Nintendo to launch non-gaming Wi-Fi service

Nintendo DS owners will soon be able to access more than game content after the company revealed plans to launch a series of non-gaming services for the handheld.

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata told Gamespot that his firm plans to offer consumers the ability to download information from public Wi-Fi hotspots.

“One of the lifestyle proposals we'd like to put into effect in the first half of this year is an experiment aimed at getting people to use their DS in public spaces as part of a larger effort to make the DS a more helpful tool for people in their everyday lives," said Iwata.

“It's a portable, single-architecture platform that can receive anything given a Wi-Fi hot spot, with over 20 million units in use in Japan and about the same amount in the US and Europe.

“I really think the idea of making it a gaming machine that's also useful in your daily life is a good one, and possible. We'll be keeping an eye on the experiment's results while hopefully increasing the number of places you can use your DS in progressive steps.”