Posted December 31, 1969 by Brian Callam

Earlier this year Nintendo hinted that their latest handheld console, the Nintendo DS, would be online capable in the near future. Well the future is closer than you may have thought! Nintendo today announced that Mario Kart DS, Crossing DS, and the latest Tony Hawk title from Activision will be among the first DS titles to go online. Each of these titles are due out in the fourth quarter of 2005. Mario Kart and Animal Crossing are also confirmed to be playable online at the convention. Check back for more coverage on first impressions of each of those titles.

?Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has an immediate user base of more than 5 million Nintendo DS owners worldwide, and it?s growing every day,? said George Harrison, Nintendo of America?s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. ?The service invites everyone to enjoy the game-play experience for Nintendo-developed games using wireless connections with very easy setup procedures and no added service fees.?

Taking advantage of IGN?s GameSpy Technology, the DS will be able to connect to the internet at any Wi-Fi hub and you may begin challenging opponents from all over the world with their favorite DS games, as well as utilizing the built in chat program, PictoChat, online. Nintendo also revealed that the online capability for the DS will allow players to compare high scores, as well as have extra online storage space for online capable games.

More than 25 publishers are also working on titles for the DS that will utilize this new feature.