As Nintendo announced earlier (and we reported this morning), Wii Software - known as WiiWare in the US - is a game-creation service that lets developers both large and small make downloadable games for the Wii Shop Channel for Wii Points, like the Virtual Console.
With any new announcement comes the usual list of questions and curiosities, so we got in touch with Nintendo UK for the answers.
How will the games be stored? Is that hard drive coming? How does it compare to Xbox Live Arcade? Nintendo UK fields our questions below.
There are concerns regarding Wii's relatively small internal memory being filled by all this content (as well as VC games). Is this a concern for Nintendo?
Nintendo: Games can be saved on the internal memory or on SD cards - Wii Software games will come in a variety of sizes, but Nintendo encourages smaller, compact games for the service.
Will the games be playable from SD card, or will they need to exist on the internal memory, like VC games?
Nintendo: WiiWare is stored in and started up from the Wii internal flash memory so they would need to be transferred from SD like VC games.
However like VC games you can delete a Wii Software game to make room for other content, then re-download it at no cost.
How is WiiWare going to be better than PSN and XBLA, and what would Nintendo say to people who might think you've just copied XBLA?
Nintendo: Wii Software offers unprecedented access for third-parties to create content with few restrictions. The innovative control of the Wii Remote plus open approach of Wii Software is a powerful combination for developers to create and bring their game to consumers.
Development for Wii is already an attractive option for developers and Wii Software will be no different.
Will we have to pay VC prices for games? Is there any current estimate price?
Nintendo: There will be a variety of price points, similar to classic VC games.
Will Nintendo develop first-party games for WiiWare?
Nintendo: Yes, but we're not ready to announce what those are.
Will the service go live worldwide simultaneously, or on a territory basis?
Nintendo: We've not decided yet. Developers can approach Wii Software as they would packaged software. Content can be created for one region or more. It will be up to the developer to do the localisation and testing.
A long shot, but is there any chance of an open-source, development tool being released for the service to allow for user-generated development (like the PS Net Yaroze) in the future?
Nintendo: There are no plans at present.
Do you have any questions of your own? Vent your curiosities in the comments section and we'll chase Nintendo's answers.
Couple of hundred meg? How many Hi-res XBLA games have you seen over the old 50Mb limit? Only a handful, and even those are bound to be bigger because of the 5.1 surround and HD textures.
Will they allow start-up developers to get involved? If there's no open-source development planned, will a semi-closed community like XNA Creator's Club be offered? I think Nintendo are truly shooting themselves in the foot if they don't let the amateurs get in on the act.
So if there's not going to be a hard drive (can't belive it if they don't) then they must surely update the system to allow content straight from an SD card. if they don't i can see the customers, us, not bothering much with this service.
Will the Wii Software channel have dedicated games running on retro systems i.e will the games be made on developer selected old Super Nintendo development tools, Mega Drive, N64 etc.. The possibilities of say, Super Mario Bros 5 running on Super Nintendo or Super Metroid 2 are possible.
I really enjoy retro games, but frankly I find the current "new money for old rope" thing quite annoying. I once picked up Midway Arcade Treasures on the Xbox for about a tenner which contained Joust, Smash TV, Gaunlet... about 20 games.
Now though, XBLA charges about £4 for each of those games SEPARATELY!!! The Sonic Mega Collection too is another example of how a bargain last gen has turned into a rip-off this gen thanks to the VC.
Surely if there's no packaging these games should be cheaper and shipped worldwide instantly at the same time. It's not like they even have translate them... they already existed 10+ years ago!
At least Wiiware means there might be some genuinely new games to play, even if it doesn't appear to live up to what we hoped for at this point. I suppose it's gonna take time...
Letting people create their own games using Wii was the most interesting part of allowing developers to produce Virtual console games, I am really disappointed but it will be interesting to see what Nintendo will produce for the platform, lets hope its not a mix of generic platform games or more boring Brain training!
Nintendo could even develop extensions to games that have already been released for the Wii, I would love to play though the Kokiri Forest in Twilight Princess as I was really disappointed that the tribe or the Great Deku tree did not make an appearance!
Looking forward to seeing some new ideas and inovations being put out there, and I can't see these games being bigger than 50meg. Still haven't worked out how to move VC games to my SD card yet, a shame they don't store and run from the card really.
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