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Nintendo Businesses Wireless Networking Entertainment Games Hardware

Hands on With Nintendo's Wi-Fi Adapter 40

Posted by Zonk from the wave-of-the-future,-mario dept.
vituperation writes "1UP took the Nintendo USB Wi-fi Adapter for a test drive and has posted a detailed photoessay on the installation process. It looks straightforward enough... provided, of course, you run WinXP. For those who prefer other operating systems, the article also mentions the ease with which the author (who doesn't use XP) was able to connect his copy of Mario Kart to an existing wireless router. Nintendo's online strategy seems questionable, making connectivity completely dependent on the options offered by individual games, but the trade-off is that it's simple enough for practically anyone to make use of."
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Hands on With Nintendo's Wi-Fi Adapter More

Hands on With Nintendo's Wi-Fi Adapter

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  • cuz there is no way i'm gonna shell out loot online for this.
    • You can just use a regular wireless hub, you don't have to buy this. Its only for people that don't have a wireless access point already. From TFA: "One you're there, you can choose to set up a completely new connection to a pre-existing wireless hub or hop aboard the USB Connector. Both are painless (provided you have a supported router that isn't WPA security encrypted), but the USB Connector setting is particularly simple."
      • Sounds like you still need the software that this came with even if your using your own hub, something about your PC acting as a gateway. Or am I wrong? Any place to download this?
        • I doubt it...he said he used it with a mac at home
        • This is copied verbatim from the Darkain site, it pretty much answers your question: "UPDATE There seems to be some confusion regarging the online hotspot connectivity with the Nintendo DS. These hotspots will not allow for every multiplayer DS game to be played over the internet. It is not a special router or a form of tunneling. New games for the DS (such as Mario Kart and Animal Crossing) are being built to directly support TCP/IP communications. As mentioned above, this can be implemented on a per-game

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @04:42PM (#13973534)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • "Nintendo's online strategy seems questionable, making connectivity completely dependent on the options offered by individual games, but the trade-off is that it's simple enough for practically anyone to make use of."

      Questionable how? What does that even mean? Because the way I read that sentence, it's a completely pointless jab at Nintendo. It seems to imply that because this doesn't enable voice chat for every single game or come complete with an online matchup room or something, it's suddenly a "question
      • You will see that Nintendo is very cautious about communication with people not on your friends list. They care about the safety of kids who will be playing the games, and they appear to have the opinion that chatting with random people will encourage predators to play.

        I think it is important that they do this, and I also think it will be a bonus for us. No more voice chatting assholes? Sign me the fuck up.

  • For those who don't RTFA (Score:5, Informative)

    by MMaestro ( 585010 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @04:57PM (#13973689)
    The whole report is really a 'how to install' guide in order to attract attention. Since the device isn't public (yet), theres almost no real world testing (Mario Kart DS isn't even out yet). Unless you're curious about the system requirements (Mac users need not apply), theres nothing of real interest.

  • www.nintendowifi.com (Score:5, Informative)

    by MagicM ( 85041 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:30PM (#13974088)
    On a similar note, Nintendo's official WiFi site, www.nintendowifi.com [nintendowifi.com], became available recently. There they also include information on WPA:
    The only security setting that is compatible with the Nintendo DS is WEP (Wireless Encryption Privacy). If your router has WPA or any other setting selected, you will need to change it to WEP, or remove security, to play your Nintendo DS online using this router. You will only need to enter a WEP Key if you have WEP security on your access point.
    (source) [nintendowifi.com]

  • Which is particularly heinous in this case because according to the referenced article, there's no small amount of confusion surrounding it. Oh and the "Mario Kart" mentioned in the Slashdot article is actually "Mario Kart DS". Also the actual article isn't the most illuminating.

    Apparently it connects to a personal computer and comes with software for Windows, to hook the DS to the computer for some reason not presented early in the article. You register the DS with the computer for some apparently unknow
    • The article is less than clear and you're right to complain about that, but you haven't done anything but muddy the waters with your speculation. Next time just ask your questions.

      You don't register the DS with the computer. The WiFi adaptor is nothing more than a small wireless access point for use with the DS. You register *the computer* with the DS, not the other way around, and can have three different settings or locations (with Mario Kart DS), so it's as easy as picking "home" or "work" or "airport" o

  • Rebranded (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Intocabile ( 532593 )
    The thing is just a rebranded Buffalo USB Wireless key. If you don't have wireless already there are probably a lot better maybe even cheaper solutions and as I understand it this doesn't give you any extra functionality like compatibility with Nintendo's proprietary wireless protocol.

    http://www.buffalotech.com/products/product-detail .php?productid=81&categoryid=7 [buffalotech.com]

  • Canned chat... (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ... is, according to Nintendo's wifi site, the only way to communicate to people online that you don't have on your friends list. I know they have to "protect the children", but come on.

    Hopefully this is decided on a per-game basis. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see it in, say, Mario Kart, but to have it in Metroid Prime or other games that are T or higher would be a bit disappointing.
    • Dude, have you ever played games online? I'm glad they don't let random idiots run around spamming "FAG" all day. For a generalized theorem on this subject, check this out [penny-arcade.com].
    • The first time I ever loaded up Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow on XBox Live was also the first time I'd ever voice chatted with a complete stranger online. It was a defining moment in my 20+ years of video gaming. It went something like this:

      YOYOSON : Hey guys.
      KILLERDUDE : What the fuck? Level 1? Yoyoson, suck my cock.

  • While it's great that the DS can now be used as a portable wi-fi sniffer, the article isn't decreasing my 'stupid' sensor. Reading things like "no WPA support" (not that I have a WPA router, but still), Windows XP only for the adapter, and phrases like "supported router" don't exactly reassure me.
  • There has been a sh*tstorm of complaining on the Nintendo forums about the lack of WPA security for the DS. Nintnedo's response to everyone is "buy the USB WiFi adaptor, it will only allow a DS to connect".

    Question: Does anyone have any idea how they would actually do that? What mysterious restrictions would be in place to allow only DS units to attach?

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