What should we expect from an online Nintendo?

All the clues were there, we just weren't reading carefully enough. It wasn't that long ago that Nintendo appeared to be skeptical of online gaming. Back in late 2001 Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto noted that, "We at Nintendo feel that online gaming is not yet profitable but that does not mean we will not make online games. We will experiment, test it and see just how profitable it would be. Until it is profitable, we will not make online a priority within Nintendo. " In 2002, Satoru Iwata echoed this, stating, "The profitable part of the online business is very likely several years away. Entering the business because it's the hot topic of the day doesn't make a profitable business nor satisfied customers� That's why it will be a part of Nintendo's strategy, not the mainstay, as other companies are attempting to do. There still are too many barriers for any company to greatly depend on it. "

Fast-forward a few years to E3 and the big announcements about Nintendo's online plans for DS and Revolution and it seems like the Japanese giant has changed its position. With the GameCube and GBA there was a considerable emphasis on connectivity, with only Phantasy Star Online as the token online title � Nintendo seemed to be watching in silence as Microsoft hyped Xbox Live and online console gaming took off. Nintendo has had limited forays into online in the past � most notably, with the Japan-only 64DD add-on for the N64. RANDnetDD was an online service for the ill-fated accessory that provided access to online gaming, e-mail and chat facilities. In short, Nintendo has always had the technology to establish a gaming network, but not the plans. Yet we should have read between the lines � it appears Nintendo has always had an eye on the industry's online future, waiting for the right time to launch its own plans.

And they're certainly ambitious plans. Nintendo's E3 conference revealed a comprehensive wireless DS network, with the prospect of fans playing Mario Kart and Animal Crossing with fellow gamers around the world. WiFi will also be a feature of the Revolution, and a number of online launch titles are on the way. All this is a huge step from the almost non-existent online content of the GameCube. The potential for online Nintendo games will be considerable � imagine classic Mario Kart on the DS, competing with your friends over a wireless network, or the possibility of playing through epic adventures on Revolution with allies across the globe (consider a new online Zelda?) With Nintendo's announcement that their back catalogue will be downloadable on the Revolution, there is always the possibility of further downloadable content � perhaps even full new titles available for download on release? Of course, all this raises questions over the profitability of online play for Nintendo � what has changed in the last few years? With no subscription charges it is difficult to see where the profit will be for Nintendo, unless they expect demand for downloadable classics from the NES, SNES and N64 era to cover costs. Perhaps Nintendo hopes that sales of the console themselves will lead many gamers into online play, and further feedback and word of mouth will generate interest. Indeed, Reggie's recent comments ("There's going to be no subscription fee; we're not looking at this as a profit-driven program") seem to indicate this. Reggie noted the low take-up rate for online gaming, and stated that Nintendo was aiming for "80, 90, near 100 percent" of gamers going online, which would seem to indicate that Nintendo is hoping for a great interest in this gaming network, and presumably that sales of the console and the games will cover this.

Nintendo's online plans go beyond purely technical advancements. Most impressive about these plans is the ambition to reinvent online gaming, and to recapture the fun of playing them. Reggie Fils-Aime said a number of things at the E3 conference which were greatly encouraging, especially to hardened online sceptics (the writer of this article included). Firstly, the wireless connection coupled with no subscription fees � consider how easy it should be to connect and play with your friends, cancelling out the tedium of connections and servers and monthly bills. In cutting out this financial and technical barrier Nintendo may well open up online gaming in a way not yet achieved. And, in contrast to the monotonous diet of first-person shooters that seem to have propped up online gaming in recent years, Nintendo will concentrate on the proven gameplay of classic titles such as Mario Kart; a multiplayer classic if ever there was one, and an immediately accessible game, one that will appeal to hardcore Nintendo gamers and casual players alike. Perhaps most interesting was Reggie's comments regarding the whole culture of online gaming, when he made reference to its "overly macho nature". Anybody who has spent more than 5 minutes playing an online shooter will immediately know what he was saying, and his incisive comments were welcome. Taken together, Nintendo's revelations about the future of online gaming were impressive and far-reaching. While Microsoft was attempting to excite their E3 audience with online user profiles and player stats, Nintendo was overtaking their online gaming vision, promising a wireless, inclusive network with no fees. It was a significant turnabout.

Or was it? The comments from Nintendo over the last few years seemed to indicate that online gaming just wasn't profitable, and just wasn't big enough to justify their interest, but the language was heavily qualified. For Nintendo in 2002, online wasn't a priority � not yet, at least. And Nintendo was not wrong in its analysis and has wisely waited to see how this generation has played out � taking the example of Microsoft again, according to their E3 conference Microsoft could look to 20 million customers since the launch of the Xbox, with 2 million of those playing through Xbox Live: which works out that 90% of Xbox owners are not actually playing online. This is not to say that Xbox Live is a failure, but Nintendo does not have the same deep pockets that Microsoft has and would only be able to support an online network on its own terms: which means that there has to be an audience for the games. If Nintendo can deliver on its promises it may well find a receptive audience for its WiFi-enabled Revolution and DS.

Nintendo has always been a secretive company, never giving away anything about its plans and policies until it is necessary. With this generation of gaming many believed that the Japanese games makers had simply missed the boat with regard to online play, allowing Sony and Microsoft to drive internet gaming while they stood idly by. Nintendo's announcements about wireless gaming on a global network for the Revolution and DS should not have come as much of a surprise though � with the 64DD Nintendo had the technology to go online, but preferred to wait until there was a market for the product. So while other companies have ploughed huge amounts of money into online in this generation, Nintendo has waited to unleash an ambitious network on an unsuspecting public, leading online play into a new era that goes beyond the world of mediocre first-person shooters and prohibitive subscription fees. If Nintendo can deliver truly inclusive games such as Mario Kart, combined with no additional charges and a (hopefully) friendly network of gamers then Revolution online could be a tremendous success.

It remains to be seen if Nintendo can compete with Microsoft and Sony, given their head start and user base � but for Nintendo gamers the possibilities for online play are boundless.

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