Nintendo WiFi Service Cracks 1m
And the best part is that this impressive feat was managed in just a few months.
People have been talking about online gaming being the next big thing for a long time now, but it seems that it's finally starting to become a reality. As further proof of this, consider Nintendo's WiFi Connection service, which has just passed its first major milestone.
Kicked off around the launch of Mario Kart DS late last year, Nintendo WiFi Connection has now served more than a million people. The millionth player logged on in Japan for a spell of Animal Crossing: Wild World.
It's worth noting that this impressive feat was achieved in just four months and with less than a handful of games that official support the service, namely Mario Kart DS, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land and Animal Crossing: Wild World.
Nintendo has said all along that it would like nearly all DS owners to try the service at least once, and the company's mantra of providing a cheap, easy and safe method of going online has been key to WiFi Connection's success. Nintendo's hard-won deals to give gamers across the world free access at hotspots probably didn't hurt either.
The service should see a big jump in the coming months when Nintendo releases two of its biggest online hitters - Tetris DS and Metroid Prime: Hunters.
Richard Larson
Staff Writer, Kikizo Games