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Nintendo plans '64' online network

Nintendo and Recruit hope to launch the EnterNet service for Nintendo 64 game players on December 1.
Written by Yutaka Ohbuchi, Contributor
TOKYO - Nintendo and the Japanese-based multifunction company, Recruit, announced on Friday that the two companies will work together to establish a new company and begin a membership network service.

The new company will provide consumers with an online service called EnterNet Service, which will open on December 1. The currently unnamed company will be established by June 30 and will be owned equally by Nintendo and Recruit.

The EnterNet Service will use the Nintendo 64 and its 64DD peripheral to dial into the network.

Subscribers will be provided with the following services:

1) Gamers can purchase 64DD games and other software data.

All 64DD games will be retailed through the new company. Gamers will be able to preorder 64DD titles and have those games delivered shortly after their release. Currently, the only 64DD games listed are Kyojin no Doshin, three Mario Artist series, Daisenryaku and Golf. Gamers can also purchase additional game data via the Net. For example, the 64DD add-on called F-Zero X Extension supplies a course editor for F-Zero X. After the release of F-Zero Extensions, players will be able to purchase additional cars and/or courses. The EnterNet Service will also allow gamers to play with or against others over the network, starting with simple titles like Mahjong, Shogi, and Wall Street (tentative title).

2) Subscribers can read digital magazines and newspapers.

To back up its retail channel, several magazines will be supplying articles for the service while using the EPS (Electric Publishing Standard). Right now, a horse-racing newspaper is on that list, and there are plans to add more information for baseball, Formula 1 racing, and other sports publications. Other digital magazines covering topics like music and games will also be available.

3) Visual and audio files can be created and then distributed over the network.

There are several "maker" titles in the works for the 64DD, such as Sound Maker, Video Jockey Maker, Game Maker, and Graphical Message Maker. Subscribers to the EnterNet service can use these titles to create files that can be shown to others over the network.

4) The combined N64/64DD can also be used as an e-mail terminal and WWW browser.

5) Subscribers will be able to download "music data."

Currently, it's not clear exactly what sort of data this will be, but there's a good likelihood that the files will be the MP3 format, or something similar to it, and the music files will be purchased from vendors on the network.

6) Games can be downloaded.

Players will be able to purchase games via the Internet. Specifics on this have not been announced yet.

To join the EnterNet network, Nintendo 64 owners will have to purchase a Starter Kit. This will include the 64DD, a communication cartridge, a utility disk and Expansion Pak. The price of the kit has yet to be determined, but users will then be required to pay a monthly fee, as they do with Internet service providers (ISPs).

Nintendo hasn't made it clear, but there's a strong probability that the 64DD will be sold as this Starter Kit package only and not as a peripheral for the N64.

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