Nintendo: The DS isn't just about games

Thursday 7th February 2008 - 17:00

Public service content due by the summer, Spielberg joins forces with EA and Legendary PC screens

Nintendo isn't happy in dominating the recreational pursuits of gamers across the globe - now it wants to provide 'public service content' for non-games players too! 'Useful non-gaming content' will be delivered via Wi-Fi hotspots to DS owners from the summer following Nintendo's new strategy to make handhelds a more vital part of everyday life.

In an interview with gamespot.com Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata said: "One of the lifestyle proposals we'd like to put into effect in the first half of this year is an experiment aimed at getting people to use their DS in public spaces as part of a larger effort to make the DS a more helpful tool for people in their everyday lives. It's a portable, single-architecture platform that can receive anything given a Wi-Fi hot spot with over 20 million units in use in Japan and about the same amount in the US and Europe.

Although no immediate content has been outlined Iwata was keen top press his point: "I really think the idea of making it a gaming machine that's also useful in your daily life is a good one, and possible. We'll be keeping an eye on the experiment's results while hopefully increasing the number of places you can use your DS in progressive steps."

Meanwhile another heavyweight figure that's thinking about the possibilities of the game sector is Steven Spielberg. The film genius has joined forces with EA to develop a new game called Boom Blox - a family orientated title aimed at the casual gamer.

"I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids," said Steven Spielberg. "Boom Blox features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together."

"My inspiration for this game came while I was playing the Wii for the first time," added Spielberg. "From the initial concept to what the game is today, it's always been built around the innovations the Wii brings to playing games. Boom Blox plays on the enjoyment of building and knocking down blocks, something that can appeal innately to kids and adults of all ages." The game is set to come out on Wii in May.