A completely unexpected approach has been taken by Nintendo with regards to the in-game voice chat feature of its upcoming Wii U console. Although the hardware will indeed provide support to the said trait, gamers won’t be able chat with others through the mic that’s present on the GamePad controller.
Through a representative of Nintendo, Kotaku has learnt that only select games will support in-game voice chat between players. And until now it has been confirmed that Assassin’s Creed 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and Mass Effect 3 will feature the trait.
These games will only work when the GamePad is connected to officially licensed headsets made by third-party manufacturers, like the ones revealed by Turtle Beach recently. But the most displeasing aspect of it all is that the Pro controllers do not kick in any headphone jacks.
This means, gamers who would prefer playing with them, will need to have GamePad controllers sitting right besides them in order to connect the third-party headsets to them. Mad Catz and Turtle Beach both have unveiled their respective ranges of headphones for the new console, but it’s interesting to see that neither of the two have wireless devices in their portfolios.
This is despite the fact that Nintendo’s console features support for wireless connectivity through Bluetooth. Many are now left wondering whether wireless devices too will not be supported by the console.
The Wii U is slated to launch first in the Americas regions on November 18, while its European release will be seen taking place on November 30. It will land in Nintendo’s backyard, Japan, on December 8, 2012.