Nintendo, which made a deal with Wayport in 2005 to allow Nintendo DS users to play multi-player games for free at WiFi hotspots in McDonald's restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, announced it has surpassed 5 million users on its WiFi Connection service. In all, the video game giant said users have initiated more than 200 million unique sessions. Some 65 games can now be played globally on the WiFi Connection, Nintendo said. And despite the attention paid to next-generation video game systems like the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, the DS is currently the best-selling system of all, having moved 470,000 units in April, according to NPD Group. More than 6,000 partner hotspots across the U.S. and Canada now offer free Nintendo WiFi Connection connectivity.
Sony Computer Entertainment America is running a promotion that involves offering a new firmware upgrade for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) system, called version 3.30, that will enable PSP users to play games online, browse the Internet and download podcasts on all 7,000 of T-Mobile USA's hotspots for free for six months. After the six months are over, T-Mobile will offer PSP owners an option to purchase a subscription at a special rate.
Sony may want to take a cue from Nintendo's success.
For more about Nintendo's 5 million WiFi Connection users:
- check out this article from GameDaily Biz