Nintendo Channel Snooping Details
Like most Nintendo Wii owners, I eagerly installed the Nintendo Channel upon noticing the characteristic blue strobe. During the initial launch, users are prompted through a multitude of screens, but one in particular caught my eye:
We would like to offer you the opportunity to receive game recommendations based on your actual game play. To receive this service, you must agree to allow Nintendo to collect non-identifiable info from your console, such as the games you play and the time you play them. Nintendo will then use this information to recommend games to you and develop new games and services.
I immediately waved my Wiimote over the "Opt Out" button, only to spot that participation in the data collection program is requisite to being able to download Nintendo DS demos:
To thank you for sharing your anonymous data with Nintendo, we would like to make available to you the DS Download Service. No information that personally identifies you or your console will be shared with Nintendo by agreeing to share your game-play data.
Fortunately, Nintendo has fully itemized everything being transmitted between your console and their mainframes. While the lot of it seems innocuous, I can't help but feeling cornered into participation. Nintendo DS demo downloads are the primary incentive for the Nintendo Channel, because the channel is otherwise a waste of console space. Heck, I still can't help but feel gypped from having to backup and delete Virtual Console titles just to watch Nintendo's hottest commercials and download a demo of Crosswords DS.
Nintendo Channel - Details of Information Sent to Nintendo [Nintendo Customer Service]
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Posted to Miscellany on 7 May 2008
· Comments (5)
Other stuff like this: console usage, internet, nintendo channel, nintendo wii, snooping
I don't know, personally, I don't mind them knowing what games I'm playing and how often/much I game them. If it helps, at all, to give Nintendo a clue that people still do enjoy their hardcore games, and prove that they need to keep making them, I'm fine with that. I'm not so paranoid of big brother type scenario's. I mean hell, I give them my credit card number every time I want to buy more of their delicious classics (and soon to be Wii-Ware titles.)
I'm not sure if I agree with them holding the DS downloads as a carrot for signing up, but at the same time, I guess it is the Nintendo Channel, so Nintendo gets to do what Nintendo wants, and if we don't like it, then don't download it, eh?
I agree with Mr. Randle.
I don't mind Nintendo knowing what Nintendo games I play especially when we give them much more vital information (like our credit card numbers) when we purchase downloadable games.
Image source: Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound."
This is such a bunch of crap. First they give us... what, 640k of flash memory, is it? Then, for the priviledge of accessing demos (which are, by the way, a form of advertising), we are forced to suck up a significant portion of that with OTHER advertising. I'm sure there's a special place in hell for people like this.
I'm not bothered by this at all. Ooo Nintendo can see what games I played. Who cares? There's no important info on my Wii (I had to keep entering my age when doing the recomendations today for games I've played).
People worried about them seeing the Twillight hack, well... tough tits. No DS demos for you. (I don't get that anyway, what can they do, force patches on your Wii? This is Nintendo, not Microsoft genuine Windows checks). I guess people like a good conspiracy theory.
Coincidently I noticed I couldn't rate/recommend Smash... I guess there's still a lot to be finished on the Channel. I hope they update frequently!