14 DAY TRIAL // So, are you thinking about waiting for a few months to see how the Wii Speak service shapes up, and then going into a GameStop to pick up a used headset in order to chat with your friends on your Nintendo Wii? Well, think again, because it seems that Nintendo is keen on making sure that it sells one headset to each owner of one of its home gaming consoles.
The details are not clear yet, but MTV Multiplayer is saying that, when you buy a Wii Speak enabled headset, which you will be able to do in December, you get, as part of the package, a card from Nintendo on which you will find a 16-character code. You will need to use the code in order to gain access to the Wii Speak Channel.
Nintendo clearly states that, if you lose that code, you will have to get a new headset in order to use the service. At the moment, there are no plans to allow players to simply buy access to the talk channel by using the Wii Shopping channel.
For a limited time, the Wii Speak headset and access to the service will only come bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk, when that title launches for the Nintendo Wii later in the month. The game allows you to use Wii Speak to contact friends through the game.
The move on Nintendo's part is one of the manifestations of a bigger trend in the gaming industry. We could call it a “war on reselling.” Through bundles, various codes for additional content and limited functionality, as implemented in Spore, publishers and developers are trying to limit the phenomenon of second hand games, which are sold after being used. The games rental market is also targeted.