14 DAY TRIAL // Handheld video game consoles are evolving these days, with devices such as the PlayStation Portable or the Nintendo DS outgrowing their first capabilities and, through recent installments like the PSP-3000 and the Nintendo DSi, getting more and more features.
But with features such as music and video playback, wireless Internet and more, a lot of analysts have begun to ask themselves what can stop Nintendo and Sony from implementing mobile phone attributes into their own devices and thus take on Apple's iPhone, which is already proving to be a serious contender on the mobile gaming market.
But while speculation of a PSP phone already exists, a DS phone hasn't really been the subject of a lot of rumors. That is, until now, as the DSi has just been launched in North America and Europe, where it managed to sell quite a lot of units, and prompted some questions about the new applications and features that can be implemented in it.
As the popular VoIP (Voice over IP) service Skype has just appeared on the PSP and iPhone, a lot of people have begun to wonder when it will inevitably arrive for the DSi. This was backed up by a representative of the company behind Skype, who revealed the strategy of “ extending the Skype infrastructure and platform to bring Skype functionality wherever, whenever, and on whatever device or site people chose to use. Whilst we can't comment on any future plans to bring Skype to Nintendo's DSi, technically it would be possible.”
But don't get your hopes up just yet as Nintendo has revealed to CVG that “We have no plans to release a Skype application for Nintendo DS or DSi,” meaning that, at least for the time being, VoIP won't be coming to the popular Japanese handheld.