Nintendo DS games with online multiplayer

Updated May 3, 2006

The Nintendo DS includes built-in Wi-Fi, just like the Sony PSP. For the first year of its existence, most games supported only local wireless connections, which meant you could go head-to-head only with DS users in the same general area. The November 2005 launch of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection changed all that. This free service lets DS users match up against other players across the street, across the country, or across the world. The only catch: You need to be within the range of an open (or WEP-encrypted) wireless access point, such as a home router. Those without a wireless network can get Nintendo's Wi-Fi USB Connector ($35), a handy USB device that creates a special, DS-only Wi-Fi hot spot. Of course, you'll also need one of the new games that supports online multiplayer. So far, it's a short list: Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, Tetris DS, and Metroid Prime: Hunters, and LostMagic. There's no major releases on the horizon, but we're sure to find out about Nintendo's next Wi-Fi batch at E3 2006.

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