So, for the last two generations, there have been a lot of new interconnectivity features. Things like the GTS and the Entralink are examples of this. Is it odd that there is such an emphasis on connectivity in Pokemon now? Before, you could only trade with those people you actually KNEW who had Pokemon. But now, you can trade with anyone around the world who has a Pokemon game.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Sure, the internet's a great thing, and being able to talk to people across the globe is definitely interesting. But how many people miss the simplicity of previous games or generations? Or the fact that you didn't necessarily have to connect with others to catch certain Pokemon or complete sidequests?

Discuss.

I think Nintendo realized the big problem with Pokemon in Generation 3: With a GBA and link cable, there is a limit to how much you can do when it comes to battling or trading. To get a full Pokedex, you would either have to get another game yourself, or have a friend you knew who lived close-by and had a game also. And in many cases that doesn't get very far.

Now with the advent of WFC, albeit it has its problems (like what people want over GTS), it's definitely amazing. You can communicate with someone you've never met in real life, arrange a trade or battle, and have it done in minutes all from the comfort of your home.

Any negatives from the creation of WFC are far outweighed by the positives. Sure, the quotes of the NPCs in the Global Terminal (4th gen) and such are immensely cheesy, but they're true. You can communicate with anyone, anywhere, and all you need is Wi-Fi. It's truly amazing.

tl;dr version: increased connectivity is great

I agree with DNA.

When I first bought the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations I had a whole roster of friends who had also bought those games, and who I could trade with. But even then there were problems; we didn't always buy opposite games (Gold - Silver, etc), and that got rid of the chance to get version exclusive Pokemon, and narrowed it down the obtaining of different starters on one save. And the main problem for me now is that none of my friends play Pokemon anymore. I don't know anybody near me who has Gens 4 or 5, so I'm very limited now.

With Wi-fi you know there will ALWAYS be somebody with the opposite game to yours. There will always be a Diamond to your Pearl. You will always be able to have the version exclusives, and you'll always be able to get the starters and legendaries that you would have otherwise missed out on. You can even get event Pokemon from events that you missed out on, either due to geography or whatever. And when you're looking for whatever Pokemon, you'll find that they're at variable levels, with variable stats, and movesets, and so on. It's not like there's only one Pidgey up for trade!

So, in summation, the old cable system, as beautiful as it was, was eventually found to be flawed, and Wi-fi was born. And if you're feeling that retro, you can still trade with somebody sat next to you, just without a cable.

I agree with everything said so far, but I now must reprise my role of MR. Negative..

There are a few problems I have found with WiFi. First of all if you own a DS lite, you will have trouble connecting with networks. Why? Because most networks use WPA instead of WEP for security. And of course, DS lite does not have the capabilty to use the WPA. For me personally, I now no longer have a way to swap back and forth between WPA and WEP on my wireless router. So for me and other people in my position, we literally have half a game.

And when I did use WiFi I found a few things:

A) I had a horrid connection. I could only trade Via GTS or through the WiFi random battles. No matter what I did, I COULD NOT USE PALPAD. Every time I tried, ERROR message. And even using the GTS and Random battles, IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO FIND PEOPLE!
B) Sometime you do not know what your gettin into. How do you know if the pokemon you are gettin is legit? Sometimes in Random matchup youll come across someone using Hack to the extreme pokemon.

And finally my biggest peeve:
C) Sore losers in the Random Matchup DCing as you win.

Ok Ill take off the MR. negative hat now and continue:

Yes, WiFi was a good idea by nintendo, simply becuase some people dont live in an area that hasa High pokemon fan base. Wifi allows these people to interact in a way they would not normally have. And yes sometimes buying EVERYGAME, jsut to complete a pokedex can be rathe expensive, ($90 (canadian) to buy all 3 games in current gen {Yes, I am aware the Grey/Gray, whatever is not out yet}).

As for the EMPHISIS on connectivity, Nintendo should dial it back a bit. Some people do not have access AT All to WiFi/ or live in an area with a high pokemon fan base. Expecially in this Gen, If you do not have WiFi, OR a high pokemon fan base, you LITERALLY have half a game.

(ok so MR. Negatice made a comeback at the end there, sorry.)

I'd like to say that, in the DS Lite's defense, when the DS Lite was first released WPA security was virtually unheard of - pretty much everything was WEP. Times have changed though and there's a lot more WPA, and fortunately they did address that issue when they released the DSi several years ago. I do have a DS Lite myself but I'm fortunate that my connection uses WEP.

However I do understand your point - Not everyone has Wifi, and of those that do, not everyone has the best connection. I do realize and understand that the issue does exist, and there might be a way that the issues might be redressed in future. (I doubt that they'll change from their tried-and-true Wifi but it's a possibility.)

But at least there is Wifi. And Wifi is better than nothing, right?


I think we've pretty much always had those. They're just a bit more likely to find when you use Wifi, that's all.

And as to how to find out if you're getting something legit? Well, if you know the person you're trading with well enough, and you trust them, then you can be assured you're getting a good deal. (This is why I always want to make very sure that I am not getting a hacked Pokemon in a trade - I have used AR myself in the past but I never trade out hacks to anybody, and I'm good at detecting them as well.) With GTS that isn't possible, which is a shame. There are ways to tell, somewhat (like are they asking for something ridiculous or something that's a fair trade?), but I agree, I think for GTS there should be more information given.

So I do agree with your points, but at the same time I do have to say that Wifi is better than nothing.

I'm just chiming in to say that I'm not against connectivity; wifi battles/trading are great. But I worded my OP the way I did mostly because it'd generate more discussion that way :p.

As far as my own observations regarding wifi, I've had some of the issues that GofD talked about; how I fixed it was buying a little USB thing that emits its own (WEP) signal, broadcast for about 10 feet in diameter. So when I want/need wifi, I just plug it in and log on; otherwise, unplug. I wish that things like the Dream World weren't the only way to get certain versions of Pokemon, as well. It's not very convenient for those without compatible Wifi, and I always felt like I was missing out on something before I solved my issues. Events are the same way; if something's being released over Wifi, before I just had to sit back and hope it came to Gamestop, or I couldn't get one.

But those are the only real drawbacks that I see; battling and whatnot is still a good thing, and other than the disconnect thing, there's no real issue that I can see.