Nintendo Signs Deal with O2 For Free Wireless Internet Access Through O2 Wi-Fi

Nintendo 3DS owners will now be able to access free Wi-Fi through O2 hotspots throughout the UK

Posted by Staff
3rd June 2013 – Nintendo has today announced a partnership with O2 to provide further Wi-Fi internet access to users of its Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL consoles across thousands of locations in the UK.

Nintendo 3DS owners will now be able to automatically connect to the internet for free whenever they enter locations or venues covered by the O2 Wifi service. These include highstreet locations such as McDonalds, Debenhams, Pizza Hut, Costa Coffee, House of Fraser, Toby Carvery as well as public venues such as The O2, Twickenham, Bluewater and the Central London boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea.

There’s no need to worry about any complicated setup on your Nintendo 3DS as just being in range of an O2 Wifi hotspot is enough to go online, providing you have the latest system update. When you are near to a compatible area – all of which can be found using Nintendo’s handy Hotspot finder - the Nintendo Zone icon will blink to notify you that free Wi-Fi internet access is available. Nintendo 3DS owners will then be able to access a multitude of online features, allowing a seamless online user experience whether at home or on the move.

Nintendo Zone enables gamers on the go to browse the internet, as well as compete with other gamers online, download movie trailers, receive SpotPass content, access Nintendo eShop and receive software updates - even when their device is on standby.

Upcoming content available to download from Nintendo Video includes free 3D trailers for blockbusters such as Iron Man 3, Monsters University and Epic as well as 3D animations featuring everybody’s favorite pink morphing-maestro Kirby and extreme sports action from Red Bull.

Shelly Pearce, Marketing and PR Director, Nintendo UK said, “We’re always looking at ways to improve the user experience for Nintendo 3DS owners. This partnership with O2 means that gamers will now have access to all of the unique online features offered by Nintendo Zone in more locations than ever before.”

Gavin Franks, MD of O2 Wifi said: “Nintendo is a leading brand in the gaming world and have shown real innovation in the industry, making them an ideal partner for O2 Wifi. With the popularity of online multiplayer gaming continuing to rise, customers are looking for a fast, free accessible Wi-Fi connection when they’re on the move – something that we know is becoming perceived as a right, rather than a privilege. This deal will enable Nintendo 3DS gamers to automatically connect their device to O2 Wifi whenever they are in over 7,000 hotspots across the UK’s top venues, restaurants and retailers. It’s a great example of how we’re delivering brilliant digital experiences for our customers.”

O2 Wifi enables online enabled devices such as video game consoles to connect remotely to the internet when within range of one of its locations nationwide. The service is free for everyone, regardless of network or broadband provider and once registered, customers are automatically connected each time they enter a coverage area.Since launching just over two years ago O2 Wifi has added over 7,000 hotspots and over six million customers to the service, making it the fastest growing Wi-Fi operator in the UK**. By using the service Nintendo 3DS owners can have access to a faster and more reliable internet experience and won’t have to sacrifice online features of their devices when away from home.

The O2 Wifi partnership with Nintendo is now live in selected hotspot areas, with full roll out over the coming weeks allowing Nintendo 3DS owners an unparalleled online experience while they are on the go.

For more information:

Nintendo 3DS Guided Tour: http://guidedtour.nintendo.co.uk
Nintendo UK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nintendouk
Nintendo UK on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nintendoukofficial
Nintendo Zone: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-3DS/Download-Content/Hotspot-Finder/
O2 Wi-Fi: https://www.o2wifi.co.uk

ENDS

* Fastest growing Wi-Fi network as measured by growth in registered users

About Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS offers Parental Controls so that parents can control the level of 3D their children can view on the Nintendo 3DS as well as the content they can access. Nintendo 3DS also features a 3D depth slider which lets players turn off or adjust the level of 3D they want on the 3D Screen, two built-in screens for different functionality, a Circle Pad which provides a full 360 degrees of direction, a built-in motion sensor and gyro sensor. It is equipped with three cameras (two of which are facing outwards to allow the taking of 3D pictures), houses a 2GB SD Memory Card and is compatible with AR Cards which come packaged with Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo 3DS is also backwards compatible with all existing Nintendo DS games, which can be played in 2D on your Nintendo 3DS system.

About Nintendo
The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.1 billion video games and more than 654 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe.

About O2
O2 Press Office contacts
t +44 (0)1753 565656
e: pressoffice@o2.com
All O2 news release can be accessed at our website: www.o2.co.uk/news#

O2 is the commercial brand of Telefónica UK Limited and is a leading communications company with over 23 million customers – read more about O2 at www.o2.co.uk/news. O2 runs 2G and 3G networks and was the first to trial 4G/LTE, reaching speeds of over 100Mpbs, as well as owning half of Tesco Mobile. O2 has 450 retail stores and sponsors The O2, O2 Academy venues and the England rugby team. Telefónica UK Limited is part of Telefónica Europe plc which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic and is a business division of Telefónica SA.
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