Nintendo has been behind in the online landscape for quite some time now. The Gamecube had virtually no content available for playing online, but the House of N seems intent on bringing Wii up to speed in the race for web supremacy.

They have already taken giant steps in that arena with the Wii Channels. Getting news, weather, and downloadable games onto your system in a few moments is fantastic, but without online multiplayer it’s just icing without a cake.

In an interview with Mercury News, the voice of Nintendo himself, Reggie Fils Aime, confirmed that Pokemon Battle Revolution will be the first game on Wii to feature online play when it is released in America. Online development kits have apparently been handed out to developers and more titles will be utilizing the function.

As for what type of online play PBR would actually feature, Fils Aime was somewhat more tight lipped, offering no information on that theater of play. Most likely the functionality will be limited to a battle arena where players can bring their Pokemon to battle other users.

PBR will also reportedly include connectivity with the Nintendo DS handheld.

It’s great to see that Nintendo is finally getting on the right track with their online infrastructure. Despite this decent sized step it will be some time before they will be considered a true competitor in the online multiplayer landscape.

PBR is a step in the right direction, but I can’t help but believe that Nintendo underestimates how completely righteous a Pokemon MMO would be. An online Pokerena is cool and all, but a true MMO would bring to fruition every Pokefan’s dream of competiting to be lead trainer of a Pokegym in their home Poketown. The possibilities are endless and Nintendo continues to think small potatoes. What a shame.