Press Release: Nintendo and Fatport Join Forces to Bring Free Wi-Fi Access to Canadian Nintendo DS Users
From Videogame Morgue File
NINTENDO AND FATPORT JOIN FORCES TO BRING FREE WI-FI ACCESS TO CANADIAN NINTENDO DS USERS[edit]
Players Access Free Wireless Video Game Service at home and at select Hotspots
VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada. October 19, 2005 – Nintendo of Canada Ltd. has signed a deal with FatPort, a leading provider of wired and Wi-Fi high-speed Internet access in public locations across Canada, to extend free Wi-Fi service to Nintendo DS™. Through the agreement with FatPort, Nintendo will offer complimentary access to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, the video game giant’s new wireless gaming service that goes online November 14. “This partnership with FatPort will bring countless people together to play games in a single, simultaneous wireless community,” says Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s Vice President - General Manager. “Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is simple to use. By offering gamers free access to www.nintendowifi.com, we removed one of the major barriers keeping people from going online to play games.” "We are thrilled to have come to an agreement with Nintendo of Canada to provide their Nintendo DS users access to the FatPort footprint across Canada" states Michael Kuhlmann, VP Business Development for FatPort Corporation. "The intent is to make it as easy as possible for Nintendo DS users to access our network by way of silent authentication, opening up our network to an entirely new demographic of users. Our traditional focus on the traveling business person has just been augmented and we look forward to working with Nintendo to making this initiative a success." Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection creates a welcome, inviting community where gamers of all kinds can log on wirelessly and begin playing favorite franchise games like Mario Kart® DS and Activision’s Tony Hawk’s American SK8Land and future titles such as Animal Crossing®: Wild World and Metroid® Prime Hunters. Game play will be free, and users will be able to connect easily to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in a variety of ways. When a user brings a Nintendo DS unit and a Wi-Fi-enabled game into a FatPort-enabled Hotspot, the user simply launches the game in Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection mode. No set-up is required. From home, if the user already has a Wi-Fi network, the Nintendo DS unit will connect directly to it with minimal setup procedures. Those who have a high-speed Internet connection such as cable or DSL, but no wireless network, can use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, that will plug into a computer USB port to create a wireless access point to connect a DS to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector will be sold exclusively at select Canadian retailers and on Nintendo.com. Finally, Nintendo DS owners who want to play games at Wi-Fi locations outside of FatPort’s footprint or their home can use a laptop computer and the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector to access Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector allows a Nintendo DS user to share a PC’s internet connection. This enables the Nintendo DS to share an internet connection established by a PC, providing a conduit to play games via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Detailed information about Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will be available soon at www.NintendoWiFi.com. Nintendo DS is just the first Nintendo system to connect via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The same service will be incorporated into Nintendo’s next-generation home video game console, code-named Revolution, which is set for release in 2006. About Nintendo of Canada Ltd. The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy® Advance SP, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems extend Nintendo’s vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2 billion video games and more than 353 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario™ and Donkey Kong® and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.ca. About FatPort FatPort is Canada's most extensive wireless Internet service provider (WISP) and provider of Wi-Fi (802.11) in public spaces. FatPort's custom-built FatPoint wireless access point enables location owners to quickly establish a commercial FatZone. In each FatZone, anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA may access the Internet at speeds many times faster than cellular networks. FatPort is now offering Voice over IP through its newly formed division, mobitus. FatPort is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ignition Point Technologies Corporation (TSX-VEN: IPN). www.fatport.com
