BIOS: Technology Means Business

The video games industry’s ‘story of the year’ for 2005 is growing even more compelling early in 2006, as Nintendo has announced major new initiatives for its hot-selling Nintendo DS portable game system.

In a matter of weeks DS owners will sample free games simply by visiting their local game retailers, players can enjoy live, real-time Wi-Fi voice interaction with their portable game play, and a new lighter, brighter DS will make its debut in Japan.

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing, announced the new DS features during his keynote address today at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' D.I.C.E. conference in Las Vegas.

‘Nintendo DS was the only video game system that exceeded expectations in 2005, simply because it dared to be different,’ Fils-Aime said. ‘By further enriching the ways in which players can compete, play and sample new games, that process is accelerating in the opening weeks of 2006.’

Starting next month, Nintendo will offer all DS owners free downloadable game demos and other downloadable content at thousands of participating retail locations around the United States. An in-store kiosk will beam wireless demo versions of games and other downloadable content into a players’ Nintendo DS system.

Users simply stop by the store with their Nintendo DS, click ‘DS Download Play’ on their system and choose one of a variety of DS games they want to sample. The game will download automatically and users can play all they want (even if they leave the store) until the Nintendo DS is turned off. Sequentially, players can try out as many games as they want, letting them test drive the wide array of games that can only be played on Nintendo DS.

The first DS Download Service stations will include free demos of Tetris DS, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, True Swing Golf and Pokemon Trozei, along with a Metroid Prime Hunters video clip. The selection of games and other downloadable content at DS Download Service kiosks will refresh quarterly.

The new Metroid Prime Hunters game for Nintendo DS will give gamers the ability to chat directly with one another before and after matches played via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players in North America simply click the chat icon and say what they have to say. The microphone of the Nintendo DS picks up voice communication and transmits it to the people on their friend list.

Players can use the chat function before a match to agree on settings or after a battle to relive their glories. This Teen-rated first-person adventure arrives March 20 and promises to open a dramatically fun new facet of gaming to Nintendo fans.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection now boasts more than 20 million different connections, representing more than 850,000 unique users worldwide. Nintendo DS has enjoyed extremely strong sales worldwide, selling more than 14.4 million units worldwide through December. The Japanese sell-through of the existing Nintendo DS hardware exceeded 5 million within 13 months, which made Nintendo DS there the fastest-selling video game launch ever.

In addition to Metroid Prime Hunters, Tetris DS also launches March 20. Using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, up to four players can compete in wireless two- or four-player Tetris DS battles against friends or strangers, near or far.

The lighter, brighter Nintendo DS system goes on sale in Japan next month. Nintendo DS Lite is about two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter. Its availability in other regions will be announced at a later date.

[Best Nintendo DS Pricing UK]
[Best Nintendo DS Pricing US]

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