Wii, DS Digital Payment Systems Not Interchangeable

With the announcement that Nintendo's upcoming DSi handheld will have access to downloadable games came the redubbing of Wii Points to the system-agnostic Nintendo Points -- but reports suggest the two platforms will retain their own payment systems. According to diagrams published by Siliconera, prepaid point card will be branded with both the Wii and Nintendo DS logos. Once activated on a particular system, however, the points become platform-specific Wii Points or Nintendo DS points, and can only be used in their respective marketplaces. Presumably, that method holds for points purchased directly through the marketplaces using a credit card. As Siliconera suggests, the limitation is likely the result of Nintendo's lack of a cross-platform online account system for users. By contrast, Microsoft's digital distribution system features a point-based payment system that is portable across Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live, and Zune. Nintendo will release DSi on November 1 in Japan, with a North American release expected in mid-2009.