Nintendo's new Wi-Fi Connection service will allow gamers to compete wirelessly against one another by accessing wireless hotspots at home or on the road.
Nintendo earlier this week announced they were bringing the Mario Kart franchise to Wi-Fi through the Nintendo DS. Mario Kart DS is the first title to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, along with multiple upcoming titles like Animal Crossing: Wild World on Dec. 5 and Metroid Prime Hunters on March 20.
When racing using a wireless local area connection, said Nintendo, up to eight players can play, even if only one of them has a Mario Kart DS game card. When using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, up to four players across the world can join a race. Friends share their DS Friend Code to find one another online using their friend roster.
A variety of access options exist, ranging from connecting a Nintendo DS through a home Wi-Fi network to logging on at Wayport-enabled McDonald’s.
“Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection removes the barriers that have prevented many mainstream players from going online,” says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “We have made the service incredibly simple to use and free at select hotspot locations — but this is just the beginning.”
