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    This Week in Tech Stupidity: Nintendo Drops Backwards Compatibility in Wii after PSP Drops Wi-Fi

    By Louis Bedigian | Forbes – Wed, Aug 17, 2011

    Has every publisher in the game industry lost their minds?

    Yesterday Benzinga learned that Sony (NYSE: SNE) will release a new version of the old PSP in Europe for 99 euro. It has since come to our attention that the device may lack Wi-Fi support, which is about the dumbest move Sony could have made (especially when it is trying to push digital downloads and other online features). Contrary to what the company may believe, removing Wi-Fi from its current PSP is not a good way to train consumers to expect – or desire – Wi-Fi from PS Vita!

    Now the news is getting even weirder: Eurogamer is reporting that Nintendo (NTDOY) will release a new version of the old Wii in Europe this Christmas. It's smaller and comes with two games (Wii Sports and Wii Party) but lacks the ability to play GameCube games.

    Um…what!? Nintendo used backwards compatibility as a hyping point for the Wii. GameStop (NYSE: GME) kept old GameCube games – both used and new copies – on store shelves because it knew that every one of the 50+ million Wii owners could play them. I personally have used my Wii as a GameCube since the day it was released. While my actual GameCube is still functional, it currently sits in a crate somewhere because it is no longer needed.

    This development isn't unprecedented. Sony previously yanked its backwards compatibility feature in PlayStation 3 (a feature that, like Nintendo, Sony used as a hyping point to promote the system). Similarly, Xbox 360 was not immediately compatible with old Xbox games. However, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) later added that feature to select games through software updates.

    But considering the fact that GameCube is almost 10 years old, is this really bad news for Nintendo? Probably not. But it's a sign of things to come. If Wii U wasn't so dependant on the original Wii (its controllers, games, etc.), Nintendo would have removed backwards compatibility from that console as well.

    (Thanks to My Nintendo News for the tip.)

     

    11 comments

    • A Yahoo! User  •  9 mths ago
      that isnt all bad this is whats new
      wii2 just the same as the regular wii just compatible with the wii U
      psp and go is just a regular psp only with no umd slot more MB and lesser chance of you buying it
      3ds is already hacked!!!
      xbox 360 slilm is just the same but new death mod and a disk breaking attachment
      the only GOOD new thing is kinect and psp vita what some how rthmys with windows visita
    • Nate
      Nate  •  9 mths ago
      Sony stripped the backwards compatibility from all PS3s that updated to new firmware, ripping off customers who bought it with the intention to play PS3 games. Nintendo is releasing a new model Wii and selling it with the full understanding to consumers that it will not play Gamecube games. They're also only selling it in Europe. There's a big difference.

      Poor, poor Gamecube.. So many outstanding games that went unnoticed.
      • Jesse
        Jesse 9 mths ago
        When did that happen? My 60GB PS3 still plays PS2 games and I have newest firmware. Also, ALL PS3's, including slims, will play PS1 games.
    • Carole -and Darryl
      Carole -and Darryl  •  9 mths ago
      NEED UMD reader for PSP! or Credit for staying with this platform.
    • R.T. Arcand
      R.T. Arcand  •  9 mths ago
      I don't know the details of their systems, but sometimes the advance in speed and power makes backward compatibility not worth it. And running an emulator over a new architecture is never as good as running the game on the origional system it was designed for. If they're just adding bandwidth 32 bit, to 64 bit, it shouldn't be a problem.
    • Someone
      Someone  •  9 mths ago
      Jeeze, my Wii doesn't play GC games anymore. I guess I'll just buy a working Gamecube off of Ebay for $20 . . .
      • A Yahoo! User 9 mths ago
        there are resons
        1.it cant read it
        2.you have crashed the game
        3.memory card is not the right one
        4.the more updated download may disalow it to play GC games
        5.it detecheted an AR for a gamecube
    • Haldo
      Haldo  •  9 mths ago
      That means the original PSP has reached it top software version and will no longer be updated....because they are making room for the PSV
    • mschlenker
      mschlenker  •  9 mths ago
      Backward compatibility to new buyers at this late date is probably not an issue as new buyers probably never owned a GC. But existing owner’s whose Wii dies and needs to be replaced might not be happy. Also the GC controller issue may put off some but the Wii pro controller is really a better option for most VC/Wii Ware games anyway.
    • Anthony
      Anthony  •  9 mths ago
      I don't really see why Nintendo needs to redesign the Wii, but backwards compatibility for GCN doesn't matter anymore. Most retailers, including Gamestop...don't carry GCN games anymore. We also can't forget that everyone and their mother owns a Wii now, and the only people who may consider buying one will be the late market, Laggards.

      The only way Laggards would care about GCN games, is if they are a gamer, and if they are they are sure to know that these new Wii models won't be backwards compatible. This will lead them to Amazon and Ebay where they can probably find older models for dirt cheap.

      Mountain out of a molehill.
    • Jake
      Jake  •  9 mths ago
      There really is no reason for a cheaper, smaller wii to have backwards compatibilty with a dead system. The wi-fi thing for the psp though? I find that odd and it probably won't happen.
      • A Yahoo! User 9 mths ago
        sooner or later the will make the wii 7 and it will be as small as apples joke system the joke system is one mouse no keybord and as smal as a babys #$%$
    • ArindamB
      ArindamB  •  9 mths ago
      Even a die-hard Gamecube-owning Nintendo zealot like me, finds himself in complete agreement with the author of this piece. There is little point in producing a gaming device that can do less than its previous iteration.

      Bear in mind that this means that these upcoming Wiis will not permit players to use the Gamecube controller option on Wii games.
      • Nate
        Nate 9 mths ago
        Little point? Reducing the cost to manufacture and passing that on to the consumer is a perfectly valid point. Anyone who is bothered by the lack of backwards compatibility would be highly unlikely to buy a Wii NOW.
    • Clay Bryant
      Clay Bryant  •  9 mths ago
      I never get fired up about backwards compatibility. I think it is way overrated. It is a checkbox on a comparison between consoles. SONY did the same BS, they touted it as if it is a big deal and made fun of the limited catalog that the 360 had for original xbox games. Unlike the author - I don't play games from old systems. I want to play the new stuff that everyone else is playing. I personally wish new systems didn't have back-compat - if that were so, then maybe the prices of the consoles would be more reasonable in the beginning, instead of 500 bones!

      no wi-fi in the old/new psp - who fkn cares. I have never used the wifi on my psp, only UMDs.
     Post a comment
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