Pokemon transforms DS into 'cell phone' for kids

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 15th 2007 at 6:12PM }

ooh! ohh! ask him if he's wearing underwear...

Not that Pokémon -- only the second best-selling game franchise evar -- needs any marketing spin to excite sales of its predestined two-headed spawn Diamond & Pearl, but Nintendo does seems eager to herald the game's impending arrival as a sort of "My First Celly" for DS toting youngsters eager for chatter. Of course, this is simply the ability to chat with registered friends using DS's VoIP capabilities, enabled by the new Pokémon game. While it's a far cry from pending productions and possibilities proposed by the competition, VoIP on DS is a little used feature that has the potential to be a unique selling point.

Sure, it's tethered to Wi-Fi hotspots, but the technology offers the promise of safe communication -- in terms of both who your kid be talkin wit' and potential costs (or lack thereof) -- for concerned parents looking to serve their whiny offspring. Then again, DS VoIPin' lacks the much desired 'prank call' feature. With mischief muted, your preteens are gonna have to settle on playground gossip. That, or they could actually engage in some good ol' pocket monster melee. Imagine that.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are scheduled for release on April 22.

Tags: cell, cellphone, diamond, ds, friendcodes, hotspot, nds, pearl, pokemon, voip, wifi

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dan @ Mar 15th 2007 6:14PM

1st?

Mike @ Mar 15th 2007 6:25PM

Tonight, on Fox News...

Hirsbrunner @ Mar 15th 2007 6:25PM

2nd?

Markham @ Mar 15th 2007 6:26PM

Who wants to bet that within a few months of release there will be a Fox News report on pedophiles talking to children through their "Game Boys"?

Colin @ Mar 15th 2007 6:37PM

What about a homebrew hack to use the voip to dial any number? Phreakers, start your engines!

Roger Rees @ Mar 15th 2007 6:42PM

This could be awesome. One of the best features of XBL is the ability to chat with friends while gaming. It would be nice to be able to chat across games eventually, but this is a good start.

I'm in.

Mr Khan @ Mar 15th 2007 6:43PM

Pearl will be the first game since PSO Episode III GC that i have will have purchased based on the alure of Online play (i would've bought MKDS and MPH and Starfox Command either way)

Nintendo's doing something right, in this respect at least (it'll make filling the collection much easier, with Online trading)

germanplumber006 @ Mar 15th 2007 6:43PM

Awesome....something that makes nintendo's online that much closer to being a great online experience. Now if only they get rid of friend codes and adapt a friend list system similar to xbox live and I'll be happy gamer. Too bad the Wii is following in the DS's footsteps of online.

NeverSage @ Mar 15th 2007 6:48PM

"Awesome....something that makes nintendo's online that much closer to being a great online experience."

Actually, it's that much closer to it being up to the standard. Right now it's far below par.

REUYL @ Mar 15th 2007 6:55PM

I thought Nintendo was only about games.

required @ Mar 15th 2007 6:57PM

FYI: The PSP has supported this type of communication in game for awhile now.

Satan'sClause @ Mar 15th 2007 7:20PM

"11. FYI: The PSP has supported this type of communication in game for awhile now."

Yeah but with the DS you will actually have someone to talk to.

I kid.

Anyways, this sounds cool although I find it pointless (and eerie) to hold and conversation while playing Pokemon with a stranger I traded friend codes with online. It's cool if you have friends with the same game though.

Joshua @ Mar 15th 2007 7:48PM

"...I find it pointless (and eerie) to hold and conversation while playing Pokemon with a stranger I traded friend codes with online..."

Haha, of course, that's what Nintendo wants to avoid with all the Friend Code hassle, anyway. :P

ill trooper @ Mar 15th 2007 7:55PM

Forget the 'whiny offspring' angle, Nintendo should make an 'adult' pack, a cartridge with opera, skype, and a calander/calculator/world clock and with the headset all included.

...And maybe that 'm-06' guitar simulator built in too.

Rubang B @ Mar 15th 2007 8:17PM

Please somebody make that one picture into a

"MY POKEMANS! LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THEM!"

dark @ Mar 15th 2007 8:33PM

OH MY GOD! Tramampoline! Trampopoline!

scepia @ Mar 15th 2007 8:55PM

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/6664/pikachudsheadsettellug0.png

Dakins @ Mar 15th 2007 9:00PM

I've been using voice chat for quite a long time now.

http://dl.qj.net/wifi-VoiceChatClient-v1.5-Nintendo-DS/pg/12/fid/11642/catid/220

B-Mo @ Mar 15th 2007 9:04PM

@11 (Required)

While it's true the PSP has supported VoIP for quite some time, does it have a franchise that has a fanbase as large as Pokemon does?

I never really got into the Craze when the game first came out, but Let's just say this game alone might just change that. Online battling, Trading, and being able to learn japanese curse words from some kid strangely appeal to me.

Eric @ Mar 15th 2007 9:12PM

Across games? pish screw that. Make it across anything. Be playing on you xbox and be able to recieve a phone call right there. Essentially have the devices adapt to you, rather then you adapting to the devices.

Basically you'd just have to make everything like a VoIP and then do a lot of work making it "seamless" but it'd be a major pain...and unlikely to happen "correctly" anytime soon.

Joshua @ Mar 15th 2007 9:18PM

Hahaha, very nice job, scepia!

BPM @ Mar 15th 2007 9:45PM

Umm... I'm not exactly sure what's so new about this...

For one, it's been known even before the release of the Japanese versions of the game that voice chat would be supported.

For two, it's not the first game to have voice chat on the DS. That honor belongs to Metroid Prime Hunters. And, there have been other games to support voice chat, too. Such as Jump Ultimate Stars.

Don't get me wrong. It's still cool that Pokémon D/P supports it, but this isn't news at all. Unless I missed something in this post.

LongshotX @ Mar 15th 2007 9:46PM

I was a Pokemon slave when I was about 11 (1997) and I never thought it would still be this big. Although it is pretty lame now, as I'm 20, its cool to see the series continue to inspire kids to compete, read, and play nice with other kids. My Pokemon Blue cartridge got stolen in the 7th grade....oh well back to TMNT on XBLA, Gears of War, Lost Planet, Crackdown, Madden, and Burnout. Gotta catch em all... ACHIEVEMENTS!

Rubang B @ Mar 15th 2007 9:52PM

Thank you Scepia. That made my day. I owe you a picture.

B-Mo @ Mar 15th 2007 10:07PM

Okay, here's another image to add to Scepia's, didn't take long, but I'm not satisfied with the Earpiece...

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/4149/talkpokemansdz0.jpg

scepia @ Mar 15th 2007 10:24PM

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6586/ashtradesta3.png

Rubang B @ Mar 15th 2007 11:54PM

I'm laughing so hard right now, if only I could express this somehow through text, oh man. Wow. Thank you.

Rubang B @ Mar 16th 2007 12:08AM

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9579/rubangspokemanslx8.jpg

That's me in the picture.

dark @ Mar 16th 2007 12:33AM

nerds!

scepia @ Mar 16th 2007 12:37AM

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/6438/rubangaw4.jpg

Rubang B @ Mar 16th 2007 12:46AM

How dare you desecrate the happiest moment of my life!

scepia @ Mar 16th 2007 1:04AM

Mwahahaha. Let me see them, your friend codes...

BPM @ Mar 16th 2007 3:21AM

That's a great pic, Rubang, but you just got pwned by Ash. Now he's going to tell me about his Pokeymans (with the pokey and the man and the guy comes out of the thing and he's like fragh fragh fragh fragh!)... And go on and on and on about them...

Can you PLEASE shut him up and tell me about your Pokeymans instead? Surely, you're more direct and to the point than he?
... Right?