Nintendo updates DS baseball app with live ESPN data

by JC Fletcher { Apr 13th 2009 at 11:45AM }

For the 2009 baseball season, Nintendo has announced new updates to the Nintendo Fan Network, the suite of utilities and games available only at Seattle's Safeco Field. The new version of the Nintendo Fan Network features ESPN content including news about Mariners baseball and other sports, ESPN baseball columns, fantasy sports information, and "ESPN Zoom Game, a photo-matching game for sports." The new updates also feature closed captioning for PA announcements!

The Fan Network retains its previous features, including weather information, video, networked trivia games, and a food and drink order service.

If you don't have a DS with which to access the service, or if you just want to mess with a DSi, NIntendo is offering free rentals of the device for the first 150 people to ask for one during home games in the season's first three months.

Gallery: Nintendo Fan Network

Tags: baseball, download-play, espn, mariners, nintendo-fan-network, safeco-field

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

MowDownJoe @ Apr 13th 2009 12:45PM

They should make this a DSiWare app. Let people use those new features at any ballpark.

Rock @ Apr 13th 2009 1:31PM

That would only work if the other ballparks would spend the money to put in the wireless network to connect the DS's. The major problem is the class 3 plus radio they put in the DS (the whole 30' transmit range thing). You basically have to put a network access point in every section of the park for it to work. Most clubs are not going to foot that bill right now.

destruction78 @ Apr 13th 2009 2:07PM

Cool. They could use Wi-Fi like they do now and it will be inexpensive. The problem is that you have to have your ball park accept the idea and not all will.

destruction78 @ Apr 13th 2009 2:08PM

@ Rock: With WPA2 (DSi) or WEP you could have distances much farther than 30'

Rock @ Apr 14th 2009 1:48PM

I was referring to the transmitter of the DS. The DS comes with a class 3 transmitter which is very low power by design (read cheap). This gives a reliable 30' or 10m range. A class 2 transmitter will give a 100' or 30m range and a class 1 transmitter will give a 300' or 100m range. Most home wifi devices use class 2 transmitters with the extended range devices using class one. The WEP or WPA2 are security standards not transmitters/radios. You can get a better than 30' distance with a class 3 device if you are using it with a class 1 or 2 device. From my experience the best distance performance out of a class 3 is ~90' when connecting a class one transmitter.

So again, the parks would have to put in a lot of "extended range" access points with high gain antennas to make it work just because the DS transmitter is so weak.