We already know it’s coming, but Nintendo has sent out a press release reminding us that the Wii Speak accessory will be available starting November 16 – less than a week from now. You can buy it separately for $29.99, or save a Hamilton and get the Animal Crossing bundle for $69.99. Either way, you’ll be able to download the Wii Speak Channel and be able to voice chat with anyone you’re friends with.
You know, for the longest time here, we’ve been trying to find a convenient way to do a conference chat/call so that we can do podcasts even while the entire The Tanooki staff is spread out across North America. AIM? Live? Skype? Didn’t work so well. Cross your fingers for this one!
NINTENDO PREPS FOR ROOM-TO-ROOM VOICE CHATTING
Nov. 7, 2008
The new in-game voice chat function for Animal Crossing™: City Folk will be ready to go as soon as the game launches on Nov. 16, using the Wii Speak™ accessory. A separate Wii Speak™ Channel that people can use to chat independent of Animal Crossing: City Folk will be available in December.
The new voice chat function makes use of the new Wii Speak accessory, a microphone that sits on top of the television and allows entire rooms of people to communicate with one another. Only users who have traded Friend Codes can connect with one another using Wii Speak. The accessory is sold separately at an MSRP of $29.99 and will also be available as a bundle with Animal Crossing: City Folk at select retailers at an MSRP of $69.99. The Wii Speak accessory comes with a code that lets users download the Wii Speak Channel from the Wii Shop Channel at no charge.
The Wii Speak Channel will allow friends and family members to chat with one another, whether they live across town or across the globe. When users are chatting with the Wii Speak Channel, they can see each other’s Mii™ characters representing them on the television screen.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com. For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.Nintendo.com.
