Bring Your Nintendo
I came across an article talking about a deal between McDonald's and Nintendo, who will be offering free Wi-Fi access at McDonald's restaurants for select Nintendo DS games. The article is pasted below.
My initial thoughts on this - interesting, because of course McDonald's is well known for attracting the kid factor ... parents go to McDonald's because their kids want to go to McDonald's. The article states that they want to make this "a Starbucks for kids." But I wonder what it will do to the "ambiance" in the restaurants - will there be video game noises everywhere? I don't know anything about Nintendo DS machines or whether they have a headphone outlet. (And taking into consideration the amount of discipline already instilled in a lot of kids, that means that headphones will probably not be used, even if the option is not available.) One word: EW. I haven't been in a Wi-Fi McDonald's to know how it affects/attracts clientele, or how it affects non-Wi-Fi clientele.
What does everybody think? Is this a smart move for McDonald's?
Here's the article:
October 18, 2005 New York Times
McDonald's and Nintendo in Wi-Fi Deal
By ERIC A. TAUB
Would you like Mario with that Big Mac?
Nintendo of America is expected to announce today that it will offer free wireless Internet access for its Nintendo DS portable game system at McDonald's restaurants. Customers will be able to play select DS games with other players around the world.
McDonald's offers wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, access to laptop users for a fee in 6,000 restaurants nationwide, but the free Nintendo arrangement will permit the DS machines to play without a laptop.
The DS is the latest game system to offer online play. Both Sony and Microsoft have long promoted the online game-playing features of their game consoles.
Sony's PlayStation Portable, the main competitor to the Nintendo DS, also offers wireless online play.
"This is such an interesting direction for McDonald's," said Anita Frazier, an entertainment industry analyst with the NPD Group, a research firm. "This could encourage kids to go to McDonald's to play games. It is like the kids' version of Starbucks' wireless hot spots." As with the toys that have long been packaged with McDonald's food, the relationship will help draw customers to the restaurants, she said.
Released in November, the Nintendo DS has sold 2.2 million units in the United States, NPD says. Sony's PlayStation Portable, available since March, has sold two million.
Wireless access for the DS will be provided by Wayport of Austin, Tex., which supplies Wi-Fi to McDonald's. Nintendo will pay Wayport an undisclosed fee for the service.
Wayport expects to have Wi-Fi in around 7,000 McDonald's outlets in America by June, said Dan Lowden, Wayport's vice president for business development and marketing.
The online game service will begin next month with two titles: Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American SK8Land. Two other games, Animal Crossing: Wild World and Metroid Prime Hunters, will be available by the end of the year.
While DS users can now send text messages and pictures wirelessly to other users, "we have no plans to move that into Wi-Fi," said Perrin Kaplan, a vice president at Nintendo of America . "There are so many other ways that people can chat."
Comments
On Dec 5 at 09:39 AM said:
With so many parents having a hard time getting their children to eat before they play in the play ground area, is this a smart move? I don't think so.
On Jan 7 at 11:21 AM The Annointed Son said:
You all should be ashamed of yourselves you could be a thinktank of individuals coming up for a cure to cancer or a solution to the devistation of hurricance katrina. No, you're all just to caught up in Nintendo DS and McDonalds? Hmmm. . . Might want to find something more constructive to do with your time.
On Jan 9 at 09:44 AM said:
Dude, your argument makes NO sense. Why should Foodchannel be ashamed for this article...because they haven't cured cancer? Seriously, the ramblings of an irate madman!
On Dec 5 at 09:39 AM said:
I can only imagine that kids (and the kids at heart) will love this, a smart move on McDonald's part. But I agree that this will also become another one of those things that parents and other adult clientel with have to put up with if they dine in. For me it's just another reason to take it to-go.