Nintendo DS To Allow Free VoIP Calls

sm4kxd writes "Gamespot is reporting that the Nintendo DS will use "built-in wireless 802.11b networking capabilities to offer voice-over-IP chat--in effect, allowing gamers to use the DS to make free phone calls at wireless network hotspots." There's also mention of a headset, so you won't look ridiculous while doing so." The article doesn't have much more information, but the "in effect" seems important; this may only allow unit-to-unit conversations, not VoIP calls to the regular telephone network.

Comments

Early Adapters tend to look ridiculous

[joeldixon66]

"There's also mention of a headset, so you won't look ridiculous while doing so."

I'm sorry - but is it just me that thinks the sight of someone talking to their Gameboy would look ridiculous? People using hands free kits already look like dopes IMO.

Re:Early Adapters tend to look ridiculous

[NanoGator]

"I'm sorry - but is it just me that thinks the sight of someone talking to their Gameboy would look ridiculous? People using hands free kits already look like dopes IMO. "

You've never seen somebody play their Gameboy lookin like they're talkin to Al?

I need more though

[Stevyn]

I still need an online music store, place to get stock quotes, a free webmail account...and something else. I can't put my finger on what it is. Oh yeah, instant messenging through AOL. Alright, now we got a hot product.

Re:I need more though

[The Other White Boy]

heh, i read that last bit as 'Hot Pocket' for some reason and got terribly confused.

Re:I need more though

[Stevyn]

Great idea!

It should be able to cook them. Think about it. Kids love nintendo and hot pockets. These things create some heat. I think I see something good here.

Re:I need more though

[accelleron]

with built-in WiFi and the munching power to render n64-level apps at smooth (20+) framerates, I would think none of the above are impossible. What would really put this unit over the top, though, is a decent web browser, an e-book reader, and video-chat for AIM.

Re:I need more though

[jseale]

Well, since Sony's already sorta' doing this on the PSP (and they've got the better hardware for it IMHO), I don't think Nintendo's gonna' try this anytime soon. Not unless they want to again revamp their entire portable architecture which would of course hike up the price of this thing which would in turn bring it out of kids' price range.

Standards

[bfree]

Maybe they might use some standard to do it so you can make calls to any compliant device (including pstn via services)? But then again this is Nintendo, I don't imagine it's very likely!

This is good

[zoloto]

and not subject to regulatory agencies. very nice, and useful as well! just think about being able to communicate with a useful tool (and toy) and you're gaming or in range of someone elses public network!

not that I'll be buying one yet, however - this idea is very cool.

Re:This is good

[gcaseye6677]

I'm sure that if this actually works, Asscroft will make them add wiretapping capabilities. And if the telecom monopolies have their way, Universal Service Fees as well. And then it's just an overhyped telephone. We can't have people making things that are too revolutionary, now can we?

Re:This is good

[v1x]

>> not subject to regulatory agencies That will likely change within the next few years. The situation is analogous to taxation of online purchases. Sooner or later, it will reach a threshold so that governments would start considering legislation to somehow collect taxes or regulate that sector somewhat. According to an eweek article, some states are already moving in that direction.

Nope.

[MBCook]

Nintendo doesn't like those "all in one" things that do everything (convergence). I would be amazed if Nintendo allowed you to use the DS as a phone. It's just not going to happen.

I think it's there to allow voice chat when playing against other people wirelessly, ala X-Box Live. I don't see what else it could be used for. Nice that the support is there. I'd like to see what else companies come up with for a way to use it, I certanly can't think of anything.

Now all that said, I fully expect some company to release a piece of software for the DS to let you use it as a phone. I just don't think it will be built in, or that the software will be released by the big N.

Re:Nope.

[Gothic_Walrus]

Give it a few months. There's video conferencing for the EyeToy, XBoxes running Linux, cell phones playing NGage games...

If the hack can be done, it will be done. Otherwise, we can't call ourselves geeks anymore. :)

Re:Nope.

[justforaday]

one problem i see with the voicechat theory...isn't the whole wifi thing with the DS so you can play wirelessly with people who are in close proximity to you? why would you need a voicechat feature to talk to someone who's standing 5 feet away from you?

Re:Nope.

[jx100]

It has 2 wireless networks. One is either completely proprietary, or some derivative of bluetooth, and is basically meant to replace the gameboy link cable directly. The other is regular 802.11b Wifi, and this'll be used to connect to other people over the internet. The second is what this is meant to be used over.

Re:Nope.

[MBCook]

Like I said, I expect it to be done. But it WON'T be Nintendo to do it. The EyeToy is a video game peripheral, it wasn't made specifically for videoconferencing.

Re:Nope.

[suckmysav]

"I would be amazed if Nintendo allowed you to use the DS as a phone. It's just not going to happen. I think it's there to allow voice chat when playing against other people wirelessly, ala X-Box Live."

Agreed. There is no way in hell that you will ever make "free phone calls" on your DS. For you to make a telephone call, by definition your call must enter the PSTN at some point or other, and Telco companies are simply not in the habit of letting people terminate calls on their networks for free.

This so-called "story" is a load of 100% pure, unadulterated bullcrap. The best anybody should hope for is free DS to DS calls and nothing more, and even then Nintendo or somebody else is going to need to maintain a network for users to call each other over, unless people want to be dialling each other via whatever IP they have been currently allocated by the wifi hotspot operator and assuming that they actually have a real, non NAT IP address. I am thinking that they will need to do something along the lines of Skype, and I doubt very much that they would do that for free.

Re:Nope.

[imperialstormtrooper]

great. now when some 10 year old white 50cent wanna be whoops your ass at yu gi oh or pokemon on the nintendo ds you can hear them talk trash to you, just like when the 13 year old white 50cent wanna be whoops your ass at halo and unreal tournament on the xbox and talks trash.

Re:Nope.

[vitaflo]

You have to realize that Nintendo, being a Japanese company, is getting hit hard by cell phone providers in Japan. Gaming on phones in Japan has become a big thing, much bigger than it is here in the states. I can see why Nintendo would want a slice of that pie, given the downward trend in Japanese console gaming as of late. It's a smart move.

What The Fish?

[YetAnotherName]

OK, for those of us who've never seen a Nokia N-GAGE in action, what is the big lament over? Why the webpage towards eulogizing the whole deal?

That's not likely to come from Nintendo

[chrispyman]

With Nintendo's current "only about games" attitude, I highly doubt the DS will be able to be used as a WiFi VoIP phone out of the box. However, that does sound like some killer product that some 3rd party will/could come out with.

Re:That's not likely to come from Nintendo

[BW_Nuprin]

Nintendo's press footage at E3 showed the DS being used for many other purposes besides games. People taking notes, people chatting with each other via some kind of whiteboard program, etc. While I still doubt the DS will be able to make VoIP calls for free and all that that entails, I tend to think that the "only about games" attitude is merely Gamecube centric.

Killer app?

[sploo22]

I've always thought that wireless connectivity would be the killer app for handheld game consoles. Platforms like the GBA have always had a lot of restrictions - like needing specially-designed link cables, headphones, etc. Now that Nintendo is coming under pressure from products like the N-Gage, it seems that they're finally going to unleash their secret weapon.

I'm just hoping that the DS will have all the appropriate goodies to go with this capability, like wireless multiplayer games, Jabber, maybe even a web browser and media player.

Re:Killer app?

[SimplyCosmic]

I have to wonder just how much of a killer app it is, though.

The idea of being able to play another person wirelessly is a good one, obviously, but outside of young adults, are there really that many opportunities for the rest of us to use this feature all that often?

Your social group may be different from mine, but rarely do I find myself in situations where I have multiple friends around who want to play a game, but don't have a console or pc LAN involved.

Most of the times I'm using my GBA, it's when on a commute, where I'm not quite convinced I'd fell the need to play random strangers.

Re:Killer app?

[FrostedWheat]

Now that Nintendo is coming under pressure from products like the N-Gage

I didn't realise that a vacuum was considered a pressure?

Re: offtopic

[Tezkah]

because you had to hold it like a taco to talk!

and the games were crap version of GBA games, or PSX games with worse graphics.

VOIP tapping?

[DigiShaman]

I thought the US Gov had to mandate that all VOIP systems are to be tapped when needed? I guess this COULD be used by terrorists according to the patriot act.

Sorry Nintendo, I guess it's game over for all of us.

Re:VOIP tapping?

[Wesley Felter]

The government only mandates that VoIP services that act like traditional phone service must support wiretaps.

IT'S THE *OPINION* OF AN *ANALYST*

[mcc]

Note to the 98% of the Slashdot populace who does not read the article: Actually, no, in fact, all that Gamestop is reporting is that an analyst named "Boris Markovich" has the THEORY that the Nintendo DS will support voice over IP. There is however no support for this theory whatsoever.

Nintendo representatives have publically stated they think it would be neat if there were a DS web browser that used the DS's built-in wireless ethernet to connect to the internet; however this does not mean that such a browser will ever actually occur, to my knowlege they've said nothing whatsoever about internet voice chat.

Multiplayer voip

[Fiz Ocelot]

I think in order to call someone on a POTS network you would need a service to ultimately make that connection.

This certainly could be used in conjunction with network play to be able to trash talk to anyone you're playing though :) "omg u hax tetris!"

I thought phones were getting smaller.

[TheOtherAgentM]

Soon we will be back to the 80's brick cell phone.

Re:I thought phones were getting smaller.

[xsupergr0verx]

Zach Morris would be so proud of us...

And possibly Screech.

Sounds pointless without gaming...

[tktk]

I know it's still speculation but multiplayer over IP better be there also. If it's only VOIP, then the DS is mimicking the functions of a highly crippled cell phone. Why would I use my DS to call my friend on his DS even if it were free? We'd both have to be in range of a free access point, or have some subscription to a paid AP, and the DS would have to be standby mode to receive calls. My friends and I already have cell phones. If I was concerned about the price of making a call with my cell phone, I probably wouldn't have a DS.

I'm getting tired of this 'featuritis' where both Sony and Nintendo are adding features like mad. I just want new portable system to play games, play games wirelessly, and play games over IP via Gameboy Live or PS Live.

Re:Sounds pointless without gaming...

[jd]

Multiplayer over IP, even on "regular" machines, is a pain. The problem is that you really do need multicasting, if you're doing anything more than very trivial stuff, when linked to more than a very few machines.

The reason is simple. Let's say you're using a regular (ie: unicast) connection to link everyone to everyone else. For N players, you need N * (N-1) connections to link every player's machine to everyone else's. (Remember, you need to pipe data both ways.) The number of streams is rising almost with the square of the number of users. With that kind of exponential explosion in bandwidth needs, it doesn't take much to saturate even a broadband connection.

For multicast, one person transmits once to a virtual address, and all subscribers receive a copy of that transmission. Growth is therefore linear. N users, N streams and no more. That's at worst, however. Multicasting doesn't duplicate over a LAN, so if you have multiple computers on the same LAN, they don't each need those N streams. The one copy of all of the data will be visible to all of the users' machines.

The day that regular ISPs give everyone native multicast will be the day that multiuser gaming explodes from 2-player or 4-player (on the same high-speed LAN) to being 16-player or 32-player over the entire Internet.

(Ob. Netrek reference: Yes, 16-player games over the entire Internet already exist, and they don't need multicasting. They aren't exactly sophisticated, though. Netrek played with the graphics and gameplay sophistication of Doom 3 would likely chew up rather more bandwidth.)

Re:Sounds pointless without gaming...

[Jerf]

Let's say you're using a regular (ie: unicast) connection to link everyone to everyone else. For N players, you need N * (N-1) connections to link every player's machine to everyone else's.

Yes, it's a real pity this is true, or we could create massive IM networks with millions of simultaneous users. That would be so cool.

Wait a minute...

Hey, I've got an idea! Let's designate one of the machines as a server, and have it collect and transmit all the data from a centralized source! Then the overall bandwidth needed still goes up effectively linearly, and only one machine needs a lot of bandwidth! That just might work!

Oh damn, looks like somebody already came up with that general idea.

</sarcasm>

Multicast is cool and all, but let's not overstate the problem it is solving. People play 64-player games of Quake 2 or 3 or various Unreals all the time, today (and I'm not into that scene so there may be even more), because a 64-player game of Unreal is a mere 64 bi-directional connections, not the 4,032 (unidirectional) you are claiming. I think you need to spend some more time studying real networking before pitching obscure solutions that by and large have yet to be needed by the common man. (You do realize that Quake et al doesn't ship the entire graphics load over the network, right? Your last paragraph seems to strongly hint otherwise...)

Gateways are only a matter of time

[jd]

When VoIP first appeared for actual telephony, rather than just machine-to-machine calls, the telecom companies were absolutely livid. They even pushed for ISPs to be charged as "long distance carriers", even if no VoIP took place, because it could.

(This would have meant that you would have paid long-distance rates to dial into dial-up ISPs - possibly more as Mom-and-Pop ISPs just wouldn't have the clout to arrange the kind of deals that most long-distance providers work out with the local telephone companies.)

What really got to the telecos was not the idea of computer-to-computer chat, which had been around for some time, but the gateways linking the Internet to the regular telephone exchanges. A lot of people were buying such exchanges, hooking them up, and basically allowing any Internet user (for a fee the guy with the exchange could set) to dial ANYONE in the local calling area of that gateway.

I'm going to predict that Nintendo geeks'll have similar gateways rigged up (with the cries and screams of telecos & Nintendo ringing in their ears) within a year. It's just a case of breaking the protocol and writing a simple translator for one of the myriad of modular gateways that now exist.

With British Telecom switching to a pure IP-based telephone network (they're abandoning the dedicated switched-circuit approach completely), and where Nintendo's encumbering licenses are largely considered invalid (there are independent software developers for Nintendo in the UK, and Nintendo has failed in efforts to stop them), I am going to predict that the UK will have the greatest interest in such a gateway and will likely see some of the earliest attempts at one.

The US, with its DMCA and other assorted copyright extensions, is simply not friendly to that kind of R&D. The risks are high and the benefits are low.

India and China have a good tech industry, fewer problems with copyright, etc, but don't really have enough high-speed infrastructure to make VoIP realistic, right now.

KISS

[EodLabs]

God, Keep it Simple Stupid. If you wanna shock the game crowd.... Big one here... Give them eye candy, not a new phone.

What will my Nintendo DS phone number be?

[jmcmunn]

So can people call me through VoIP as well, if I am at home using my DS or at a hotspot somewhere looking like a dork playing games? Will I be able to have it ring me while in the middle of a lonely single player game of pacman, when one of my buddies wants to get his ass kicked in mario party or whatever multiplayer game?

Let's hope that Nintendo does the "phone thing" better than N-Gage did the "game thing". I wonder if those two markets of portable electronics are ready to merge just yet. Maybe we're close...

so what's the new price with tax?

[Romancer]

Now the Govt. can request that they be able to wiretap your new DS and the price will jump.

Headset?

[A Boy and His Blob]

Hopefully this doesn't look anything like the last Nintendo headset I owned. Otherwise I doubt that I "won't look ridiculous."

Can you say Warboy?

[Lurk3r]

"built-in wireless 802.11b networking"

How long do you think it will take for people to start wardriving with one of these. Can you say Warboy?

I use the skype (Free VOIP) on my linux box now.

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the big deal? Free box-to-box VOIP is kinda old news at this point.

Skype.com is the only cross platform solution I'm aware of. Free for skype-to-skype PC calls. Also has an IM client built in.

They also sell "phone cards" to dial POTS from your PC. The gui has a typical touchpad interface.

They don't have POTS-to-skype yet, which needs some type of "DYN-dns" infrastructure underneath, but they are planning on offering this add-on for some monthly cost later on.

Looking ridiculous?

[carcosa30]

Since when did looking ridiculous matter to the sorts of people who use this kind of thing?

Actually though this sounds like a really sweet product...

Smart move, although probably not what we expect

[CodeMaster]

Smart move Nintendo. Use a proven technology, and enable better GAMING experience.

Did anyone really think that this will be done just so we can make free calls in hotspots?

1. Nintendo, gaming, voice chat... rings a bell? The main application will probably be to connect to other unites so people can talk to each other while they play.
2. VOIP to any number will require a gateway to the POTS which costs $$$ (where Vonage makes their money on...).

Nevertheless - pretty slick!

get a free ipod! This really works...

Re:Doesn't Xbox Live already have a form of VoIP?

[bakawally]

is xbox a portable?

free trade works

[chuckfucter]

If you consider the GBA a console, which it really is, the gba is the best selling console ever. Constant renovation and competition is what pushes this company. Nintendo started out making arcade games and after the mario brothers hit they kept that same character, in fact almost any game with him in it goes gold. With n-gage starting to appeal to the masses it's kinda common sense that nintendo would have to redesign in product to keep ahead. Nintendo is actually a great company and I'm glad that they are testing new and cool waters.

Exposure

[prozaic]

The headset is encouraging.
Holding a 2.4GHz emitter against the side of your skull does not sound like a good idea.

Re:Agreed

[typobox43]

Voice recognition... like Mario Party 6? Or, a bit farther back, Hey You, Pikachu?

Voice recognition

[mcc]

Previous examples of voice recognition in a video game can be seen in the Dreamcast's Seaman, which I have heard nothing but excellent things about, and in the N64's "Hey You Pikachu", which I have heard nothing at all about.

A somewhat more directly relevant example of how we might see voice recognition used in the DS might perhaps be teased from the news about Nintendo's upcoming Mario Party 6, which will contain about eighty-something multiplayer minigames, all entirely based around the useage of a microphone peripheral that will come with the game, and some of which will incorporate voice recognition.

DS Token Features

[Mulletproof]

"Gamespot is reporting that the Nintendo DS will use "built-in wireless 802.11b networking capabilities to offer voice-over-IP chat--in effect, allowing gamers to use the DS to make free phone calls at wireless network hotspots."

Ok, that's nifty, but nifty doesn't sell consoles or handhelds. I'd wager that 80% (conservatively) of their buyers could care less, especially when Nintendo's target audience has tradionally been pre-teens. Same with the second touch screen. It's as if they're trying to compensate for their lack of innovation and poor market performance lately with nifty features, without realizing their impact on sales will be negilable in lieu of the former and a break from Mario 12.

I'd be more excited if I thought this was actually going to do anything in the course of my regular gaming, but I suspect it'll be more along the lines of gameboy to gamecube connectivity-- Big fat deal. I know some of you will be happy, but most gamers are going to care less unless you see some real application here. That, and I really don't see too many people ditching the cell phones they already have and hunting down a hotspot just to make a free call by dialing down the center with 1-800-leftrightright-downupAB.

With the PSP on the horizon, I smell serious blood in the water because the DS is shaping up to be pretty weak from initial reports.

Nowhere does it state the DS will support this

[rd_syringe]

The article is merely the opinion of an "analyst" guessing that the DS will support VoIP. There is no official confirmation or news.

Well, except on Slashot where it gets reported as such...

Re:UNIVERSAL SERVICE FEES ARE A GOOD THING!!!

[Troed]

Try going to another country..Europe, Japan, etc...their phone system is so useless they have to use cell phones for everything.

Troll. Many european countries have vastly superior phone systems compared to the US. You might want to read up on a little company called Ericsson, what they've done, which country they're from etc.

That said, the former socialist monopoly of Televerket/Telia in Sweden is the reason why that's so.

VOIP Answers

[RipTides9x]

Best place to go ask that would be over at DSLreports.com aka BroadbandReports. The have specialists over in their forums who can answer most questions regarding almost all VoIP providers. Only thing i can remember about reading up on Vonage is that some people have had problems with their tech support/billing.

I'm currently trying to get SpeakEasy's ONELink DSL service where Covad has their own phone line run to your house to provide DRY pair DSL. You don't have to pay for that line (its inclusive in the $55.95 monthly DSL price) and you can get VoIP on it and drop your POTS line. If i can get the OneLink I am considering doing this.

You can also connect more than one phone to the VoIP blackbox, in fact it can be wired into your homes phone system if you are savvy enough. It does have limitations on how many phones can be hooked up and have ringers on, too many and none of the phones will ring. But if you have one of those cordless base stations that can handle several handsets then you are golden.