Nintendo to set up thousands of free hotspots for gamers

Nintendo plans to launch its online game service--Nintendo WiFi Connection--in the US and Japan by the end of November. Part of the strategy is to set up thousands of free WiFi hotspots across the US and in Nintendo stores in Japan. The company's WiFi-ready gaming handheld, the Nintendo DS, is slipping in sales compared with Sony's PS portable. In the Japanese market, Nintendo said it will partner with Japan-based company Buffalo to build the wireless networks and infrastructure for the service. The company expects to announce details of the US roll outs in the coming weeks.

For more on Nintendo's WiFi strategy:
- see this article from Red Herring

PLUS: Super Mario Bros. inventor Shigeru Miyamoto on Nintendo's WiFi vision. Interview