Nintendo/Sony discussing 3G net connections for 3DS/PSP 2

The Nintendo 3DS and Sony's next PSP system may feature constant connections to the internet via 3G networks, according to a report.

Video game platform holders are apparently in talks with wireless phone carriers over the possibility of including 3G internet connections in new portable systems.

This is according to the president of Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc, Ryuji Yamada, who's told the Wall Street Journal: "Videogame makers know that in order for portable game machines to take the next step forward, they need wireless communication."

He added: "We are discussing this with various players," although he refused to specify the 'players' to which he refers. But WSJ highlights Nintendo's interest in wireless improvements on 3DS, and Sony's netbooks and e-book readers that already feature 3G connections. Both companies declined to comment on the story.

WSJ notes that Nintendo's Hideki Konno said during E3 that there will "probably be discussions" with carriers in future, while president Satoru Iwata last year expressed interest in Amazon's e-reader Kindle, which bundled 3G wireless costs in with downloadable purchases so that users never needed to pay a monthly connection fee.

iPhone and iPad both use 3G networks to provide online-anywhere multiplayer gaming experiences (such as in games like Archetype - a competent FPS that features 10-player online matches playable anywhere via 3G).

Can Nintendo and Sony, the gaming specialists, afford to allow Apple's increasingly competent gaming systems to keep such a significant advantage over its dedicated console?

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