Nintendo gets into the router game, plans to destroy competition by not really trying

Nintendo just announced a 5,800 Yen (about $54 US) WiFi router, built to take that pesky wired Ethernet internet and blast it across your home in a palatable WiFi fashion for use by your Wii or DS. Just like every other router ever. Only this one is cheap, cute and built by Nintendo, so watch out Linksys / Netgear / everybody. The "Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter," meant to supplement 2005's WiFi USB Connector, looks to be Japan-only at the moment, and is due for a September 18th release.

[Thanks, Sanimir]

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 8th 2008 3:54PM]

..and you sir, have clearly had a bad day.

[crunc Posted Sep 8th 2008 12:54PM]

I don't see what the big deal is about it. Who knows what this will be priced at in the US. Maybe it will be $30. Or maybe it will be $50, but super easy to set up? I have no idea. Neither do you.

[Rainier Posted Sep 8th 2008 12:57PM]

WiFi? Maybe it was lost in translation, and they were talking about the Wii Fit...hmmm.

[Timerider Posted Sep 8th 2008 1:26PM]

My wireless router doesn't work with my DS. A Nintendo branded one is more likely to work.

[Bizam Posted Sep 8th 2008 1:37PM]

It better work! It's a Nintendo branded device!

[Ridgecity Posted Sep 8th 2008 1:42PM]

People, this things isn't for you geeks, it's for people that don't even know there's wireless internet stuff.

[weg Posted Sep 8th 2008 2:24PM]

Great.. that means more open, unsecured WIFI networks for us geeks. Since the DS doesn't support WPA (only WEP), I'm pretty sure this thing will be unsecured by default (and probably won't support WPA, either).

[EMaster Posted Sep 8th 2008 1:46PM]

Nintendo disgusts me... This router is obviously not made for geeks and Otaku. This is thing is made for soccer moms.

[gamedude360 Posted Sep 8th 2008 2:13PM]

why not just make a new wii that has dvd playback , 120 Gb harddrive and is also a wired/wireless router? and drop the system to 199 :) it would be killer

[PhoenixFox Posted Sep 8th 2008 2:18PM]

Or they should put a $7000 PC, one of the original PS3s with BC, a 360 Elite, a Digital tuner getting all the channels ever with perfect reception and live TV pausing and recording and a WII inside a 1mm thin 150" OLED TV, all sharing a 300TB HDD with super special awesome graphics acceleration and a unified controller that controls ALL of it!

And sell it for $10.

By this logic, they should sell enough to make billions.

Right?

[DWells55 Posted Sep 8th 2008 2:32PM]

The sad part is that uneducated parents will actually buy this for their kids.

[raptor87 Posted Sep 8th 2008 6:53PM]

I see people have mentioned the DD-WRT firmware but failed to mention that the type of person even considering buying something like this would never be able to install and configure DD-WRT.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 9th 2008 7:10AM]

VERY Few people in Japan have Wifi at there home !
This could be a way to introduce it, thanks to Nintendo image

[Ichinisan Posted Sep 14th 2008 2:03PM]

I don't believe that for a second. I would bet that WiFi per-capita is much higher in a smaller country like Japan than in the US.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 27th 2008 3:49PM]

Maybe it will be cheaper in the US?