Nintendo Will Begin Offering Downloadable Add-On Content On Wii

Wii games will soon be able to download add-on content, said Nintendo project leader Takashi Aoyama at Game Developers Conference.

DLC has been a big part of Microsoft’s and Sony’s online business, but Nintendo has thus far not allowed games to have downloadable add-on content on Wii. For example, the Wii version of Guitar Hero 3 doesn’t currently let you download new songs.

But at his address at GDC this morning, Aoyama said that Nintendo will, in the near future, allow Wii owners to use Wii Points (purchased with a credit card transaction online or on cards in stores) to buy add-on content for games. He said that add-on contents would also be available for disc-based games as well as WiiWare downloadable titles.

The add-on contents for disc games would be purchased within the game, Aoyama said.

Nintendo To Begin Charging Money For Some Online Gaming

Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service has always been entirely free of charge, but the company will soon introduce a pay-to-play service for some games, it announced at Game Developers Conference.

“Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay And Play” will let users subscribe on a game-by-game basis to certain titles. Nintendo project leader Takashi Aoyama announced the service at GDC, but did not say what upcoming games would require payment for the service, or how much they would cost.

To avoid customer confusion, Pay-And-Play games will have a red icon on the game’s box that reads Pay And Play, in place of the traditional blue Wi-Fi Connection icon, which will only be used for games that are free to play.

This is a pretty big change for Nintendo, who has always been adamant about wanting online gameplay to be free. While this might attract more developers to the service with a new revenue stream, it also might confuse consumers — and be a hassle if the payment system isn’t easy. You’ll use Wii Points to pay for the online gaming, so it should be interesting to see if this extends to the DS Lite or if it’s just restricted to Wii.

Link