NYT Report Inaccurate on Full DS Downloads Via Wii

Kotaku notes that the report from the New York Times, that full DS games would be downloadable via the Wii, wasn't entirely accurate. "That's right, according to Nintendo, the Wii will NOT be able to transmit or download full DS games. Apparently the New York Times confused DS demos with WiiWare titles. So you can download full on Wii games (which we knew), but only wireless DS demo games (which we also knew)."

Comments

For what it's worth (and it could be a lot)

[Crash Culligan]

I got Geometry Wars: Galaxies for the Wii first, then picked up the DS version for the unlocks (and yeah, I guess for the portable play). It turns out you only get one system and seven planets out of it, so I don't feel it was quite worth it.

(Oh, and the unlock is mutual -- introduce GW:G on the Wii to GW:G on the DS, and you get the bonus levels on both editions. This would otherwise be seriously interesting, but more on that later.)

And it doesn't share high scores because the game experience between the two is so radically different that the scores just don't convert over properly -- not just the way it plays (lots of enemies slow the DS down), but the layouts of some of the play spaces are different.

That said, there is a big heaping chunk of potential here. GW:G demonstrated it with the "Retro Evolved" demo download to the DS. And then they demonstrated a twist on it with the mutual unlock of special levels.

1. Imagine a free download through the Shop Channel to turn your Wii into a demo kiosk on steroids. Not just two or three but twenty game demos. Right there in the comfort of your home, Nintendo could give you the first hit--er, sample of bunches of software. Consumers see what's out there and develop the want, stores are set to provide, let the stampede begin.
2. Imagine a download ($20 or so) which turns the Wii into a DS game server -- something that'll serve up individual levels or stages on demand to a large number of DSes, and when a round of play is done with it would collect and store the results for comparison or competition. Yes, the DS can do some of this already (Mario Kart DS does networked play), but only one person would need to own the "original game" and that would be on the Wii. 1 Wii + this software + 20 DSes with no games in them = DS LAN Party.
3. Or how about a free download for the Wii that will allow it to connect to the DS and download content from it? You'd buy a DS game marked "Wii-Enhanced," take it home, and use the loader to get bonus content from the DS that you could play on the Wii?

Disclaimer: I have no idea they'll ever attempt anything like these. I'm just saying it could be cool if they did.