Connecting the DS to the Internet

The DS may be connected to the Internet using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection; an online service run by Nintendo to facilitate free Internet play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service was launched in the US in November 2005 with the release of Tony Hawk's American Sk8land and Mario Kart DS, and later in Japan and Europe. The Nintendo DS Browser, a version of the Opera browser, allows the system to be used to read web sites.

The PictoChat program, which is pre-loaded onto the unit, enables Nintendo DS users to communicate with each other within range over the wireless network by text, handwriting or drawings, using the console's touch screen and stylus for input, or a small visual keyboard on the screen.