Mario Kart for the Nintendo DS launched this week, marking Nintendo's first serious foray into the online gaming environment. The Wi-Fi enabled DS system allows racers from all over the world to compete in what is almost an anthology version of the Mario Kart franchise. Several more games promising online play for the DS are scheduled for release within the next few months. But is Nintendo's recent push into the web too little too late? Can online gaming bring Nintendo back to prominence in the home console market?
There are several reasons why the Nintendo DS will succeed online. To begin with, Nintendo is going online with a console that was designed for wireless internet play from the beginning. Similarly, the most successful online home console has been the Xbox, which was also built from the start with online play, unlike the PS2 and GameCube which required the purchase of modems and never had a sound online plan.
But an online plan is exactly what Nintendo has. Nintendo Wi-Fi is a joint venture between Nintendo and a handful of other companies that will offer wireless hotspots all over the country, and the infrastructure will also reach into all wireless-enabled homes. Nintendo Wi-Fi is also the plan that will be implemented when the Revolution comes out later next year. It's similar to Xbox Live, but free.
But perhaps the largest reason Nintendo will succeed is its peerless gaming franchises that have yet to be played online. Mario Kart is the premier non-sim racing game, and it finally has a chance to be played the way it always should have been. Super Smash Bros. screams internet play. And don't forget the unusually quirky 'community' game 'Animal Crossing.'
But there are also several reasons why online gaming may not save Nintendo. Nintendo is clearly in last place as far as the home market goes, and it's too late for the GameCube. Nintendo has long dominated the handheld market with the GameBoy line, but today that isn't translating into the kind of success they had in the old NES and SNES days.
And let's not forget that online gaming is a bonus only some games have. Playing online, for the most part, is still a niche market. Most consoles are not played online and most games do not take advantage of these features. Xbox Live is the gold standard by which Nintendo's online plans will be judged. And as flawlessly as Microsoft has executed Live, they still trail Sony in overall market share.
So will online play save Nintendo's home console and give them the decisive edge in the handheld market? Probably not. Winning this war will take a number of things: online play, software, hardware, third party support, etc. Becoming dominant again isn't as simple as going online, but not having to pay for a gaming service could signal a shift in the industry down the road. It seems as though Nintendo is finally doing something better than Microsoft and Sony. I just hope it works.
