Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection

By the end of the year, Nintendo DS owners around the world will be able to play their favourite franchises via Wi-Fi. Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing DS and a new Tony Hawk title from Activision are targeted to be among the first using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, a groundbreaking portable, wireless gaming network. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection fulfills the promise of the wireless capabilities of Nintendo DS by taking advantage of yet another innovative aspect of the system and using it to expand the gaming experience to wider audiences.

"Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has an immediate user base of more than 5 million Nintendo DS owners worldwide, and it's growing every day," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The service invites everyone to enjoy the game-play experience for Nintendo-developed games using wireless connections with very easy setup procedures and no added service fees."

Using IGN's GameSpy Technology, DS players will connect wirelessly at any Wi-Fi hub, find their friends and begin racing, battling or chatting as easily as if they were sitting in the same room. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection also lets players post high scores and includes an option for games to have online storage space to store game data. More than 25 publishers worldwide are working on titles that will use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

In the six months since it launched, Nintendo DS has redefined portable gaming. With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the next six months will bring equally exciting innovations. Mario Kart DS, due in Q4, lets up to eight players race against one another in classic Mario Kart fashion on new tracks and arenas. Zip through raceways and environments while firing shells at your opponents using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Animal Crossing DS, also due in Q4, gives players in different locations the ability to explore their worlds and manage their homes. Using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, players can hang out, collect items or visit with friends.

With more than 60 licensee titles due this year, Nintendo also seeks to expand the idea of what constitutes a video game. New software titles like Nintendogs and Electroplankton for Nintendo DS provide unique experiences beyond traditional definitions. Nintendogs lets users choose an extremely realistic puppy and form emotional bonds with it, while Electroplankton lets users create their own ethereal or pulsing rhythms using the touch screen.