Nintendo announced today that it will be offering free games for its DS handheld game system - via wireless downloads at selected airports.
Just stand within a few feet of the "Download Station" and you can suck down demos for titles including Cooking Mama, Brain Age, and the latest Tomb Raider. The project rolls out this summer at JFK in New York, Atlanta, and Cincinnati.
This is kinda great, but it's just a beginning. Digital/wireless distribution of games - from Microsoft's stellar Xbox Live Arcade to mobile phones - is the future. It lets game developers experiment with snack-sized content - easy to play, cheap to make, fast to download. And it lets busy players get their game on anywhere, anytime - even when they have limited time.
I love the idea of games infiltrating the stale air of airport lounges. But why end there? I'm always surprised that games haven't worked their way into movie theaters. Imagine multiplayer Halo 3 on the big screen while you're waiting for Iron-Man to show. Or why not videogaming in Vegas? A room at the Hard Rock where you pay an entry fee to challenge another team of Madden pros.
This has been an amazing time of innovation for Nintendo - from the wireless Wii remotes to the slew of odd, arty, fun titles (Brain Age, Wii Sports, Nintendogs). I'm looking forward to what they'll be showing this July at E3.
