa 2015, whatever it ends up being. Until then, Wii owners clamoring for more games, but aren’t yet online, have 100 classics to choose from, all at prices far cheaper than a standard Wii title, if they get their consoles connected, with Nintendo’s latest announcement sure to tempt a few offline Wii gamers to take the online plunge back into gaming’s retro past. {moscomment} |
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