Wii Speak
Wii Speak was revealed during Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference.
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| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
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| Type | Microphone |
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| Developer | Nintendo |
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| Type | Online voice-only chat |
| Launch date | December 5, 2008 |
| Last updated | March 27, 2009 |
| Platform | Wii |
Wii Speak is a microphone accessory for Nintendo's Wii video game console. Connected to the console via USB, the device can be placed near the video display, allowing voice chat to be conducted with the entire room. The device features an LED to indicate when the microphone is active. Wii Speak was announced at Nintendo's 2008 E3 media briefing. It was released separately and bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk on November 16, 2008, in North America, and was released on December 5, 2008, in Europe.
The Wii Speak accessory is succeeded by the embedded microphone on the Wii U's GamePad controller. Nevertheless, the Wii Speak hardware is still compatible with the Wii U.
According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the microphone is designed to "clearly capture many different voices being spoken in a room at the same time and convey that over the Internet." Addressing concerns over background noise due to the placement of the microphone near a television set, Animal Crossing: City Folk producer Katsuya Eguchi states that the device is designed to filter out video game sound from the audio speakers. Miyamoto notes that the quality of the noise filtering functionality in the Wii Speak is "very good", which may be contributing to the cost of the device. A switch was originally planned, but the microphone now turns on only when a compatible game wants access to it.
At E3, when asked why the device would not be bundled with City Folk, Nintendo senior managing director Shigeru Miyamoto replied that cost was the factor behind the decision, adding that some users may prefer playing the game without a microphone, and that others may want to use Wii Speak who are not interested in buying City Folk. In contrast with previous statements, Nintendo later revealed that a bundle of Wii Speak and City Folk would also be released. The bundle was a limited edition, released the same day as the standalone products.
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