Nintendo DS has 2 million online users, who played 70 million times in 9 months! (WiFi games list grows)

Late on Thursday, a Nintendo DS owner logged onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for the first time. That person unknowingly became the 2 millionth unique player to use Nintendo’s wireless gaming service. To put that number in perspective, the population of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection users now surpasses the population of 15 different U.S. states, including Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico. In addition to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection surpassing 2 million unique players, the service has also logged more than 70 million individual game sessions in just more than nine months of operation, a number expected to soar as more and more Wi-Fi-enabled titles are released.

Today the hugely popular Star Fox series goes wireless with Star Fox Command for Nintendo DS. The sci-fi space combat game marks the first-ever portable, Wi-Fi-enabled Star Fox game. Up to four players, be they friends or strangers, can meet up on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to blow each other out of the sky in white-knuckle dogfights.

In addition to multiplayer Wi-Fi dogfights, the 3-D space shooter Star Fox Command also lets players use the DS touch screen to draw out their flight plans, steer their Arwing fighters and drop bombs on enemies. Rubbing the touch screen sends the fighter into a barrel roll. The game uses elements of both real-time combat and turn-based strategy games, and includes a familiar array of popular animal characters from the Star Fox universe, including Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Krystal and Slippy Toad.

“Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection continues to set the standard for easy, fun and safe wireless gaming,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Our hand-held leadership will continue unabated with today’s launch of Star Fox Command and the anticipation of our upcoming Wi-Fi titles.”

This gives Nintendo quite a few months to ponder how many extra servers they’ll need for online gaming before they release the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pearl to millions of fans worldwide. But I’m sure they’ll manage, since the Wii will increase online gaming needs on them too later this year. Press release via Yahoo.

Nintendo DS online games so far are: Mario Kart DS, Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Tetris DS, LostMagic, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Tenchu: Dark Secret, and now Star Fox Command.

Future Nintendo DS online games are: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Clubhouse Games, Contact, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Custom Robo Arena, Diddy Kong Racing DS, DS Air, Final Fantasy III, Yoshi’s Island 2, Konductra, Magical Starsign, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer, and Marvel Trading Card Game.

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• Wii online gaming coming Q2 2007. Nintendo to announce new online games in Q1 2007.
• Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay And Play online Wii games subscription service planned
• Star Fox Command review video (DS)
• 1.7 Million Nintendo DS gamers play online worldwide
• Nintendo DS has 5 million online gamers who played the 65 Wi-Fi enabled games over 200 million times