Point/Counterpoint: WiiSpeak vs. ISpeak

by JC Fletcher { Sep 12th 2008 at 1:40PM }

Nintendo, who recently introduced the stick controller and the scale controller, is at it again, with the WiiSpeak, a microphone that you put on top of your TV so a whole crowd can share in voice chat as they play Animal Crossing (and, later, other games). Voice chat isn't new, of course, but voice chat for a whole room is.

Is this a worthwhile innovation? Is Nintendo's new approach really preferable to just wearing a headset and having conversations with your Internet pals? Will having the mic several feet away even be a workable solution? We obviously don't know, but we can debate about what we think.

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Tags: animal-crossing, animal-crossing-city-folk, communication, microphone, wiispeak

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ZombiePikmin @ Sep 12th 2008 1:51PM

Tell your friends family to piss off you wanna p00n some noobs

Carlos Martins @ Sep 12th 2008 2:02PM

As long as it works with Conduit - count me in. :)

bukizzle715 @ Sep 12th 2008 2:08PM

I wouldn't mind having both WiiSpeak and a headset (assuming one was being made.) I think WiiSpeak would be cool for games in similar style to Brawl (but we know there won't be any), where you could trash talk in a group. But for something like The Conduit I would definitely prefer a headset.

Drakee @ Sep 12th 2008 2:14PM

This isn't new as far as I know.. Nyko did this with the Speaker Com for Xbox Live a few years ago for Xbox 1.

Innovation? No. Is it nice? Yes, in concept.

WhatIsThatThing @ Sep 12th 2008 2:47PM

I don't even know how this works. I mean, how is it supposed to let the whole room talk without picking up game audio?

Stephen @ Sep 12th 2008 3:12PM

I was playing Rise of Nations, and the speaker phone system worked out great for us. We had a conference call setup. There were four of us in one room, and various other family members across the internet. It worked out great. It was as if all of us were in the room together.

So I'm with point(JC).

j.howlett @ Sep 12th 2008 4:09PM

tf i ever get the wii on line i'd like to be able to use any bluetooth device. i plan on getting sony's official one and i wouldn't mind repurposing my phone headset again. as for wii speak i'd have to see and hear more

Garu @ Sep 12th 2008 4:16PM

It will make Thursday night game night more interesting!

You will be able to actually HEAR David Hinkle go outside to get an ice tea! =)

buffalo_aaa @ Sep 12th 2008 4:25PM

this is just the peripheral that nintendo is releasing. there are bound to be usb based wired (and possibly wireless) headsets that companies like Nyko will undoubtably release. My biggest problem is how late in the game this is being released. Animal Crossing doesn't really tickly my wii talk fancy-bone, but Mario Kart and Brawl definately would have.

CJLopez @ Sep 12th 2008 5:42PM

i'd rahter have a headset, 'll buy this for the sake of the conduit, but if I can make a sub headset work on it, man, i'm so selling my wiispeak

SegaPleaseMakePanzerDragoonWii! @ Sep 12th 2008 6:12PM

A friend of mine has something almost exactly like Wiispeak for his PS3. It's third party, and he likes it 1000x better than the PS3's headset, which he couldn't stand. I think I remember him saying it cost like half of what the official headset goes for, too. He often blasts his own music through the thing while smoking cats online and absolutely loves it. I can't wait for Wiispeak!

TheOverlord#2 (Playing: SMRPG, SMG, & Okami) @ Sep 12th 2008 6:37PM

My only problem is that my family is obnoxiously annoying and I would hate for WiiSpeak to pick up me answering someone from downstairs instead of just being able to take a headset off.

For now, I completely agree with CJLopez, I'll get the $70 ACCF & WiiSpeak bundle, but if an actual headset works, my WiiSpeak is returning to GameStop.

Nebinator @ Sep 12th 2008 7:17PM

Headset. I've had some bad experiences with background noise.

Thunderbird @ Sep 12th 2008 9:15PM

It will probably require friend codes to work with first party games.

Miles @ Sep 13th 2008 11:47AM

It has already been said that the sound that comes from the Wii to the speakers also goes into WiiSpeak and filters the game audio out. So all you can hear are the voices, not other peoples games.

I personally think it's great!

Deozaan @ Sep 13th 2008 2:15PM

This might be just the thing that Xbox and Playstation need.

If these kiddies talking racist homophobic trash all the time had to have it on loudspeaker, I'd like to think their parents would have something to say about it and make them tone it down.

TWiNKiE @ Sep 14th 2008 12:24PM

The cable looks to be real long anyways. I can just route it to where I sit, instead of having it on top of the TV. Then EVERYONE WILL HEAR ME. :)

rouroniJohn @ Sep 14th 2008 6:45PM

a headset would have been so much more useful...i can see wiispeak working with A.C.C.F. and nothing else...

Brad @ Sep 15th 2008 4:17PM

ANY form of microphone is pointless without a real online presence... which Nintendo simply refuses to give us.

Areck @ Sep 16th 2008 9:18PM

I was relieved whe I heard that wiispeak wasn't a headset. I use stand mic cause one that will fit my head dosn't exsist on this plant. I don't have a huge head, its just headset mics all seem so made around one model of head. I don't see racist douches online as a problem, ignore lists fixs that easily. Most gripes with Wiispeak can be fixed simply so i'm just hopig devs catch on.

Just_a_guy @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:41PM

"Boom Headshot"

Son? why are you sitting there naked?

"dude your naked?"

That's why i hate wii speak:

it picks up what other's are saying, even if they are not part of the game. I don't want mom walking into the room and trying to deal with family or personal buisness when i'm playing an online game. I don't want them hearing what I don't want my oponents to hear, and with wii speak they WILL hear.