Coffee, burger and trains for online

The final pieces of DS’s free gaming wi-fi network have been put into place with the announcement that Nintendo is partnering up with wireless providers BT Openzone and The Cloud.

Between them the two companies have over 7,500 wi-fi hotspots throughout the UK. These include many McDonalds restaurants, Coffee Republic cafes and hotels such as the Hilton and Ramada Jarvis brands. Other useful locations for DS gaming will include Road Chef and Welcome Break service stations, First Great Western railway stations, over 25 student unions as well as various airports and football stadiums.

Details of your nearest hotspot can be found by entering a postcode or town details at either www.thecloud.net or www.btopenzone.com.

Launching on 25th November with Mario Kart DS, Nintendo’s wi-fi gaming service will be available free from any of these locations. All you have to do is switch on your DS with a wi-fi-enabled game in range of a hotspot and the software will automatically do the rest. It will give you the option to choose the wi-fi service and from there you’ll be able to connect with and play against DS players throughout the world.

Nintendo will also be working with BT Openzone to set up more hotspots in game shops and shopping malls. Of course, if you have a wi-fi network at home, you’ll be able to connect from the privacy of your own livingroom as well.

And if you have broadband at home but no wireless connection, you’ll be able to join the fun with Nintendo’s wi-fi USB connector. Also released on 25th November for £30, this needs to be plugged into your broadband-connected PC’s USB port, where it will automatically set up a connection for you.

Another important thing to stress is that when you connect to the gaming service, you won’t have direct communication with other players, so personal details or inappropriate comments can’t be exchanged. Although, if you want to play with your friends, you can exchange specific codes so you can meet up and play against them online.