| Nintendo to give free Wi-Fi access to DS users |
|
|
LONDON: Japanese gaming company Nintendo Co. Ltd. is all set to launch a free, countrywide wireless gaming service on 25 November for owners of its DS handheld console. The scheme, called Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, to be implemented by Wi-Fi hotspot companies, the Cloud and BT Openzone, under deals with Nintendo U.K., will facilitate a DS owner within the range of a participating hotspot to connect wirelessly to another player and play an interactive game.
The two hotspot providers have some 7,500 Wi-Fi access points in the U.K. and Nintendo is planning to increase this number by installing BT Openzone hotspots in major video games retailers and other key outlets across the country. DS gamers will now be able to play in McDonald's restaurants, Coffee Republic coffee houses, Hilton and Ramada Jarvis hotels, Road Chef and Welcome Break service stations, First Great Western railway stations, over 25 student unions and city centre BT Payphones and airports, football stadiums and even the British Library and Canary Wharf for free.
The company said it is coming out with a 30-pound PC-connected USB Wi-Fi adaptor for the DS to allow owners to create a wireless network from any home computer with a broadband Internet connection. It is also launching DS versions of Mario Kart on 25 November, in addition to the network-enabled Tony Hawk's American SK8Land, which will go on sale a week earlier.
While the gaming is offered free, Nintendo said any other use of the network will be billed at whatever tariffs the relevant hotspot owner charges. This will ensure that there will be no free web surfing or e-mailing or net telephony.
Nintendo plans to come out with similar network facilities in Europe to be operated by local Wi-Fi service providers.
Nintendo said DS users can log on to the Wi-Fi network without any complicated menu screens and with minimum configurations. The facility, according to experts, may see creation of more accessible Wi-Fi networks and even enlarge the market to cover a wider audience.
Large scale Wi-Fi adoption has to a certain extent been prevented by the complexities of using the system. Logging on to a hot spot can be a time-consuming process and expensive. Though BT and the Cloud have a roaming deal that allows Openzone customers to use The Cloud's hot spots, there were no similar deals between other service providers.
The Nintendo DS will be the first system to work via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, to be followed by the next generation Nintendo Revolution.
Posted
on : Sun, 06 Nov 2005 02:05 GMT | General News
By : Rob Davis
|
| |
| Related |
|
|
|
