On May 27th Nintendo, in cooperation with McDonalds, started a new wireless information and gaming service in 21 restaurants around Tokyo. This is part of the Nintendo Spot project to give DS gamers wireless access to the internet on the train and in McDonald’s restaurants.
Different to Europe and America it is hard to find a restaurant or bar in Japan offering a free WiFi hotspot to connect your computer or mobile gaming device to the Web. That is because Japanese usually use their mobile phones to connect to the internet, but also because of security concerns about open networks. Another important reason is that restaurant owners in Japan aren’t interested in having their customers lingering around in the often overcrowded spots in downtown.
McDonalds, which are always interested in being up-to-date with technology, (such as Felica RFID for Contactless Coupons), now are offering their customers more information and gimmicks through portable devices.
In 21 restaurants around Tokyo, Nintendo DS users can browse various campaign information from the McDonald’s Website, as well as download trial versions of games. So if you want to get the recipe for the new “Cheese Katsu” Burger or improve your Kanji knowledge just grab your DS and go hang out at McDonalds!
