Nintendo Eyes Online for DS
And on the eve of official Euro release details too.
Nintendo has been wary of taking its consoles online, so much so that the company is running substantially behind Sony and Microsoft in this rapidly growing arena. The latter two companies already have hundreds of games that support online play while Nintendo is shuffling forward with little more than a handful.
And despite comments from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata that online gaming is not important yet, it seems that Nintendo might be preparing to get involved in a much bigger way.
Representatives of the company, speaking to games site CVG, said that the Nintendo DS could support online play via the dual-screen handheld's wireless connection in the future.
"The DS does have online capabilities that Nintendo is exploring," a Nintendo spokesperson told CVG, "but plans for these capabilities have not been announced yet."
For the first time, Nintendo is facing a credible portable gaming competitor in Sony. The PSP also has wireless capabilities and already dozens of games have been confirmed to include online features.
Nintendo has not yet laid out its online plans. And with no details revealed at Thursday's press conference in Paris, Nintendo is likely to share its online vision with the world at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, taking place in mid-May in Los Angeles.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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