Ask WiiWii: How can I connect my DS to my Wii?
Hello and welcome to another instalment of Ask WiiWii, a semi-regular feature where we answer a question about the Wii or DS sent in by our legions of readers. We don’t profess to be experts, but we can certainly point you in the right direction. The best way to reach us is via the contact form here.
This week, we have a question sent in by a reader called Jack. Without further ado:
“Can I connect my Wii to my DS and play a game or send messages?”
Well Jack, there’s a short, disappointing answer and a long, hopeful answer to that one. The short answer is “no”. Although Nintendo stated that this would be a major feature when the Wii was first launched, as yet we don’t have any functionality connecting the Wii to the DS. It’s a different story in Japan and the US, where Pokemon: Battle Revolution allows players to control their Pokemons on the Wii using the DS. Unfortunately, that game hasn’t been released here in Europe… yet.
The long answer however, would be “no, but ask us again in a couple of months”. Recent announcements and indications from the Nintendo stable are that we’ll soon have a number of services launched for DS to Wii connectivity. Primarily about downloading software for the DS, these will include demos of DS games, Virtual Console games (Game Boy and Game Boy Colour only), and possibly even “official homebrew” applications along the lines of WiiWare.
In summation, it’s very much a case of wait and see. Let’s ask another question, though; what do you hope to gain from Wii to DS connectivity? Nintendo have done this several times before, remember - the original Game Boy could hook into the Super Nintendo, and later the Game Boy Advance could be connected to the Game Cube. It’s a gimmick that has yet to produce any software of merit, and Nintendo’s engineers have been doing it simply to prove it could be done, rather then it having any real purpose.
Our advice, Jack? Be happy with the DS and Wii as individual consoles. They work great by themselves, and have nothing to gain by being joined at the hip.
Related Posts:
Nintendo introduces official DS flash cards, homebrew to become legal?
Nintendo Conference: Sonic in Brawl, Fire Emblem DS, and more
Wii-DS connectivity – what do we know so far?
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October 30th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I’m sure that Pokemon Battle Revolution was released in the US.
And I’m also 100% sure (and I’ve seen it in action myself) that you can connect via the DS to Wii in PBR. Even the Wiki article states it so.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Whoops! I’m going to have to check my facts, aren’t I?
November 1st, 2007 at 2:24 pm
lol, yea. A little research wouldn’t have hurt.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
How about getting the Wii to act as a wireless access point exclusively for the DS… As the Wii supports WPA it could be used to get around the problem with the DS only supporting WEP…
November 7th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Here’s what I would want it to do. I’m using WPA/AES on my Wifi here at the house. This is more secure than WEP, but will not work with the DS.
It does, however, work with the Wii. I would like the DS to be able to use the Wii as a bridge to connect through the internet. That would be cool.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Why not utilise the DS as a a wireless keyboard for the Wii. Cmon Nintendo, sort it out.
January 10th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
this sux
my game on ds was awesome
sigh….i need help
January 15th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Here’s what I would like to see, just some connectivity between the Wii and DS. Such as the DS functioning as a secondary controller for some games. The DS screen can act as a secret play so to speak, kind like the GBA conncetivity on Crystal Chronicles for example, where different information was giving to the GBAs that were hooked up, thus adding a new level of play. The DS could do the same thing. Or it could act as a keyboard since its built in to Pictochat, instead of having to hook up a keyboard. Also, I believe that being able to transfer data between the two could be nice. Although I enjoy them as seperate units, it would be nice to see some sort of usage between the two. If I can play demos on the DS from the Nintendo Channel, surely they can do a little more than that.
Also, what is the deal with Pictochat? It’s the lamest thing, seeing as you have to be within a certain radius to do it. At that point, I can just talk to the person, as they may just be in the same room. Now if they allowed you to use it through the internet as a semi chat room, that would have been better. The DS could also be used as a microphone unit, instead of the WiiSpeak. I’m rambling on, but I think you get my point. Many times I have felt as though the ball has been dropped as far as how technology can be used to imrove itself.
Anyways, that is all!