Written by KingreX32




Times are hard, we can all agree right? So it’s not because we are cheap why we would rather have a Wii or PS3 because of the free online. As great as the Xbox Live service is if I’m paying for internet from my ISP why would I want to pay again to play online?

Well you can breathe easy, because Nintendo plans to keep their online service free. In recent shareholders interview Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated that Nintendo intends to make things easier for gamers with different gaming habits to play online, “We have a wide variety of consumers, from the ones who enthusiastically play video games to those playing more casually, who are not always interested in them but try to play a game only when it has become a public topic or play it just during certain periods” he went on to say that “Services which ask our consumers to obtain paid memberships are not always the best” It wouldn’t be the best option for WiiU.

I think this is a smart move, not because I’m cheap (by some people’s standards) but because it’s in keeping with the Wii brands easy to use, easy accessible interface. Times are rough and a lot of people just don’t have it to pay to play online. Also not everyone plays online regularly and it really wouldn’t be fair to casual online players to pay for a feature they don’t use often.



Despite this Mr. Iwata stated that: "We cannot promise that Nintendo will always provide you with online services free of charge no matter how deep the experiences are that it may provide”. Uh-oh, "But at least we are not thinking of asking our consumers to pay money to just casually get access to our ordinary online services." Oh ok that’s great, I was worried for a sec. It’s been suggested that services like Miiverse and WiiU Shop will be free but things like DLC and the use of NFC may not. This is just speculation so don’t take what I say to heart.

It’s been hinted that Nintendo may offer a paid online service but unlike XBL it will be completely optional, only for those who want it. As it stands now the WiiU is looking good. All we need now is
a release date.

Sources gamespot and Computer and Videogames