3DS gets wifi access at 25,000 hotspots across America
The 3DS doesn't have a 3G or 4G network yet, but considering it's a gaming machine and not a phone that isn't really an issue. What it does have is epic wifi access, with AT&T, Best Buy and others offering over 25,000 hotspots across the country. While the original DS had hotspots at McDonalds and a few other places, it never had this kind of coverage or the potential to utilize it.
With the eShop and 3DS browser finally up and running, gamers have a much wider set of reasons to take their portables online. I'm glad Nintendo gets this and is going all out to partner with wireless providers, because Nintendo's previous efforts in the online space have been, to put it courteously, conservative.
Alliances with Simon Property Group, AT&T and Best Buy Provide Free Connections Coast to Coast
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- From shopping centers and retail stores to coffee shops and airports all over the country, there soon will be 25,000 locations where people can enjoy free Wi-Fi access with the new hand-held Nintendo 3DS™ system. As of June 7, a new alliance with Simon Property Group, the country’s largest owner, developer and manager of high-quality retail real estate, will provide Nintendo 3DS owners with complimentary wireless connections at nearly 200 Simon™ shopping malls throughout the country. Nintendo 3DS users can also access hotspots at more than 1,000 Best Buy stores. Through an expanded agreement with AT&T, Nintendo 3DS users will have access to nearly 24,000 of AT&T’s Wi-Fi hotspots.
With these additional locations, Nintendo 3DS users can choose from a wider-than-ever variety of convenient places to connect their systems and enjoy unique downloadable content.
“With thousands of free Wi-Fi access points through our alliances, Nintendo 3DS users across the country can instantly enjoy one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences wherever and whenever they like,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “In addition to a strong lineup of games and the ability to view 3D content without special glasses, the system makes it easy for people to connect with their surroundings and each other, even when they’re away from home.”
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo3ds.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, 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, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
