IGN recently posted their hands-on with the new Nintendo Wi-Fi USB adapter. This adapter allows those without wireless routers to grant their DS online access. Craig had mostly positive things to say about the adapter, and a few minor "quirks." Mostly noted, obviously, is that the adapter does not work on Macs. No surprise there, though.
Here's the full article straight from IGN. For those of you who are too lazy to open another window/tab, or for those who don't want to leave the website,
and/or for those who detest going to IGN, here's the article:
(Note: Due to image restrictions, this article is split up into multiple posts)
Quote:
Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Adapter Hands-on
Just how easy is it to connect the DS to the internet?
by Craig Harris
November 7, 2005 - In just about a week's time, Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service will go online. This service, intended as a free, seamless, and invisible link to the internet, will be supported by two games: Nintendo's own Mario Kart DS and Activision's Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.
Of course, to access this online network, you need to have a local wireless connection to the internet. If you have a broadband connection, all it takes is a purchase of a wireless 802.11b-compatible router, as the Nintendo DS system is compatible with most of them on the market. These can be obtained for as little as 50 bucks all the way up to a couple hundred, depending on brand and speed.
But you might not ready to take the plunge on a wireless router, which requires a bit of tweaking and a bit of technical know-how to get working properly. And many cable and DSL ISP companies don't offer technical support on user-installed routers since they frown on the fact that their one connection is being shared by many connections. That's where Nintendo's Wi-Fi USB Connector comes into play.
This simple thumb drive-sized device plugs into any USB port of your PC, and it doesn't matter if it's 1.1 or 2.0-compatible. What it does is allow for your Nintendo DS to piggyback onto the broadband connection that your PC is currently using, with a minimal of configuration. The box comes packaged with a short USB extender cable for computers that have their USB ports on the backside of their system, which makes it easier to install and remove the device when you want to switch the Connector from one PC to another.
Currently the wireless adapter will only be available for purchase from the Nintendo.com website, but when Metroid Prime Hunters is ready to go Nintendo will reportedly back that launch up by releasing the USB adapter to retail.
So, just how easy is this to get to work? I gave the device a spin on the same PC I use to write nearly every bit of text on the IGN DS channel.
Through the wonders of Windows XP, the device is recognized instantly when plugged into the PC's USB port. But just because it's recognized doesn't mean it'll work right out of the box; you'll need the configuration software for that to happen. Since ours is a prerelease version, the box didn't have the software included -- but the installation was available on Nintendo's site for download. The installation was a snap, though it took a bit longer than 10 minutes or so for everything to configure internally. And the system needed a fresh reboot after everything was set.
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