Topic: Nintendo's FREE Internet plan? - DS/Rev?

[BlackNMild2k1]

I don't know all the details behind this technology, but I do know that is is made by Matsushita/Panasonic.
They are very well known business partners w/ Nintendo and could be helping them with thier free internet infastructure.

I came across this YAHOO!! article and they talk about internet over powerlines and how it is faster than current wifi.

Sony is a member of Homeplug, who is also working on thier own version, but it was not up to the level of performance of Matsushita's.

Now what I wanted to know was if was plausible for Nintendo or even Sony to use this tech to make a "no-line" connection between handheld units for those that don't have internet connections.  And since powerllines go everywhere would this make it so that technically, if your DS was on, you truly would never be alone. There would always be someone, somewhere, with a powerline near-by and a DS turned on.

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They have developed a system to transfer 170 Megabits per second of data through the power lines of a home, Panasonic researcher Ingo Chmielewski told journalists at the electronics trade fair CeBIT.

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HomePlug's current standard is only 14 Mbps but it is thought to be working on a faster version.

p.s. Current wifi speeds are 56 Mbps iirc    

[Caillan]

This is a good idea, but Nintendo should wait to see if it catches on before they state allegiance to it. Even if this was to spread extremely fast, it would take a few years to become standard.

The thing is, specialised companies can't provide free internet everywhere, so I doubt Nintnedo will be able to either. It would be a Nintendo-ey thing to do, but they're making ideological concessions in providing online games in the first place. It's like expecting Nintendo to develop a proprietary disc format which becomes standard in the movie industry. They just can't do that. I think we shouldn't expect more than a cheap bundled router with the Revoluton and a few wireless hotspots in malls.

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There would always be someone, somewhere, with a powerline near-by and a DS turned on.

I'm not a technology expert, but I'm sure you'll need at least some sort of router/converter to send WiFi stuff through powerlines.  

[Gamefreak]

Well low tech DS games wouldn't need that kind of speed, but Rev... yeah.

[Babyboy8100]

i didnt quite understand the meaning of hotspots?
does it mean we would have to go to a special location
in order to play "online"? that would really suck i would
want to just turn on my DS and insert a game and bam
your at that game's lobby choosin who you gonna play...
but who knows maybe nintendo havesomething better
in mind...

[Artimus]

A hotspot is any place with a wireless router. AkA you home.

[BlkPaladin]

Where you have a properly set up wireless router then you have yourself a hotspot.

[BlackNMild2k1]

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Originally posted by: Caillan
I'm not a technology expert, but I'm sure you'll need at least some sort of router/converter to send WiFi stuff through powerlines.

But isn't the Rev rumored to be some sort of wireless hub/router, which would then be connected to the powerlines, therefore connecting you to every other thing plugged into the wall with the same technology.

You might not be connected to the traditional internet, but maybe more of an intranet of DS's and Revolutions.

I know it all sounds to good to be true, so maybe it is.....
but we'll all find out soon enough

[Caillan]

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But isn't the Rev rumored to be some sort of wireless hub/router, which would then be connected to the powerlines, therefore connecting you to every other thing plugged into the wall with the same technology.

You still need a physical connexion to the powerlines. I was thinking you'd need a wee router or something phyically attached to the lines, and the Revoluton sends its data to that. Then it sends the data off to other players as pulses of electricity. If the Revolution did that itself then you'd have to climb up a power pole every time you wanted to play online.

Is anyone else thinking that delicate little 1s and 0s are going to be easily interupted by magnetic/any other interference? Packet replacement like TCP is too slow for gaming, so I'm guessing whatever they're using is gonna be UDP-style. It usually doesn't matter becasue your house is just getting a stream of electricicty, but it could be a real hassle if you're gaming.

[BlackNMild2k1]

well the outlets in my house are connected to the powerlines throughout my house, which are then connected to the powerline outside providing electricty to my house.  

So wouldn't just being plugged in get you connected (assuming the rumor of router/REV is true)??



........or am i just looking at this all wrong??

[Caillan]

Ah, I think I see what you're saying now. I'm not sure whether domestic AC power outlets can send electricicty back to the lines. I know some houses which give electricity back to the national grid, but they all have external generators hooked up to their meters. If the outlet is continuously sending electricicty to the Revolution, I don't think there's going to be much room for stuff to flow out, if you get what I mean.

EDIT: Another thing I forgot to mention. If Nintendo were going to use this plan, why would they include WiFi with the Rev? Also, it's risky becasue it requires government authorisation before it is legal.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I just looked this up to get a better understanding

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AC
Alternating Current or AC electricity is a back-and-forth movement of electrons in a wire, similar to sloshing water back-and-forth in a hose. When the force of a negative (-) charge is at one end of a wire and a positive (+) potential is at the other end, the electrons in the wire will move away from the (-) charge, just like in DC electricity. But if the charges at the ends of the wires are suddenly switched, the electrons will reverse their direction.

Source

Does that mean the the system recieving could theoretically switch the direction of flow and temporarily be sending?

Or is it just really late and I should just goto sleep? (its after 2am and been a really long day)  

[oohhboy]

It would use the same principle as what ADSL currents does over telephone voice lines. By sending data over a much higher frequency than the voice part of the line, you are able to talk and send data over it.

Powerlines can serve the same funtion and carry a higher voltage. There fore you can send over an even more powerful signal than over a phone line. As a result there would be a less likely hood of interference.

As to how they over come the AC problem maybe explained by the speed of light. Although the electrons themselfs only travel at 10% light, the impluse or data goes as fast as light. So as long as the signal arrives before the current reverses it should be fine.

or they found some quirk about quantum phyisic that allow a signal be sent down regardless of direction of current.

[RickPowers]

I can't beleive how many people are still overanalyzing this "Free Online" statement Nintendo made, including some of the major sites.  It's all very simple.

The Online service will be like Xbox Live, except that it won't cost anything (and very likely, will not be nearly as well polished).  The actually way you get online may or may not be free, depending.  If you're at home, you'll need a broadband connection and a wireless router, and that's going to cost some money.  If you're on the road, you'll need access to a free wireless hotspot.  Paid hotspots might not work, because they usually require an HTML page to be displayed where you can enter a username and password, and I doubt each DS game will include a web browser to do that.

Seriously, this statement in no way means that Nintendo is rolling out some sort of nationwide network to bring wireless internet access to everyone.  Occam's Razor was never more applicable than in this case ... the simplest answer is often the correct one.

[Pale]

Yeah, i feel the same way Rick.  The stupid 'news' sites are gonna make everyone think that Nintendo is giving away Internet access...then when it turns out to be what it surely really is, everyone is gonna bitch about how crappy Nintendo is....even though they are doing for free what microsoft is charging 50 a year for...  -_-

[BlackNMild2k1]

I know how "FREE" internet gaming will most-likelly work, but....

since we are Specualting on the DS/Revolution, why not try to specualte on something revolutionary?
I was just shooting this out as more of an very interesting concept that could one day happen, and not as something I really believe Nintendo is gonna use next gen (even though that would be the ace up the sleeve).

I was actually just trying to get feedback on how this could work and if is something you think Nintendo could be looking into. What better way to get everybody connected than through something that we all already have??

[GabFox]

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Where you have a properly set up wireless router then you have yourself a hotspot.

So it means I need to buy a wireless router to play my DS games when they become avaliable?

[darknight06]

Pretty much.

[Artimus]

This thread is the first I've heard of this confusion. I cannot understand how anyone would confuse that? Free online means it's free to play online...Not that you get free internet access! That's like saying 'It's free to plug into your wall!' and someone thinking that means Nintendo is providing free power...

[BlackNMild2k1]

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Originally posted by: Artimus
This thread is the first I've heard of this confusion. I cannot understand how anyone would confuse that? Free online means it's free to play online...Not that you get free internet access! That's like saying 'It's free to plug into your wall!' and someone thinking that means Nintendo is providing free power...

nevermind :roll eyes:

[Pale]

Yeah, the thing that got me was what someone quoted from an IGN mailbag....where the guy responding talked about not being able to comprehend what Nintendo had planned...  Rick is really the first person I've seen that has come out and put it as simply as it probably is.

[Nephilim]

I believe the rev will proberly go thu wifi and proberly also have a cord to plug into your adsl router....I doubt they would be dumb enough to expect people to go buy a new router and just make it wifi only (esp when a cord costs a dollar to make)

anyway games made for online dont need 1meg a sec downloads
heck 140 is overboard...heck only 1 australian provider has 1meg a sec downloads for home users...

[tahnok100]

I've talked to my dad before about this high-speed internet over power line. It is indeed possible, but it is no faster than DSL or cable. It also causes huge amounts of interference for everything around it, the power line basically becomes a huge antenna. As far as I know, the FCC is currently out as to whether or not they will allow this for widespread use, since it could cause problems.

BTW, AC works by changing the polarity, not the direction electrons flow. The changing polarity is like flipping the plus and minus sings on a battery extremely quickly (about 60 times a second). It is not however possible to change the direction of electron flow.

Also, all power does go back to the city. For electrons to flow, there must be a complete circuit. Meaning it must go back to its source.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Thanx for the reply to my questions with an explanation that I understand.

So in order for this process to work, my guess is that PG&E (or w/e power company that is near you)would have to be in on the process since they would be at the center of the network?

[darknight06]

Speaking of online, I hear that DS online is being dealt with by Gamespy.  Not 100% sure about it, but that's what I'm hearing.

[RickPowers]

Remember the Nintendo/GameSpy hookup we mentioned way back when?  Turns out that it wasn't for GameCube (disappointingly), but was for the DS/Revolution.