DS to get media download service
DS Vision to bring downloadable music, movies and more to the DS.
December 02, 2007 - AM3, who brought a video service to the Gameboy Advance in Japan last generation, are making their latest attempt at a download service which will bring anime, books, comics, magazines, movies and TV shows to the Japanese DS. Content will be downloaded to a special microSD flash card and plugged into the DS using a special cartridge adaptor.
The service, which is fully licensed by Nintendo, will launch in Japan in March of 2008. Working with their majority shareholder, Dai Nippon Printing, AM3 will open an online store for the downloadable content. The two firms will be working with NTT for the distribution of high-memory content, such as movies.
Specific titles have yet to be announced, but AM3 have high hopes for the service, expecting to capture 10% of the 20-million strong DS userbase. 300 titles are expected to be available when the system launches, with 10,000 up by 2010. AM3 hope to see 20,000,000 downloads per year by 2010, with sales totaling one billion yen over the next three years. A pricing scheme is also yet to be announced, but the company expects the most expensive stuff to go for 1,000 yen (around $10 US).
A test of the service will be held in January, with those interested able to purchase a set including the adaptor cartridge, a 512MB microSD card designed for use with the DS Vision service and a USB reader for 3,980 yen. The firm is considering giving the adaptor for free in the future, in order to minimise barriers to the service.
Although the service is only set for Japan at present, it could expand to other regions if it proves successful.
quelle: aussie-nintendo.com