What
a time to be alive, gamers. We live in an era of unprecedented
connectivity and interactivity across great distances. Most anyone
with a Nintendo DS or Sony PSP can have fun with other gamers all
over the world, through the use of a simple wireless connection. The
handheld market is still one of the strongest things going in the
gaming industry these days, with the Nintendo DS leading the charge
in bringing entertainment to the masses' boring subway rides. I don’t
know about you, but every time I’m on the bus these days, I see
someone brandishing one of those darling little systems like a badge
of honour. Nintendo must be proud of their little creation.

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Speaking
of our masters in glorious Nippon, they’ve decided that the
Nintendo DS Lite, while being so popular, is not popular ENOUGH.
Second only to Capcom in the Dead Horse Department, Nintendo will
soon be releasing the
Nintendo
DSi
across North America, come April 5
th
.
Bearing a sleeker design, the system also incorporates two built-in
cameras, a music player, and the brand new DSi Shop. But, ah, here is
where things become sketchy.
Nintendo
has pulled an odd move here, and has actually created a whole
separate DSiWare service. You have a DSiWare account which you fill
with DSi Points, which you can use to purchase applications and games
wirelessly from your DSi. This raises an interesting question; Why
keep the DSiWare service separate from your Wii account and Wii
Points? Many Wii owners also own a DS, and vice-versa. The loyal
Nintendo fan will be more likely to purchase the DSi if he’s
already guaranteed some level of connectivity to his other systems!
Instead you now have to buy points cards for two separate systems, or
have your credit card linked to two different accounts. I won’t
lie, I had a TON of titles I had purchased over Nintendo's Virtual
Console on the Wii… So why aren’t I as thrilled for the handheld
equivalent?

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It
feels more transparent this time. The other handheld in the industry,
Sony's PSP, actually features connectivity with the Sony's current
home console, the Playstation 3. You can download PSP applications
over your PS3 and simply load them on. Heck, even your PSP account is
the same as your PS3 account, your digital ‘wallet’ full of money
(well, Sony’s money, since you’ve already given it to them) is
contiguous between the two! Users can access their PS3 wirelessly
from anywhere using their PSP, and actually stream data from the PS3.
Why does the DSi seem so lacking in comparison? Keeping the DSi and
the Wii connected would allow more functionality for shopping AND
gaming. Gamers should be able to keep their Friend Code from the Wii
and connect it to their DS games, maintain one account on the
Wii/DSiWare store and use points for either platform. Most Wii owners
have had, at some point or another, extra points floating around at
the bottom of our WiiWare account. I feel awkward having to buy more
points for another system when I’ve already GIVEN Nintendo my money
and have the points just sitting there on my Wii.

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A
simple, unified profile system does wonders for a systems community.
Microsoft has Xbox Live, their infamous system for letting players
keep in touch with each other, see what one another is up to, and how
good they are at the games they play. It’s an amusing blend of
Instant Messaging and Online Matchmaking that has become an integral
part of the Xbox 360 experience. My 360 is currently without an
Internet connection and it’s slowly driving me MAD because I can’t
access any of my content or keep in touch with any of my friends
online. Such a simple concept has brought gamers all over the world
together, and isn’t that what Nintendo claims to be striving for?
With all the different age groups who own the Wii and DS, a single
profile system would be an amazing way to keep in touch with friends
and family of all ages, all over the world. In fact, Nintendo, having
recently brought Club Nintendo to North America, has a prime
jumping-off point for online integration. A simple database of played
games, owned systems and friend-codes could easily create a robust,
friendly profile system. You could pop online and see if your dad is
playing Mario Kart, or if your kids are playing Smash Bros. Brawl
instead of studying. Club Nintendo already knows everything, even
about the Nintendo Power subscription I had back in 1994. Skynet
thrives in the Mushroom Kingdom, apparently.
Nintendo
has always been very strange when it comes to online connectivity.
From the Nintendo GameCube's almost hilariously poor online support,
to the Wii's mind-boggling multiple friend-code systems. It always
seems to be one step forward, two steps back. I’ve always been of
the mind that if you’re going to do something, do it right the
first time. However this is Nintendo’s handheld market, so we know,
for sure, that there always WILL be a ‘next time’ for them.