Laptop Required For Non-McDonald�s DS WiFi |
Nintendo released some more details about their upcoming WiFi DS service today. The only new thing seems to be some more detail about how you connect to the service outside your home.
While we’ve already reported that gamers can go to any of the 6,000 Wayport-enabled McDonald’s in the country to play for free on their DS, we’ve never known how else you can connect to DS WiFi.
I assumed that you could just hit up any WiFi spot and use the service if you were able to access it. Not so, my friend, not so. It looks like you will also have to lug along a WiFi-enabled laptop and Nintendo’s own WiFi USB Connector. I shit you not.
This is from the official press release:
When visiting other pay-service Wi-Fi hotspots, such as those at coffee shops or airports, players can use a laptop computer and the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector to access Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector provides a conduit to play games via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection by enabling the Nintendo DS to share an Internet connection established by a laptop running Windows XP (regular Internet access fees may apply at pay-service hotspots).
Weird, huh? And a bit disappointing I might add.
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Comments [refresh]
lol pwned.
This seems like a bad move from Nintendo; fewer people will be able to use the online features now that they know you have to buy an attachment to play.
Nintendo is saying that if you go to a place that is not a Nintendo DS hotspot that you will have to use your Nintendo USB Wi-Fi connector. Makes perfect sence to me. Unless you expect that every buisness offering Wi-Fi that has never heard of a NDS to setup their Wi-Fi so that you can play your NDS on it. Nintendo did say "Coffee Shops" "Airports".
But doesn't this mean we'll also have to buy the USB adapter if we want to play at home? That sucks. I already have a wireless network running here, and NOW I have to buy another piece of hardware?
If you have a wireless network at home, then you do not need to use their dongle thingy. This was a common sense thing and we all knew about it, I thought. All of those coffee shops and airports and other places that have pay-per-use connections are not the same as a regular wireless network.
I think we're all misunderstandin g things here. I believe this only applies to pay-service Wi-Fi hotspots/ however any other free public hotspot (like colleges and sometimes shopping malls) is set up just like a home network so you can access it no problem.
Or at least in theory. I guess we'll just wait and see.
That should be correct, Chaos. You see, with the pay-service Wi-Fi hotspots, you need a web browser in order purchase access time, which the DS can't do (yet). All free hotspots should be able to work without any extra hardware.
Are you sure that Wi-Fi hotspots will work alone? Or will software need to be installed on a PC?
I think someones got their knickers in a twist, that information has been misinterpreted somewhere!
Nintendo has already said that if you have access to a wireless access point/hotspot, that negates the need to the nintendo WiFi adapter, which they are heavily promoting in canada and south america, due to their lack of wireless internet hotspots over there!
Also, if anyone has payed attention to the new videos, and some of the past screen shots, you are allowed to identify your own connections, and even configure connection to a WEP encrypted network. You have only 3 slots for wireless settings though, and there is no WPA support.
Roll on wireless Mario Kart :D
Yeah, as Chaos mentioned, this is only for services such as T-Mobile (Borders, Starbucks, etc.) that are monthly subscriptions. Unlike the PSP, the DS does not have a built-in web browser, so there's no way to connect to paid hotspot services.
If you have a laptop and an addition WiFi card (or Nintendo's dongle), you can route the connection through the laptop for use with the DS, assuming the ports aren't blocked.