Following Sony's announcement of its new online community software, PS Home, Nintendo has gone on the offensive, deeming the service "an example of Sony's 'Mii-too' approach."
When asked of the company's thoughts on Sony's online plans, Nintendo told CVG: "This is an example of Sony's "Mii-too" approach. But as Mr. Miyamoto states, Nintendo years ago considered and rejected the type of approach Sony is now taking", presumably referring to creating a virtual online world.
Just in case you missed it, PS3 Home allows players to create their own character, like a 3D avatar, and take it into a realistic online virtual world to interact with PS3 gamers from around the globe.
Nintendo's equivalent avatar system, the Mii Channel, lets gamers make simple cartoon-style characters and save them onto the Wii's internal memory. These Miis can then be imported into games for gameplay, or sent to other Wii consoles via the internet.
Nintendo has clearly opted for a simpler approach - although some say the lack of customisation options make it a bit too basic.
But Nintendo is pleased with it's avatar system, saying: "Miis have become a cultural phenomenon in their own right, appealing well beyond the traditional core gamer audience, and the process of populating them across the Wii universe is just beginning."
3D avatars and real time interaction could become a huge aspect of gaming with the current generation of consoles. But will Microsoft join the party with their own PS3 Home or Mii equivalent?
Xbox Live subscribers have been interacting with each other since the online gaming service launched almost five years ago. Have Sony and Nintendo seen the success the platform achieved and now want a piece of the action?
We're speaking to some very important people at Microsoft later today at GDC and we'll put it to them.
Sony has created some really exciting stuff with PS3 Home. If you guys haven't seen the impressive PS3 Home software in action, check out the teaser trailer now, then have a read of our first hands-on preview.
i sincerely think nintendo should come off thier high horse and say something sensible for once.. its run by a bunch of people that are starting to mentally degenerate, hence thier fetish for very childish games. The WII is for people who love it. what i dont understand is this bashing, making it seem as if only thier decisions are right for the gaming community. They repackage a gamecube with a motion sensing controller and call that innovative... yeah right!!! if the gaming community was under nintendo's leadership, i doubt we would experience any of the entertainment we get from the xbox360 and ps3.
i sincerely think nintendo should come off thier high horse and say something sensible for once.. its run by a bunch of people that are starting to mentally degenerate, hence thier fetish for very childish games. The WII is for people who love it. what i dont understand is this bashing, making it seem as if only thier decisions are right for the gaming community. They repackage a gamecube with a motion sensing controller and call that innovative... yeah right!!! if the gaming community was under nintendo's leadership, i doubt we would experience any of the entertainment we get from the xbox360 and ps3.
Well that's quite moronic.
However, this statement does smack of Nintendo being unnerved by Home. I think they know that it achieves what Nintendo wanted to achieve with Mii, but completely overshadows it.
i sincerely think nintendo should come off thier high horse and say something sensible for once.. its run by a bunch of people that are starting to mentally degenerate, hence thier fetish for very childish games. The WII is for people who love it. what i dont understand is this bashing, making it seem as if only thier decisions are right for the gaming community. They repackage a gamecube with a motion sensing controller and call that innovative... yeah right!!! if the gaming community was under nintendo's leadership, i doubt we would experience any of the entertainment we get from the xbox360 and ps3.
I actually think you make some excellent points. The 3 manufacturers shouldnt resort to childish slanging matches.
And Nintendo should try to innovate. The Wii-mote on Wii Sports Tennis is fantastic. But is that it?
Why not make something new instead of Mario/Zelda/Mario Kart every 5 years and thats it.
Oh please, if there's one thing Nintendo cannot be criticised for, it's a lack of innovation. The Wii introduces A COMPLETELY NEW WAY OF PLAYING GAMES!!!!
That alone makes it a gazillion times more innovative than the 360 & PS3 put together.
Translation: We didn't have the hardware then (or now), so we'll just say the idea is "nixed" to say the least . Kind of silly really... this is lightyears beyond anything Nintendo has even hinted at. The Mii style character creation are a fraction of what Home could/will offer and are probably the most insignificant part of Home. TBH, I'm disappointed Nintendo commented this way. They've generally been above this tit-for-tat. They've played their game to their rules and let MS and Sony trade PR nonsense. Personally, I can't see any reason to think Nintendo were planning something like Home. Their online on GC was worse than PS2s, and their console isn't equipped to render particular extensive, heavily populated environments. There's also nothing in their current or announced online structure that I know of that offers Live! Like online feature-set in a different format. Did they think of having lobbies with 3D avatars to meet up two years ago, and then not only drop the idea of 3D avatars, but also the idea of unified lobbies? Also, how can it be a Mii-too idea if Nintendo never announced those plans?!
yay to nintendo for sinking to sony and microsoft level.
"Miis have become a cultural phenomenon in their own right
no it hasn't.
its run by a bunch of people that are starting to mentally degenerate,
that's sony you are talking about right? Microsoft? oh it's nintendo, its difficult to tell sometimes as they all seem to be so far up their own bottoms as to actually become that.
They repackage a gamecube with a motion sensing controller and call that innovative... yeah right!!!
not a gamecube.
what i dont understand is this bashing
Nintendo have kept pretty quiet up until now actually.
i doubt we would experience any of the entertainment we get from the xbox360 and ps3
the same PS3 that isn't not out yet. tell that to the people who have had to buy up to 5 new xbox consoles. when you say 'we' you should say 'I' as not everybody who get's a console enjoys it. I enjoy Wii sports and since its only been out a few months I am willing to withhold judgement on whether the Wii will be a serious gaming platform until next year.
Yes because the Mii is the first time anyone had idea of having little virtual representations of people for the to use online.
I believe that the whole mii and having a room for them to live in, and decorated with all your stuff sort of thing originates in south korea, and it is a cultural phenomenon over there unlike the Mii.
If this is a copy of anything I’d say it’s a copy of Second Life and not Mii’s.
I'd agree... though the concept is similar to Miis, the general tone (user-defined locations, online chat etc...) looks more SL. I guess it has a certain appeal, but at the same time SL is pretty dull.. and I guess it's going to depend on how they handle the adding 'friends' concept. Make it too open and the experience is ruined by the idiots, make it too strict and you get the situation we've got with the Wii...
I have to admit, the concept of a personal "avatar" has been around long, long before Nintendo announced their Mii idea. Fair enough Ninty can say that Sony may have ripped them off a little, but under the same logic, they should admit that they ripped the idea from elsewhere too.
I genuinely think that they are vastly different in terms of conception. Sony's seems to be superior in just about every way... it even has my girlfriend excited. I admire Nintendo a lot. I think they are a grand company. I just think this is one of the few times in the past couple of years Sony has managed to do something well. For the sake of gaming that is a good thing. I must also say Sony made fairly rapid progress if their venture is a Mii rip off.
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. Kind of silly really... this is lightyears beyond anything Nintendo has even hinted at. The Mii style character creation are a fraction of what Home could/will offer and are probably the most insignificant part of Home. TBH, I'm disappointed Nintendo commented this way. They've generally been above this tit-for-tat. They've played their game to their rules and let MS and Sony trade PR nonsense. Personally, I can't see any reason to think Nintendo were planning something like Home. Their online on GC was worse than PS2s, and their console isn't equipped to render particular extensive, heavily populated environments. There's also nothing in their current or announced online structure that I know of that offers Live! Like online feature-set in a different format. Did they think of having lobbies with 3D avatars to meet up two years ago, and then not only drop the idea of 3D avatars, but also the idea of unified lobbies? Also, how can it be a Mii-too idea if Nintendo never announced those plans?! 
