DSButtons: Easy Way To Find Multiplayer Nintendo DS Games
When I first heard of the Nintendo DS and it’s wi-fi capability I instantly had a fantasy that read something like this: Another boring work day starts off with waking up and the usual bathroom routine then its off to the subway for the commute. I step on to the the regular train only this time some thing’s different. Four or five people are battling each other at Mario Kart DS! I sit down and join into the network battleground.
Did this ever happen? No. I’ve barely ever seen the DS wi-fi used apart from at conventions, LAN parties and Wii lines. This is where DS Buttons comes in.
DS Buttons is a great idea. Basically these three college friends, Sean Madden, John Vollmer and Tom Watson (of Left Bracket LLC) have made these buttons which advertises that you own and are willing to play Nintendo DS. These guys love Nintendo and think multiplayer DS is the best and want to extend the “networking capabilities” of the DS.
So let’s say you’re taking the San Francisco muni downdown to work because it’s raining cats and dogs. You are wearing your buttons and so are many other DS owners who are taking muni. You see there are other players, not only playing DS but advertising the games they are playing. You can either jump into PictoChat, start a network game, or physically meet these people and start playing. DS Buttons makes it a little bit easier to play multiplayer like the original fantasy I had when I heard about mobile gaming with wi-fi.
Luckily I got some face time with one of the founders of this project, Sean Madden, and asked for some more details about DS Buttons.
LaterNerdz: Okay, so what is DS Buttons exactly?
Sean Madden: DS Buttons is a very simple concept. We created little metallic buttons that advertise to the world that you are a DS owner and are willing to play. Basically, we think that the most compelling feature of the DS is its networking ability, specifically the download and play feature. As someone who grew up with Nintendo, it baffles me that I can sit in a coffee shop with my friend and play Mario Kart against him with no wires and four screens involved… Yet, as cool as this was, it was still sort of a problem. I was only playing with friends. With the growing awareness of all things “social,” the DS is poised to own the ad-hoc gaming revolution in meatspace. We’re just trying to help enable the social interaction already built into Nintendo’s baby.
LN: Yeah, the wi-fi in most mobile devices really does needs some help. Especially when heated Mario Kart races are at stake. So who are you Left Bracket guys?
SM: A bunch of nobodies. The three of us (Tom, John, and myself) all went to college together in Oregon and met in the instructional design center. We’ve kept in touch and recently put together Left Bracket, a company to help us consolidate our various freelancing efforts. One night over dinner John casually mentioned this idea he’d been knocking around about buttons and we jumped all over it.
LN: Awesome, that is the best kind of project. So when/how can readers get these things? (I already got a full set, hoo)
SM: The buttons will be available starting December 11th and sell for $12, which includes shipping. You get 5 buttons in a set, one large “I heart DS” button and 4 game buttons of your choosing.
LN: Okay and what games are available now?
SM: Our current game list is: Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart, Mario Hoops 3×3, StarFox Command, Tetris, Metroid Prime Hunters, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, and Big Brain Academy.
LN: Why these games? It’s nice seeing StarFox and frankly, I haven’t even heard of Mario Hoops 3×3. Hopefully these buttons will drive purchases for multiplayer titles as well.
SM: We spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out what the most popular games are and then culling out those that don’t’ have network play. We realize that the network play in Super Mario is pretty weak, but it’s easy and quick to play and most DS owners seem to have the game. StarFox isn’t out yet but it promises to be a great multiplayer game so we wanted to get it out the door.
LN: Any plans for PSP Buttons?
SM: Not at this point. As I said before, we’re really into Nintendo. Also, we don’t really know how this is going to go so we’re trying not to get too ambitious about the future before we’ve found out if the present is even viable.
LN: Where do you think the most likely place to get into a DS wireless game is?
SM: Our thoughts have been around coffee shops and public transportation.
LN: Okay, so just the places where you would normally play. One last question. Are there any other ideas you have for engaging anonymous gamers in public spaces? Maybe something that Nintendo could do to help owners meet up?
SM: There are other ideas. Some we’re keeping to our chests in the event that this thing goes big enough.
So there you go LaterNerdz readers. Sean Madden is straight business about his new project DS Buttons. The only way to work is for everyone who’s interested to buy some. At $12 for a set, I don’t think that will be very hard. Even though I ride my bike to work, with the rain coming in San Francisco, you might find me on a 21-line bus or taking the train downtown if you look for my DS Buttons!