Some futher information has come out about the Nintendo DS that we discussed earlier. Apparently Nintendo is going to include Voice-over-IP functionality in the DS so that users can make voice calls over regular wifi connections.
Details are still sketchy, and there is much debate as to whether this is an XBox Live! style player-to-player communication medium, or a fully featured VoIP system. My money is on the former for two reasons: a) Nintendo are notorious for using proprietary protocols and device lock-in; and b) a consumer device using VoIP would be seen as a direct assault on the mobile phone market, which I can’t see Nintendo getting involved in.
Still, having a handheld device for multiplayer gaming with realtim voice comms would be pretty cool.
