David Bird
16-02-06, 10:40 AM
JAPANESE fans of Nintendo's DS portable game machine may soon be able to surf the web and watch high-definition television programs on their handhelds.
Taking another step in its strategy to develop features that will appeal to more than just hardcore game fans, Nintendo plans to begin selling a web browser in June and launch a card with a digital television receiver by the end of the year.
"These products propose a different use for the DS in entirely new fields," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said.
The company declined to give specific details on the television feature, but it said a card with an antenna would enable owners to watch television programs for mobile devices, which Japanese broadcasters are expected to begin offering from April 1.
The web browser, developed with Norway's Opera Software, will be sold as a DS card in June for ¥3800 ($47). Users will be able to insert the card into the DS, which has Wi-Fi wireless networking capability, to browse the internet in areas with connectivity.
A Nintendo spokesman said it was considering a similar browser product in its overseas markets.
Nintendo, known for games featuring characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong and Pokemon, has enjoyed a strong holiday season, particularly in Japan, due to the popularity of its DS portable game machine and games such as Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.
An industry survey by Japanese game magazine publisher Enterbrain found that the momentum has continued for Nintendo in January as eight of the top 10 best-selling games in Japan were DS games. Seven were published by Nintendo.
The company's strategy in recent years has been to expand its player base by creating a variety of innovative games that appeal to girls, young women and older people.
Nintendo, which has sold 14.4 million DS units worldwide including 6 million in Japan, aims to reach sales of 10 million DS devices in Japan alone by the end of 2006, Iwata said.
"Software sales have traditionally been dominated by console games, but the situation changed dramatically toward the end of the year and games for portable devices overwhelmed console games," Mr Iwata said.
Greater than expected demand for DS devices had resulted in a shortage, he said.
Mr Iwata also unveiled Nintendo's planned line-up of software for Japan, including a foreign language guide for travellers, a reference guide in Japanese and English, training software to improve penmanship in Japanese and a cooking guide giving step-by-step voice instructions for recipes.
The forthcoming game line-up will include Tetris DS, featuring familiar characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong, as well as games by third-party developers such as Square Enix , Namco and Pokemon.
"We hope that our user base will become even wider with our software line-up, which we believe has enough teeth for experienced players," Mr Iwata said.
The company said last month it planned to launch a thinner, lighter version of the DS device, called "Nintendo DS Lite," in Japan on March 2 for ¥16,800, compared with the current model's retail price of ¥15,000.
Reuters
Yukari Iwatani Kane in Tokyo
FEBRUARY 16, 2006
Source (http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18165692%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html)
Taking another step in its strategy to develop features that will appeal to more than just hardcore game fans, Nintendo plans to begin selling a web browser in June and launch a card with a digital television receiver by the end of the year.
"These products propose a different use for the DS in entirely new fields," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said.
The company declined to give specific details on the television feature, but it said a card with an antenna would enable owners to watch television programs for mobile devices, which Japanese broadcasters are expected to begin offering from April 1.
The web browser, developed with Norway's Opera Software, will be sold as a DS card in June for ¥3800 ($47). Users will be able to insert the card into the DS, which has Wi-Fi wireless networking capability, to browse the internet in areas with connectivity.
A Nintendo spokesman said it was considering a similar browser product in its overseas markets.
Nintendo, known for games featuring characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong and Pokemon, has enjoyed a strong holiday season, particularly in Japan, due to the popularity of its DS portable game machine and games such as Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.
An industry survey by Japanese game magazine publisher Enterbrain found that the momentum has continued for Nintendo in January as eight of the top 10 best-selling games in Japan were DS games. Seven were published by Nintendo.
The company's strategy in recent years has been to expand its player base by creating a variety of innovative games that appeal to girls, young women and older people.
Nintendo, which has sold 14.4 million DS units worldwide including 6 million in Japan, aims to reach sales of 10 million DS devices in Japan alone by the end of 2006, Iwata said.
"Software sales have traditionally been dominated by console games, but the situation changed dramatically toward the end of the year and games for portable devices overwhelmed console games," Mr Iwata said.
Greater than expected demand for DS devices had resulted in a shortage, he said.
Mr Iwata also unveiled Nintendo's planned line-up of software for Japan, including a foreign language guide for travellers, a reference guide in Japanese and English, training software to improve penmanship in Japanese and a cooking guide giving step-by-step voice instructions for recipes.
The forthcoming game line-up will include Tetris DS, featuring familiar characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong, as well as games by third-party developers such as Square Enix , Namco and Pokemon.
"We hope that our user base will become even wider with our software line-up, which we believe has enough teeth for experienced players," Mr Iwata said.
The company said last month it planned to launch a thinner, lighter version of the DS device, called "Nintendo DS Lite," in Japan on March 2 for ¥16,800, compared with the current model's retail price of ¥15,000.
Reuters
Yukari Iwatani Kane in Tokyo
FEBRUARY 16, 2006
Source (http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18165692%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html)