Nintendo DS sets sights on VoIP
It makes good sense – take one handheld gaming device with a Wi-Fi connection, attach a mîcrophone, add a dash of programming wizadry and as if by magic you have what amounts to free internet telephony. Ok, so it seems very unlikely that we’ll ever see a DS version of Skype, but at E3 2005, Nintendo was show-boating the power of their latest handheld with DSpeak technology.
Although only communicating with other users across the exhibition hall, the DS used a headset and its Wi-Fi connection to prove that it was something within the capability of the system, plus a wavelength display and an on-screen character lip-syncing along gave it that Nintendo feel.
Doubts remain as to whether the DS is computationally capable of achieving this feat at the same time as running a game, but it’s a promising start and a good sign for upcoming DS titles that are capable of multiplayer gaming such as Mariokart DS.
via Gamasutra and check out our sister-blog Games Digest for more gaming news.
