Nintendo and BT Openzone roll out Wi-Fi hotspots
Over 600 hotspots across UK retailers offering free connection and downloadable game demos
Nintendo's partnership with BT Openzone has today resulted in the installation of 607 Wi-Fi hotspots in stores across the UK and Ireland, delivering easy free access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. The stores, comprising GAME, Gamestation, HMV, Toys R Us, Smyths Toys branches as well as a selection of independent retailers, are expected to go live by the summer.
But that's not all. To celebrate the release of Animal Crossing: Wild World, some 500 of these Wi-Fi stores will also offer free downloads of playable demos for current and forthcoming DS titles via in-store Download Stations. The first games to be available include one-level demos of Polarium, Meteos and the opportunity to meet Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's nintendog 'Pic'. Subsequent downloads in April and May include Pokemon Link, Trauma Centre: Under the Knife and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?.
And it's not just games: expect unique items for Animal Crossing: Wild World and a 'very special' Metroid Prime: Hunters movie. Nintendo is currently promising that new content will be added and refreshed on a monthly basis, so regular visits to your local Wi-Fi hotspot are recommended.
Accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service at a store couldn't be easier. Simply walk into the shop with your DS and any Nintendo Wi-Fi compatible game, turn on the console and choose the 'Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection' option from the game's main menu. Then lose yourself in an experience that a million other people are already enjoying around the world.
Downloading demos is similarly straightforward. Turn on your DS near the store's Download Station and select 'DS Download Play' from the system menu. The download remains playable on your DS until you switch off its power.
Since its launch just four months ago, Nintendo's wireless gaming service has notched up a record of one million unique users. The installation of 600 hotspots announced today (which will add to the 7,500 hotspots that players across the UK already have access to thanks to Nintendo's agreements with Wi-Fi providers) should ensure the service's popularity continues to mushroom.
