Offical: Nintendo DS online

[maruchan]

Umm news from the GDC conference says that IWata finnaly made the offical annucment that Nintendo DS will go online.. no real links yet.. but just starting this thread as more information pours in..

March 10, 2005 - At the Game Developers Conference keynote speech today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo will be sending its Nintendo DS online wirelessly to enable gamers around the world to connect to each other in games written specifically for the protocol.

Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at universal Wi-Fi hot spots in use all over the world. Nintendo's in-house development team is already creating Animal Crossing DS to support global Wi-Fi connectivity.

During the speech, Iwata took part in eight-player wireless competition of Mario Kart DS with audience members to demonstrate the local-area wireless support already inherent in several Nintendo DS games. More details on the Wi-Fi service will be revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this May.

Iwata also used his keynote speech today to reveal that shipments of DS systems have surpassed four million units in North America and in Japan in the 16 weeks on the market. That number will approach six million when the system launches in Europe this March.

During the speech, Iwata demonstrated two key Nintendo DS games to spotlight the unique gameplay aspects and non-traditional gaming of the dual screen handheld. Nintendogs was highlighted to demonstrate the voice and touch controls of interacting with realistic puppies on-screen. Electroplankton also made its debut to show the innovative use of the DS' control properties. According to Iwata: "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline."

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[Shin Johnpv]

online animal crossing

that just may sell well

[Cowdisease]

I wonder if the DS will support WEP/WPA encryption schemes. If so, then I can use the DS with my wireless router. Maybe then, I'll buy a DS (if Advance Wars DS goes online).

[marwan]

i was loosing hope in the DS, but this definately breathes new hope for Nintendos handheld. If Mario Kart DS goes online, i'm all over it!

[Lhadatt]

It had better support WPA. I don't feel like introducing an obvious security hole into my wifi setup, should I choose to buy a GBNext-Placeholder.

[mollipen]

Nintendo's in-house development team is already creating Animal Crossing DS to support global Wi-Fi connectivity.

Damn... they might actually make Animal Crossing a fun game with this.

And if this doesn't support home wireless routers, then there will be no reason to even introduce the feature. I'm not going to Starbucks just to play my DS online.

[Drinky Milk]

Animal Crossing online means I am forced to buy a DS. Fuck Nintendo. Fuck them.


I'll get a white one.

P.S. Free online from any hot-spot is amazing. I hope Sony follows suit and allows this to happen with some sort of browser.

[Mzo]

I'll be all digging holes in your yard and chopping down your trees while sipping a chantico.

[Drewbacca]

Wow, an announcement that didn't make me roll my eyes or sigh. Weird...

[Lhadatt]

And if this doesn't support home wireless routers, then there will be no reason to even introduce the feature. I'm not going to Starbucks just to play my DS online.

There's no reason why it wouldn't.

A coffeehut router is the same as a home router, for all intents and purposes. You might even have problems using it at some coffeehuts, since hotspots run by TMobile and such require payments. The DS will need a browser to login to the hotspot. Even some free hotspots log the time spent by users and force re-logins after a certain period. I don't think hotspot gaming on either the DS or PSP will become a reality until Wifi is universally free as in beer, and without stupid login tracking.