A strange oddity found hints that the Wii U will not support standard voice chat across games.
The console will support voice chat, but instead of a universal system, will operate on a game-by-game basis. The GamePad features a mic, but this will not be the default option for voice chat. Voice chat will then only be supported through officially-licensed third-party headsets, which will be plugged into the GamePad’s mic port.
What’s even more confusing is that if players use the Wii U’s Pro Controller, there is no headset jack, making one think that you’ll have to keep the GamePad plugged in and close by to use a headset.
Nintendo released an official statement, which didn’t really clarify anything: “Wii U will have in-game chat functionality for select games, including, but not limited to, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 3. This feature will be supported by licensed stereo headsets that plug directly into the headphone port of the Game Pad. Licensed headsets are available from Turtle Beach and Tritton.”
The whole voice-chat implementation with the Wii U seems awfully convoluted. We hope it’s just a mix-up in the communications from Nintendo, and some clarity is found soon.