Currently, game console makers have relied on traditional wireless networking for their handheld consoles, but that might be changing. Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo indicates that it is negotiating to add a 3G network connection to next-gen portables.
“Video game makers know that in order for portable game machines to take the next step forward, they need wireless communication,” said NTT DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada. “We are discussing this with various players.”
3G options would give wireless carriers additional revenue streams and give Sony or Nintendo access to important software and security patches which aren’t dependent on user initiation. Yamada believes that NTT DoCoMo’s 3G network could be accessed using a built in component or use a company router that uses a 3G connection to create a local Wi-Fi network.
Nintendo has already revealed that they want to improve the online capabilities of the 3DS over its predecessors. While Sony hasn’t announced a successor to the PSP, it is expected they will launch a successor that will compete with portable game machines, tablet computers, e-book readers and netbooks, and certainly could benefit from a 3G connection.
Tokai Tokyo Research Center analyst Yusuke Tsunoda says that this indicates that smartphones have put pressure on traditional platform holders. “The distinction between gaming devices and mobile communication devices, like smartphones, are blurring. And it may eventually disappear,” said Tsunoda.
Source: Wall Street Journal
