Download Purgatory

During the E3 2006 press conference, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata talked about the WiiConnect24 feature, saying that "The Wii console can be constantly connected to the internet. For you hardcore gamers, this means developers can push a new weapon or vehicle or level to you even while you sleep.”

Later on, during an interview with Nikkei Business Publications, Iwata floats the idea again with the statement that “This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household.”

However, only fifteen disc based titles and six WiiWare games have taken advantage of WiiConnect24. The last game to use the service was Metroid Prime Trilogy released back in August of 2009; that’s not to account for the message board and a few channels that still employ WiiConnect24 for the up to the minute data. As a game content delivery service, it has been forgotten.

Be it a simple case of over promising or under delivering, the idea behind WiiConnect24 is -- at the very least -- convenient, or rather it would be if taken seriously. For instance, think of the game and system updates that hold up the player before they can dive in. If those required downloads could be applied through a 24-hour download service (at night), the user experience would remain uninterrupted by waits. Store purchases and demo downloads would also benefit from an “always on” connection. You’re currently stuck waiting for Mario to run across the screen and knuckle bust the blocks before returning to the main menu; so much time is wasted in download purgatory. 

There was also a time in history when companies like Sega would have special content appear on holidays. Christmas nights, for example, would bury the levels in snow and drape decorations throughout the game, all during Christmas Eve and Day. The trick relied on the Sega Saturn’s internal clock, but who needs that with a continuous connection? Imagine returning to those times, with a caring developer delivering special content in celebration of a holiday, anniversary, or promotion; it would be like getting a present every time you turn on the console. Talk about an incentive to keep a hold of your discs (wink, wink at developers). The potential ideas that could operate through a WiiConnect24-like service are immense. Sadly, Nintendo dropped ball when they stopped support.

Questions arise as to why the concept never took hold. Again, it’s quite possible that Nintendo simply under delivered. In terms of press releases and advertising, very little was made to promote WiiConnect24 as a selling point of the Wii. Nintendo themselves only implemented the service in a limited portion of their disc-based games, with Animal Crossing being the most prominent. The other supported retail titles included Big Brain Academy, Mario Kart Wii, Metroid Prime 3, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Music. Games from the WiiWare line suffered even more, with only Dr. Mario Online Rx, My Aquarium and My Pokémon Ranch utilizing the service. Without any incentive or innovative demonstration by Nintendo, it’s easy to see how third parties neglected the service for use in their own titles.

Nintendo’s 3DS handheld offers a similar “always on” connection with the SpotPass service. In Dead or Alive Dimensions, SpotPass is used to deliver new costumes and fight challenges. The only catch is that the free content is being delivered on particular days. It’s unclear as to how or even if Tecmo will offer the additional downloads again, but it makes one heck of an incentive for early adopters to bite. Perhaps SpotPass can fulfill the uses and desires that WiiConnect24 missed. Here’s hoping that some bright developers realize the opportunity that presents itself in SpotPass and other twenty four delivery services.

Comments

[Seandood]

It's a shame how more companies don't consider this kind of extended support. Whether you prefer owning physical media or a digital copy, it would still be an excellent way to keep players hooked, without expecting them to burn a hole in their pocket.