Wii Speak is Nintendo’s answer to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3’s communication headsets that, like the Wii console, simplifies communication for the more casual gaming audience.
I got my hands on the new peripheral this week and was quite shocked upon opening the box to see how small it is. Once stuck on top of the Wii Sensor Bar, Wii Speak looks like nothing more than a wart or mosquito bite. The engineers aimed for non-intrusive and definitely came through.
There are no earpieces to attach or batteries to keep charged with Wii Speak. It is ready to go once plugged into the Wii console via USB. There aren’t any games other than Animal Crossing: City Folk that take advantage of voice communication, but the seed is planted for future expansion.
The big surprise upon opening Wii Speak, even more so than its size, is how Nintendo has tied each Wii Speak unit directly into next month’s Wii Speak Channel. Packed in with Wii Speak is a unique “Wii Download Ticket Number” that is redeemable through the Wii Shop Channel. Redeeming next month will download the Wii Speak Channel directly onto your Wii.
The catch is once this code is used that’s it. There is no sharing it with friends or reselling Wii Speak to someone expecting access to the Channel. Nintendo has even specifically stated they or a retailer cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.
Casual use of Wii Speak via the Wii Speak Channel without the benefit of video might be a turn off to anyone accustomed to communicating online with web-cams. Who knows? Video on Wii might just be the next logical step.
