While it would be nice to get free dev kits and allow anybody to write anything for the console, Nintendo DOES have an image they are trying to uphold. Free development tools means WAY more submissions for them to go through.

Personally, I'd just like them to relax their requirements for having shipped multiple titles previous to becoming a Nintendo affiliated developer.

Orkrust

sauvage

crazyorloco

I WOULD LOVE to see an expanded Chick Chick Boom released on this.

crazyorloco

"(buy a dev kit, pay for certification, pay for ESRB rating, etc)."
You do realize thats only $4-5k totaled.

You can't even buy a PS3 or 360 SDK for that.

ITR

NihonTiger90

PopCap is far from indy. Check your facts.

Billkwando

bebop4one

miss_ali1984

Totally agree. This announcement is nothing special - it's basically XBL Arcade for Wii. It's still gonna cost a hefty sum to develop these games and get them released (buy a dev kit, pay for certification, pay for ESRB rating, etc).

The only company that seems to be remotely supporting hobbyists is Sony. With Little Big Planet, if you have a copy of the game and a PS3, you can release your levels to the world, YouTube-style. It's a long way from releasing a fully original game, but I'm willing to bet it'll be a successful compromise. Back in the DOOM/QUAKE-mod days, tons of aspiring designers created outstanding levels for those games - to have a YouTube-ish portal for it all would be pretty sweet.

djcoffee

Triple07

Android18a

That looks like an awesome program. Gonna try that out :)

Billkwando

As for the size of games I'd imagine they'll start small (as in, so most people can comfortably fit ten or so in the internal memory). They clearly aren't following a Sony-esque route of using download for 'serious' games, nor do they have the Live Arcade need of adding HD graphics to old games, consequently demanding ever-larger filesizes.

Waiting for 2008 is a bit of a downer though, I was hoping they'd have this organised sooner with at least one or two titles this autumn. :(

Also, I hope every one of the titles released at least for the first year or so will be original games or at least new entries in existing puzzle-game (or whatever) series rather than ports; VC is quite enough for that thank you.

quen

We need original fighting games, original FPSes, original RPGs, etc.

Gamemaster

Lot Krotan

bashcraft was beaten to the headline by plunkett.

Lot Krotan

L_K_M

KnightOfElcar

jageroxorz

Because people are winy impatient unsatisfiable imbeciles?

Fuzz

Baz

majortom1981

weejames

Psychtaygar

Not that I have a problem with Nintendo doing this, just people with double standards.

Personally, I really like Xbox Live Arcade, and one of the reasons for that is there tight quality control. They don't just let any old garbage on there, and they don't put up too many similar games. There's a great variety, and I don't see Nintendo catching up anytime soon, especially if they don't launch until 2008.

Microsoft have also been talking about an extension of the Arcade which will allow anyone with XNA to upload their games onto a "you tube style" database, were anyone can play and rate the games.

WinterSnowblind

[warioworld.com]

L_K_M

Lider

Shiryu

trmn8r

Drow

They may as well have announced HDD support. Everyone knows it's coming. The only question now is whether they'll require a proprietary drive or not. This being Nintendo, I'm going to go way out on a limb and say yes. ;)

Tybee

trmn8r

Thats what they stated and wanted but did not try to deliver in the end. XBLA is still not good enough, sorry but it aint, perhaps in another year? when 360 is reaching end of life cycle, MS needs to work harder, and less with anti piracy streaming/install bullshit. And more with games and features and making it all easier, all the time we keep hearing developers beeing pissed with microsoft and arcade when making games, delays after delays.

Their key staff keeps leaving to or left anyway, it does seem to get better and I see some games looking good soon to be out but Nintendo with this announcement has a good chance of becoming beeing number 1, in shorter time.... No I dont know many who are "satisfied" with arcade.

Irenicus

dude49

EmeraldDragon

I suppose that a few could probably be classified as such. But most are not.

Rectangle

Other Wii channels will probably be handled in-house.

Tiberian, I don't think this move is really late. Nintendo tested the waters with the Virtual Console. I think they've had WiiWare planned out, but were waiting for the right time. Nintendo has stated that they are looking to slowly add channels, and content (rather than right out of the gate).

Fetus_God_of_Love

sweetie55

Your attrocious sentance structure and grammar asside, I have serious problems with your statement.

Despite being out of beta, XNA isn't ready to go from hobyist tool to full-fledged development platform yet. Plus it wasn't necessarily meant as a way to develop for XBLA.

As for indie developers makeing games for XBLA, it's happening. NinjaBee just released Band of Bugs, and has released plenty of other games for the service. Garage Games did Marble Blast. PopCap has released a bunch of games. Clearly the indie games are there.

Agies

Jonn

Kotaku reporters, get to work! :P

Fuzz

Good News!

Keeko_ca

and finally maybe an actual reason to bother using the classic controller? wavebird ftw!

Grum

I really do hope we will see some original games... I mean, hopefully it won't be just minigames/party games. Hopefully we see some rpg's or fps's.

Walker

Brill

They then extended the program to include another 5 games:
[www.winsupersite.com]

"Microsoft's original Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program was so effective, the company decided to extend it for at least another five games. This time around, the game selection varies between classic card games like Texas Hold 'Em and UNO and, yes, classic arcade titles like Scramble and Time Pilot."

Then it pretty much continued from there. But I don't recall ever seeing anyone say that they would be releasing new games every Wednesday. I have seen wording like "regular releases," though. And they have certainly done that. Though they have missed a Wednesday here and there, I'd still call the releases "regular."

Rectangle

Grumbel2

Ashurahori

Aftershock14520

Rebochan

On a more serious note, does anyone know where small developers can get a wiiware sdk? I made this:

[www.thisisnotalabel.com]

a few weeks ago and have been thinking about trying to port it to an actual wii.

PaulMorel

Spaceboy

Well pinball is a good game no denying that, mad tracks meh boom boom whatever no thanks. As for every wednesday they did make that promise im not gonna digg up the quote now but I had xbox since beta on xbox 1 and launch of 360 and they did make that promise and many other promises that they broken.

Now all companies break promises it is not like they are family so I wont loose any sleep over it. But I am not satisifed with arcade most ppl I know on xbox live aint, they could do so much more and still can. My next big hope and game I want is Bomberman which looks like they done a perfect job with, but it is a shame things like indy developers making 360 games aint happening their software they released for making games... well which they wont publish or help getting published.

Atleast they increased the size limit now which prolly is a big reason to why many games feel broken I mean mortal kombat 3 on arcade is 49mb I think it was and mortal kombat 2 on PSN is 250mb.

Anyway I hope this will push MS in the right direction, that is all and it is nice to see nintendo and any company going further with this, my dream is a youtube thing of cheap arcade games anyone with time and an idea can make.

Irenicus

Independent development is alive and well on Arcade and frankly the slate of titles that have been released in the last few months has silenced most critics. If you aren't finding great titles on Arcade, you have unusual taste.

Beer-Monkey

xpnet

I also have to say this is near enough confirmation that Wii are getting a hard drive. Nintendo can't expect us to keep deleting and swapping files between SD cards forever. Those USB ports at the back of the console are getting lonley. They need something inside of 'em. :P

Random J

They never promised that they would deliver a new Live Arcade game "every Wednesday." They said that they Wednesday is the day that they release Live Arcade games.

However, they haven't missed a single Wednesday in several months! And a lot of those Wednesdays had 2 releases!

I've purchased a number of the recent games like Pinball FX (best arcade pinball game ever as far as I am concerned), Mad Tracks, Boom Boom Rocket, etc... I've been very happy with the games that are coming out in Live Arcade.

Doom and MK3 were released last year, and are old IP. Are you going to judge them on their past performance or their current performance? Because their current performance is pretty damn good!

Rectangle

themunk

I mean arcade games have more lag then like shadowrun 16player online, makes since ya? and as for catan I didn't buy I tried demo then half way thru a play they told me I had to pay to finish a demo, no no that made me mad so /delete

Then carcasonne, hmm is it good? Well the one game that do looks great and im waiting for with all of my heart is bomberman oh god I cant wait they said June release but NO carcassone takes it place?

But yeah arcade aint all bad but in terms of independent games which MS promised and basically killed of and poor d pad with other problems, Nintendo might beat them, in any case I hope it pushes Microsoft to make arcade better for all. Im just not that satisifed 2 years later with arcade.

Irenicus

A step in the right direction for this machine. perhaps ill have to dust mine off soon...

Deadbolt543

C'mon!

Ok, yeah, This is cool, but take forever will ya?
Oh, and you better release HDD support please.
Or at least allow us to play these games from the SD card.

subnet6

Kyle81

Truepatriot

I do hope this pushes xbox arcade and their service to start getting better.

Irenicus

TheIrishNinja

Agies

Big_Jock

Kyle81