The Wii U will support in-game voice chat, but you'll be forgiven if you're not sure exactly how that will work. Nintendo hasn't shown an official headset for the WIi U and the Wii U's Pro Controller—the one that looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller—doesn't even have a port to connect one.
So how does it work?
The new Nintendo console will support in-game voice chat for "select games", a rep for the company tells Kotaku. Among the games supported will be Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty Black Ops II and Mass Effect 3, all games with significant online multiplayer modes and all which support in-game voice chat on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The Wii U GamePad—the console's signature twin-stick controller that contains a 6.2-inch screen—contains a microphone and speakers, but that mic does not actually work with the voice chat. Nintendo tells me that users who want to be able to talk to each other can use a licensed stereo headset from Turtle Beach or Mad Catz (Tritton). The headsets plug into the GamePad's headphone jack.
At least one of the aforementioned games, Black Ops II, supports the Pro Controller, but that controller's lack of a jack will require Pro Controller gamers who want voice chat to do something a bit counterintuitive. They'll have to plug their headset into the GamePad, the controller they are otherwise not using, according to a spokesperson for CoD publisher Activision. That rep believes that gamers might be able to use a standard set of headphones that contain a mic (iPhone headphones, for example) with the GamePad, but that's not something I've been able to clarify yet with Nintendo.
Well you know what Nintendo could do about that, actually give us some information and not leave it all up to conjecture. Talk us through their online interface and thats it. They are hiding something, why else would they leave it less than 30days until launch to show anything.
@warerare oh this is all nitnendos fault. voice chat is not a big deal to me, this is ps3 level voice chat and thats all i ned. all i wanted from nintendo online is the ability to send text messages to my friends at all times no matter what game i am playing and that seems to be the case with wii u because the miiverse video showed that back at e3.
"Wii U will have in-game chat functionality for select games, including, but not limited to, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 3. This feature will be supported by licensed stereo headsets that plug directly into the headphone port of the Game Pad. Licensed headsets are available from Turtle Beach and TRITTON."
Again, it doesn't really affect me, but I can see why the people who weren't going to be happy unless it includes everything Xbox Live has would be complaining.
Voice chat should have been integrated at the console level like with the 360. I love being able to talk to my friends as we play different things. At the very least its useful for co-ordinating with people in preparation for playing together.
I'm sorry Nintendo, but there is no excuse for this, really.
It's quite stupid to not allow in game chat via the microphone on the gamepad. Why need to plug in another peripheral...ugh. I think this is just for in-game stuff... outside of games you can video chat using the mic (it was in the pre-e3 nintendo direct).
Maybe it's because I play so many Nintendo consoles...but I don't see how this is going to affect my gaming habits at all. I just don't play a lot of games where I'd want chat. I don't play many multiplayer at all, let alone online multiplayer.
Here's hoping Miiverse doesn't end up as dead as sending and receiving notes on the Wii turned out to be. If I can only interact with established friends, well, it'll be less of Miiverse and more of a Meverse.
@Scrawnton You keep saying it's the same as the PS3, but it's not, the PS3 supports any bluetooth headset, including 2 official Sony headsets (one that supports surround sound). Where is Nintendo's official wireless headset that will work with any game that supports voice chat regardless of which controller you're using?
This better not be the actual case. Nintendo can't be this fucking retarded.
A big fat mic ON the controller and it WON'T USE IT??
GOOD ONE. SO WHY THE FUCK AM I PAYING EXTRA FOR THE MIC IN THE CONTROLLER??
There's got to be some catch to this. Or something is being lost in translation. It actually doesn't make sense to have a mic on the controller and then force you to buy a headset anyway.
And how would videochat which is confirmed work? You plug in a headset just for it to work? I don't think so.
I'm with you, buddy. The only time I want to talk to someone (that isn't my wife / someone on a couch next to me) while playing Wii U / any game is when I'm playing a game where we are CO-OPERATING. Monster Hunter makes perfect sense, but as someone mentioned up there about New Super Mario Bros U..yeah, just no desire whatsoever. Does everyone WANT to be able to talk all the time?
Dare I point you in the direction of cell phone related fatalities in cars? NO, I'm not making light of the situation, but just TALKING to someone while trying to do something takes a portion of your attention (think mental bandwidth). I know it happens, because I've felt it happen. I hate being on the phone in the car, but when someone calls and I'm trying to fumble for the speaker option while keeping my eyes on the road, I often hang up and go "wow, I was barely paying attention to the road." Falling in a pit is not nearly the same as dying in a car, please don't be an ass about this, but I can't even see how it would be satisfying to talk to somebody while do something totally different than what you're doing, with both parties not paying full attention to either the conversation or their game. (If you think you're somehow magic and you can devote 100% TOTAL attention to everything, you're wrong; you are not magic. If your justification is that the game doesn't require 100% attention to do well..I don't know.)
Come on, dude. Wouldn't you want to talk to me while we're playing video games, sometime? It'd be like NW Chat, only without inflaming my carpal tunnel and we can play video games at the same time. Games other than Dungeon Inquisitor.
Maybe the mic in the controller has(or will have) some gameplay purpose in some games that it's being reserved for while playing games. That's the only thing that would make any sense at all on that one.
@carlosrox I agree not supporting the built-in mic is incredibly dumb, but maybe there was problems with feedback from the TV speakers or the WUG's rumble was messing things ups. At least there are conceivable reasons for them not to use it.
What's inconceivable to me is no proper headset support, it blows my mind that it's almost 2013 and Nintendo isn't planning on making it easy and convenient for their customers to chat online. It's like they want to make things as convoluted and difficult as possible.
All of this after they said they wanted to recapture the core gamer audience and that online is the "air we breathe", what a joke, they haven't changed at all.
@Mr_Mustache I totally respect you opinion that voice chat is overrated, but a lot of people do like to use it. For example, a gamer who buys Black Ops 2 and prefers using the Wiimote-Nunchuck control scheme wants to play with his buddies online, and he wants to chat, shouldn't Nintendo have a solution for that?
@deathly_hallows There is a solution to that. You can still set the gamepad next to you and plug the headset in there. Admittedly not ideal, but it can still be done.
Yeah, it would be fun, but then you'd be like "I gotta go, my night elf is mining" or something. And then I'd be like "UGH, what a jerk. It was just last month that he was asking me in that thread how awesome it would be if we could talk to each other while playing, and how it would be like chat except without Dungeon Inquisitor ads." I don't really do chat stuff while I play. I wouldn't mind talking to you while we play the same game TOGETHER. Heck, Anand and I used to BS about whatever during Monster Hunter..but thats while we're gathering Honey and stuff. Other times its like "HOLY CRAP, I gotta go back to camp!" or "did you see where he went? --OH, HE'S IN 5!!!"
Oh, absolutely. I have a hard time believing that in the built in mic does nothing, haha. This is the first console in a LONG TIME that I've looked at tons of stuff pre-launch. This..worrying is bad for you guys. Don't we all have faith in Nintendo? Nintendo has never really steered ME wrong. I know a lot of you guys feel betrayed over some things..but cripes, they had this idea for the Wii, people laughed at them, and they crushed it. And then the other guys copied it. They've obviously thought about this Wii U thing for a long time, I'm sure it'll all turn out fine.
..which is similar to how most people, I figure, play games with the Classic Controller on Wii, no? It really isn't a bad option, nothing to panic about. Good call, DVH.
But what I'm saying is that a fragment of your attention was spent on your friends, so Skyward Sword was getting the whole thing. I guess if you're daydreaming while playing Skyward Sword to begin with, that is attention that ISN'T being spent. I don't really have the numbers or know all of the dynamics, but I'm pretty sure your brain isn't talking for you without any thought going into it. If your brain IS responding without thought, well, you might be agreeing to something you don't really want to agree to. (see: drunk people at bars)
@DeputyVanHalen That's not a solution, it's asinine, convoluted, inconvenient, and just plain ridiculous. Not only that it's proof that Nintendo didn't think this shit through and that online was clearly not a priority, which means they've been lying to us since E3 2011.
This is just like the Circle Pad Pro, they're half-assing it, offering crappy solutions to problems that shouldn't exist.
@Mr_Mustache I understand the lack of a robust voice chat solution isn't a problem for you, and it won't be a problem for a lot of people who primarily play Nintendo games or who don't like playing online. But for gamers that are used to the 360 or PS3 and just expect online games to have voice that is simple, convenient, and easily accessible, it's a huge problem.
Reggie has been telling us not to worry, that the basics are of course covered, well having voice chat is a basic, and it's not covered. That's why I'm pissed.
