DS Has 2 Million Wi-Fi Users Play 70 Million Times

Wowzer writes "Nintendo's wireless gaming service has reached two million unique DS players online. Together they logged more than 70 million individual game sessions in just more than nine months of operation. From the article: 'To put that number in perspective, the population of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection users now surpasses the population of 15 different U.S. states, including Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.' The more you know, right? Also mentioned are the DS online games released so far: Mario Kart DS, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Tetris DS, LostMagic, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Tenchu: Dark Secret, and today Star Fox Command."

Match making service

[legoburner]

I have to say that the match making service in mario kart is terrible. Too many times I end up getting destroyed by someone much, much better than me (With three stars next to their name). The players who look like that would be alright to play against drop out too often and it is only possible to play against 3 other people. There is still a long way to go before it can be called a 'great' service, but it is at least a start.

Re:Match making service

[dividedsky319]

If you choose to play against "Rivals" instead of "Worldwide", the system will select rivals with similar records as you so you won't be thrown into a match with someone with thousands of wins and no losses...

I actually wish all games had this... My rating in Tetris hovers somewhere between 6500 and 6800 usually, and when I get put up against someone with a mid to low 5000 rating I almost feel bad about beating them, heh.

Re:

[Frag-A-Muffin]

My rating in Tetris hovers somewhere between 6500 and 6800 usually, and when I get put up against someone with a mid to low 5000 rating I almost feel bad about beating them, heh.

You shouldn't.

I love playing people with a much higher score than me because the points system isn't linear. Take note of your score before and after a game. Especially take note if you play someone that has a big difference in score (either higher or lower). What you'll notice is that when there's a big difference, if the lower sco

Re:

[Bloomy]

I've read that Tetris attempts to match closely ranked players, but broadens the range the longer it waits for players. And don't feel too badly about beating people with lower scores, because you never know when your connection might drop. A couple nights ago I finally cracked 7000, but got disconnected during a 4 player game and lost over 200 points (all the opponents were between 6000 and 6400). My router seemed fine, but I couldn't connect to nintendowifi.com from my (wired) PC, though I could surf e

Re:

[drsquare]

How are you supposed to get better unless you play against people better than you?

StarFox Command!

[h4ck7h3p14n37]

OFMG! I forgot StarFox was released today; time to run out to Fry's.

Re:

[|/|/|||]

OFMG!

I'll pass, but it's nice to see someone so generous with their god. :)

Re:

[h4ck7h3p14n37]

*LOL* I got the release date wrong too; StarFox Command went on sale yesterday. If I had remembered that, I'd be playing it now instead of reading /.

Re:

[Klowner]

Holy pancakes that snuck up on me. I needs mah starfox!

I really like DS wifi, but...

[vertinox]

I hope future games have better player communication and lobby rooms. As it is now, most Wifi games just feel like you are playing a really smart AI (or not smart depending)

I think more communication between players would make the online experience more enjoyable, but although having communication allows people to scream and curse at each other.

Not like we have a ton of obscene Mario Kart logos as it is....

Re:

[dividedsky319]

Unfortunately, I don't really see Nintendo going to this sort of system. As much as they try to shy away from the label of "kiddy", they want to make the WiFi connection kid friendly.

There was a story a few weeks back about a patent Nintendo filed dealing with converting speech to text... I could actually see this being worked into future Nintendo software, because that way the "conversation" could be monitored and censored. Swearing would be converted to text, then ****'d out so kids couldn't be exposed

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

I wouldn't say that Nintendo is trying to be "Kid Friendly" as much as they are trying to protect all of their users from the negative side of online play. Anyone who has run through the Barrens in WoW or played Online (with voice chat) on XBox Live knows how vulgar and rude insecure 13 year olds (and insecure 13 year olds at heart) are; an Asian Woman may go online only to be offended by the jerks she plays her first game against, meaning that she would not continue to play games online.

Re:

[gEvil (beta)]

Swearing would be converted to text, then ****'d out so kids couldn't be exposed to "vulgar" language.

Animal Crossing for the DS does this when texting with others.

Re:

[jchenx]

Animal Crossing for the DS does this when texting with others.

I wonder how "smart" this filter is though. There are just too many ways to say "fuck". Try alternate spellings ("phuck", "fvck") or symbols ("f\/ck", "fu_ck"). Then you've got issues with words like "ass", where you want to block that word, but not others like "bass" or "glass" or "assassin" ... while keeping out "assmonkey".

Personally, I think the right approach is to have different "zones". It's up the owner of the hardware (DS or console) to

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

One benefit of using a real computer opponent is that they won't quit if they start losing. MarioKart has soured me on the whole experience really. I have had my ass handed to me more often then not, fair enough. But those few times that I do wind up winning almost invariably everyone quits before I finish thus I don't get credit. I once even played against someone whose user logo said something along the lines of "anti disconnect" or something like that. Guess what he did when he started to lose? If

Re:

[Verteiron]

Lost Magic is even worse about this. I very rarely even actually get a "win" in that game because so many people quit when the battle starts to go south. It's really hard to raise your ranking in that game because of it. Annoying.

Re:

[DJKC]

Just curious, what obscene logos have you seen? I've played about 100 matches of Mario Kart on wifi, and I've only seen 2 I can think of that could be considered offensive. One that was of a hand flipping the bird and another of a marijuana leaf. I mostly end up playing with Japanese players even though I select worldwide due to when I'm playing, that could be a factor in why I haven't seen much of it... What sort of crap are people putting in their logos?

Re:

[Shanoyu]

Well, the chances of them ever allowing communication with strangers is pretty much slim to none, for what are fairly understandable reasons.

First of all, if you've played internet games with random match making services for any length of time, then you probably look at this as a feature. I really don't want to talk to whatever idiot is on the other end, I just want to play tetris with them.

For sure, friend codes could use a liftup with perhaps some sort of lobby feature; post a lobby code on your blog or

Re:

[grumbel]

But in terms of allowing random strangers to communicate, Nintendo would just face far too much risk to allow that.

I don't really see where there is the risk, people already communicate via the Internet and they won't stop doing so just because Nintendo invented friend codes. The communication still happens, only difference is that it gets much more complicated for those who want to use it for legitimate reasons. Especially since both Wii and DS will get webbrowsers there isn't much Nintendo can do to st

Re:

[zevans]

Especially since both Wii and DS will get webbrowsers

Gronk?

When? When?

WiFi and Free...

[SSGamer]

With the WiFi easy to use setup and the price being free you can see why.

What no homebrew games here?

[Showgun_Billy]

What about games like Tetattds?

WPA Support

[wampus]

I really dig the free WiFi play, but I can only use it sitting in one corner of my house to get on my neighbor's "default" network. One of these days I guess I will hang an old AP off of my router and lock it to my DS's MAC and nothing else, but I don't understand Nintendo's complete lack of WPA support.

Re:

[dlc3007]

Spring $30 for the USB wireless adapter for your computer?

Re:

[creepynut]

Then the computer has to be on whenever you want to play. Take for instance, if I wake up one morning and feel like firing up a game of Mario Kart. Oops, can't, forgot to power on the computer first. Plus, I can't imagine a USB wireless adapter having the same range as a router.

Requires Windows XP

[tepples]

Spring $30 for the USB wireless adapter for your computer?

For that you have to buy a copy of Windows XP. Users of Windows 2000, Linux, and FreeBSD are out in the cold.

What should I get besides Elektroplankton?

[torpor]

I got a DS just so I could play Elektroplankton, and as I'm an avid GP2X coder I've sort of ignored all the latest DS games .. what would the slashdot crowd recommend for other must-have DS (Lite) titles that'll show off the thing? Right now its mostly gathering dust until I can get a Flash-cart setup for it, and pitch in on DSLinux or so .. anything out there thats really superlative in terms of fun-factor that I might be missing out on ..?

Re:

[Rude Turnip]

New Super Mario Bros. is great. I like to think of it as a "Super Mario Brothers 4" done in the style of SMB and SMB3, but with much better graphics and lots of fun new features. I haven't touched a platformer in years since this game. I also have lots of fun with Worms for the DS...nothing like a Scorched Earth-ish artillery game before bedtime to get rid of stress. I would kill for a wifi-enabled version since I don't have any friends with a DS.

Re:

[moo083]

I would tend to agree with you about New Super Mario Bros. It was awesome. Played it all the way through several times. But, I have to say that Worms kinda sucks. The graphics could have been WAY better and there were not nearly enough weapons. None of this was a limitation of the DS's power since it was hardly better graphics-wise than the original version of Worms. I hope they make a second DS Worms that is more along the lines of Worms 2.

Re:

[torpor]

None of this was a limitation of the DS's power since it was hardly better graphics-wise than the original version of Worms. I hope they make a second DS Worms that is more along the lines of Worms 2.

eerrggh.. i hate that.. seems like they just held back on the content or something.

speaking of non- versus open- content creation-based game systems.. hmm. do the WiFi-ntendo game engines promote the players ability to construct content in any way, or is it pretty much just disposable-'avatar' style stuff? i

Re:

[tepples]

I would kill for a wifi-enabled version since I don't have any friends with a DS.

Kill? Why? 130 USD for a second DS (or cheaper if you buy used) is much cheaper than the damages in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Re:

[Rude Turnip]

I should have mentioned that I would also need some friends, too :)

Re:

[aliquis]

Yeah need that online aswell due to stupid friendcodes. Nintendo doesn't care for us, the people without friends :(, only thing which can saves us now is fanboyism!

Tetris DS

[meanween]

Tetris DS! Besides the fact that tetris is now a classic video game, this version rocks because of: WiFi play: Play against someone else or even 3 other persons. Playing the other three users is cool except for the fact that it seems to take a while before a game gets started, then if you suck and lose first you can't seem to exit the match. Push mode: This variation is like a reverse tug of war. You can now 'store' another tetazoid to use later and swap it with a piece, awesome for saving that single

Re:

[gEvil (beta)]

I've had a fair amount of fun with Elektroplankton. It definitely falls into the "fun noise toy" category. Without really knowing what sort of gamer you are, I'd suggest Tetris DS if you like Tetris. I've barely touched any of the single player modes because I have so much fun in the online matches. Also, Metroid Pinball is a pretty decent pinball game. And then there's always NSMB and Mario Kart...

Infinite spin

[tepples]

I've barely touched any of the single player modes because I have so much fun in the online matches.

Don't feed me any of that. I know the real reason you haven't touched Tetris DS single player: infinite spin [ytmnd.com].

Re:

[normal_guy]

Tetris is a must-have (mobile Tetrinet), and Trauma Center (an experience that you're unlikely to have elsewhere.)

Re:

[PatJensen]

Trauma Center is like no other game I've played. Never have I had my hands shaking with cold palms frantically trying to save some poor shmuck's life on a video game. When I put that game down I feel exhausted.

Re:

[wampus]

I have to agree, Tetris DS is a damn good game. Endless mode gets a bunch of play on my DS, and the touchscreen puzzles are good if you are just trying to kill a couple minutes.

Re:

[Just Some Guy]

what would the slashdot crowd recommend for other must-have DS (Lite) titles that'll show off the thing?

I'd been addicted to Animal Crossing: Wild World for several months, even though it's completely unlike anything I'd normally play (or admit to playing). I finally broke that streak by discovering Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. At first glance, it's a cheesy 2-d platformer with so-so graphics, in much the same way that Nethack is just a bunch of ASCII characters. It's incredibly fun and deep - far more

Re:

[akross]

I have enjoyed Warioware Touched and Tetris a great deal. I would really like to get Trauma Center soon, too. If have desire to play multiplayer, I hear Bomberman is good fun as well!

Re:

[aliquis]

Look thru my small thread [kolozzeum.com] and you will likely pick up something.

Games I think I'll like is NSMB, nano stray, advanced wars DS, age of empires II, settlers, Castlevania DOS and POR, Megaman ZX, Yoshis Island II, Mario kart DS, Animal Crossing, the err.. what is it called, kind of like animal crossing but with dungeons to ;D, metroid prime hunters, and probably a few others I haven't thinked about right now.

Re:

[masklinn]

New Super Mario Bros is great, but not long enough. Likewise for Kirby Canvas Curse (or Kirby Power Paintbrush, in some countries, I think) with the spin that Kirby is a platformer played solely with the stylus. Doesn't sound great? Just try it out, it rocks.

That's for the 2D "classical" platformers. Other very good DS games include Trauma Center, Meteos (much better than Tetris in my opinion, even though Tetris DS is also good), Mario Kart only if you have friends to play with (single player is ok, but ve

Re:

[masklinn]

Woopsie, I just realized I forgot a part of the info: "not long enough if you only play to finish the story", especially if you do it as fast as possible (it's possible to be done with NSMB in under a dozen of ours without using the cannon warps), the games get noticeably longuer if you go for "100%" (unlock all the levels & worlds & get all the star coins in NSMB, unlock every character & get every medallion in Kirby)

Re:

[LeninZhiv]

Sonic Rush is a great 'classical' 2D platformer, and makes incredible use of the dual screens. Its graphics are good enough that it's one of my 'show off the system' titles, and the game is fun whether you have 2 minutes or half an hour to play.

Re:

[masklinn]

the game is fun whether you have 2 minutes or half an hour to play.

Well truth is that apart from a pair of games (Phoenix Wright, Advance Wars Dual Strike and Mario&Luigi: Partners in Time come to mind) most DS games are geared towards short bursts of playing. You can play NSMB or Kirby by chunks of 2 or 3 minutes and still have loads of fun, and a Meteos games doesn't last at all (most are well under 3 minutes, unless you're good and in a calm environment i.e., not the subway)

Re:

[Klowner]

I concur on the New Super Mario Bros. Recently I've been playing Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble, I actually didn't like it much at first but once I figured out how to do slow-mo and deflect enemy projectiles it started getting fun, it's also got some tricky puzzles involving splitting and flipping the screens with the stylus. I'd say it's definately worth picking up, especially for the $20 price tag.

I'm looking forward to the releases of Contact and Final Fantasy III, and most likely picking up Starfox Comma

Re:

[Zardus]

Kirby's Canvas Curse is the first game I got for mine. Its really amazing and is the most unique platformer-ish game I've ever played. Just plain awesome.

Re:

[headonfire]

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is awesome if you like a "graphic novel" adventure. Everyone else's suggestions so far have all been pretty good too, from what I've seen. Brain Age is pretty cool, too. my girlfriend is addicted to the built-in sudoku, of all things. If you like RPG's, well.. Uhm... Good luck. Lunar is kind of fun, but a terrible combat system. I mean, awful. Deep Labyrinth looks around the same. Contact might be ok. Maybe.
If you want silly, keep your eyes open for Cooking Mama in Septe

Re:

[torpor]

Were you like me and had to have electroplankton even though you knew it was a rip-off for $30? It's pretty amazingly awesome, but like ten more plankton or so, or the ability to mix them or SOMETHING, would've made me feel better about buying it. It plays like a demo due to its limitations.


Yes, I had to have it .. I only bought the DSLite so I could play/demo elektroplankton .. But now I'll try out a few other DS titles. I just wish there were more music-oriented games/apps being coded for it, its such a

Re:

[headonfire]

I agree completely. It's a lovely little platform for a -lot- of things. If nintendo would grow some balls, they could pimp the DS as a mobile platform for a lot of stuff besides games. They have a very thickly drawn box around their target market, and just don't like to budge out of it. They did try some stuff with the original gameboy, I guess, but in very limited runs and/or only in Japan. The DS, though, is quite a bit different than the old GB, and it wouldn't hurt them to try.

I always wonder abou

Re:

[aliquis]

Maybe "Daigasso! Band Brothers" is for you? You can read some about it over at modojo [modojo.com]. It's a music sequencer which you can upload over wifi to 7 more DS players and then each one can use an instrument (don't know if you can but together tunes with many instruments on one DS, I would guess you can.) and you can make music together.

Also if you like music games maybe "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan" is for you aswell.

Re:

[headonfire]

Yeah, I didn't mention band brothers in the parent cause it's not released in the US; importing games is both expensive and a PITA. Some of the concepts I talked about -did- come out in Japan, like the Workboy for the GB classic, and the sonar (yes, you read that right) bobber/game combo. Well, OK, workboy did come out in the US in a VERY limited production run, AFAIK. But the Japanese market tends to get the cool shit, while we're left with yet another fking spongebob game.

Re:Different wifi quality/stability.More future

[aliquis]

Are you sure it's not that your router/wifi dongle is badly supported by/supports the DS bad?

Re:

[headonfire]

The DS really doesn't support WPA. Open or WEP only. :(

A great service or desperation?

[Admodieus]

While 2 million users usually depicts a great service that is worth coming back, part of me believes that so many DS owners are gaga over it due to it being the first real online infrastructure they've ever had. I've played online with my Dreamcast, XBox, XBox 360, and PC. These are all great online platforms, whether it be to play Phantasy Star Online, Rainbow Six 3, Halo 2, or GRAW. I was excited for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection last November and played many games of Mario Kart online before snaking became r

Re:

[cowscows]

Yup, something is better than nothing. Even when that something is mediocre. The bright side is, Nintendo has historically been very wary about getting involved in online stuff, so maybe seeing even the crappy DS service be successful will convince them that online play is really worth getting involved in.

No, that doesn't make any sense.

[justchris]

According to the stats on NintendoWiFi.com, most of the players online are Japanese, not American or European, and the Japanese have had the Famicom online, Super Famicom online, n64 DD online, Xbox online and even the GBC online (via cellphone). They've also been online with the PC & PS2, they were playinig FFXI in droves before it was ever released in the US, so it can't just be desperation. They have, and have had, other options. I'd say maybe it's just the choice of games. No where else are you