The future is coming up digital
Six games launch with WiiWare Monday with prices ranging from $5 ("Defend Your Castle") to $15 ("My Life as a King"). The company says new games will be posted via the WiiShop Channel on Mondays. Gamers can also download some 220-plus retro Nintendo console titles through the Virtual Console service, which has been up and running since the Wii launched in 2006.

But Nintendo is running in last place with its new download service. Microsoft and Sony already provide services that allow gamers to download bite-sized games for pocket-change prices to their competing machines.

Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade was the groundbreaker when it launched back in 2004. It now offers more than 120 games that can be downloaded straight to the Xbox 360 — old arcade classics like "Joust," casual hits like "Zuma" and quirky original games like "RezHD" and "N+." These kinds of smaller, pick-up-and-play style games can also be downloaded straight to the PS3 through the PlayStation Network, which boasts outstanding indie games such as "Flow" and "Everyday Shooter."

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"Theyv'e been a little slower when it comes to dealing with online," Brian Crecente, managing editor of the popular game news site Kotaku.com, says of Nintendo. "One of the key issues is that Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, has deep down always felt like online isn't core to gaming."

But "the fact they're coming late to party is not going to be a problem," Crecente says. "They have a fan base that is prepared to play games in a different way. Those games are going to do really well on the Wii."

Meanwhile, talk to many indie developers and they'll tell you that the growing popularity of these download services is an important sign of things to come.

"Part of the reason we're so excited about this game and the ways it's being delivered and launched is that we believe it really is the first step towards the future for us," says Walsh, from Frontier Developments. "If you look at the way music has gone, look at the way movies are going — games are going to go the way of digital downloads."

And one need only look at the growth of Internet-based gaming download services such as Steam and GameTap to see that people are increasingly willing to use digital channels to get their gaming fix.

But don't say goodbye to real-world stores yet. Michael Pachter, games analyst for Wedbush Morgan, says piracy and storage issues are part of the reason it'll be some time before gamers stop making trips to their local retail outlets.

"Current consoles have small or no hard drives, and most HD games are nine gigabytes or bigger," he says. "Until we have 1,000 gigabyte hard drives, it will be hard to convince consumers to download."

Prata is quick to point out that Nintendo does not see WiiWare as the death knell for retail. "WiiWare is more of an expansive opportunity. It's trying to expand the games consumers can experience, it's not intended to be a replacement for retail whatsoever."

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No matter how the future plays out, game developers say that the growing number of digital distribution services make now a great time to be an independent spirit.

"I think it's breathing a whole new life into games and into games development," Nnooo's Watt says.

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