Nintendo UK Rolls Out Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Officials from Nintendo UK have announced that, in conjunction with the British Telecom Openzone service, they will be rolling out 607 Wi-Fi Connection hotspots across stores in the UK and Ireland, providing free online access and downloadable demos. To coincide with the European release of Animal Crossing: Wild World on March 31st, over 500 of the Wi-Fi enabled stores will also allow customers to download playable demos of games including Polarium, Meteos and an exclusive Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendogs ‘pic’. Other titles, including demos of Pokemon Link! (aka Pokemon Trozei!), Trauma Centre: Under the Knife and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (aka Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day) will also be made available in the coming months, with all 607 hotspots expected to feature demo downloads by summer 2006. Additional promotional downloads are also planned, including exclusive items for Animal Crossing and a “very special” Metroid Prime: Hunters movie. The roll out mirrors other similar initiatives in Japan and North and South America, with mainland Europe expected to offer similar services in conjunction with local Wi-Fi providers.