News: No more chatting on the Wii

According to Gamespot, Nintendo is in the process of phasing out voice chat for its Nintendo Wii console and that the Wii Speak peripheral is now only available at “limited retail locations”.

The peripheral launched in late 2008, is a microphone accessory for the Wii and allows users to conduct voice chat with an entire room, in the vein of speaker phones. This is in contrast to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 which uses headset-based chat services.

The device also featured its own dedicated channel on the console, allowing users to chat with one another using their Mii in-game avatars.

Nintendo recently confirmed the peripheral’s demise but did say, “additional shipments can be made if consumer demand increases.”

Consumers can however continue using the third-party Headbanger Headset to voice chat on the Wii, with Nintendo saying that it will continue to be available and will work with games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Nintendo didn't have much to say about the Wii Speak channel, with the company stating, “we have nothing to announce regarding the future of this channel, and it currently is being enjoyed by many gamers.”

So if you'd like to use voice chat for the Wii, make sure to go pick up the Wii Speak peripheral if you still can, otherwise third-party products are the way to go.

No more chatting on the Wii

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