Damn Minnie got hot!

You know, I find it kind of awkward to advertise bringing a game console into your Amusement Park.

It's like saying:
"It's not really fun enough to warrant just enjoying it. You'll need something else to entertain yourself here, despite just paying $75 to get it."

It's not exactly the image you want to give off.

@ballaboy311:

ditto...

(rrreeeoooowwww)

@KIRBYTHESLAYER: PROUD NORWEGIAN DEFENSE FORCE SUPPORTER: Except that they aren't pushing people to play the DS in the park. They are using it as an interactive map. Read the article before making retarded comments.

@Kirbytheslayer: Proud Norwegian Defense Force Supporter: I'd be more worried about losing that console myself.

@ballaboy311: whoa, that girl is very average. if you came to japan you would see what I mean.
hot by kotaku standards maybe. come one, lets talk about video games.

@TT: *come on

@TT:

Well you know some of us, they all look alike to us
ba-ziiing! (j/k, lol)

@seatowne80: Umm...I did read the article.
I was making a reference to coming to the park for The Pirates of The Carribean Game DLC.
Read the intricacies before making retarded replies to retarded comments.

@Kirbytheslayer: Proud Norwegian Defense Force Supporter: I know what you mean. But I suppose, considering the functionality, user-friendliness, and mainstream success of the DS, they feel that it's the best medium for their interactive maps. I'm sure cell phones were considered as well, but really, that's even more of an escape from the amusement park itself in my opinion.

@Sparx88: haha true maybe;)

I remember kotaku would throw a pic up of the old nintendo VP and people were like "wow she is so hot" so I think the Kotaku community should stick to what it knows about, which is games. hahah.

Just got back from Disney(well Epcot)... Having an interactive map with wait times would be extremely helpful. There are only a few displays with event status and they don't include the shows(which vary from day to day).

The place is already covered in Wi-Fi, which is impressive considering it's size.

Another bump for my ntdoy stock, thanks!! Yippeee.

I just got a flashback to Magic Kingdom for the NES.

asian chicks are hot.

@ballaboy311:
@Sparx88:
@kneehighspy:

This is why we can't have nice things.

Tokyo Disney Land is .5 square kilometers. I don't see why you would really need a map.

"Tokyo Disney Land is .5 square kilometers. I don't see why you would really need a map."

The article is about Disney World, not Tokyo Disneyland. Fyi, Disney World encompasses 45 square miles; it's twice the size of manhattan, so a map could be handy.

But even the individual parks can be intricate and complicated to get around, especially with the heavy crows they experience.

I think that is a great. It would be cool if it could stream webcams of the lines themselves too.

@Channing: Can we still have nice girls? I mean, they aren't things, right?

First off, as an aside, I'm starting to get real annoyed (well, somewhat annoyed) at coming into an article that has nothing to do with girls except for a photo and finding half the comments being just about her. Guys, really? It doesn't matter. It's not like you've never seen a girl before. If the topic is specifically about the girl, then, by all means, post about her to your hearts' content. But for normal topics? Please, please try to cut down on this. At the very least, try to add something productive to the actual conversation, unlike our friends kneehighspy, ballaboy311, Sparx88, TT (who in his defense, did seem to acknowlege the pointlessness of the debate), and possibly dcartist, who's post was just incoherent enough for me to be unsure of what he was trying to say in the first place. Just saying.

Regarding the topic at hand (see, I'm adding something productive!), I'm not really sure what the point of this is. I mean, it's an interesting idea, but if it's just going to be for maps, then there's not really much of an advantage over a plain ol' map. If they added some real-time info on the DS, such as line waits and such, via a Wi-Fi network, then that might make it worth looking into, but battery life and the huge potential for broken devices seems like the whole idea would be more trouble than it'd be worth.

@kylenalepa:

The article mentions "check wait times" in the second sentence.

@Reilaos, Putting the Fun in Dysfunction!:

For them, might I recommend stars.IGN.com? All the girls you could want without all that pesky gaming content getting in the way.

I've used these in lieu of audio tours for museums in Japan and they're great.

They're easy to navigate, can have audio and video descriptions and contain a lot more information than a map. If they hook it into the park's wi-fi they can even do a GPS-like locator so you can, say, find the nearest bathroom in a hurry, or update you with real-time info like wait times or what rides are up or down. (So I don't have to walk a mile to the Tower of Terror just to find out there's a 3 hour wait.)

Disney parks are specifically designed to keep you somewhat lost, and you never know if that tree over there is a tree or drink stand or a guy in a suit. Any extra information would be welcome.

The only question is what do you do with your DS when you're on a ride?

does it have to be just for DS? What not reshape a wifi connection to set a home page to an interactively map of the park? Make iphones and treo's and any other bit of network enabled software work.

DS is nice, but come on guys, expand the market.

i, for few it seems, think this is brilliant and cannot wait to see if it happens. What nifty thinkgs could they add? hidden mickey locations... oh man, how dorky but it would make it new to me also.

Just don't take your DS on Splash Mountain.

I love Disney theme parks, I have two DS's. Sign me up.

@iamspoo: Or the teacup ride.

I swear satan himself invented that damned contraption.

I think it'll probably increase attendance at the Disneyland Japan. I mean, all those cosplayers dressed like Caucasian Disney characters have done their fair share. I've read people get a kick out of seeing them in the park.

@TT: Compared to a cartoon mouse she is hot! If what else you said is true I am going to start planning a little vacation.

@Witzbold: I have an irrational fear of the Dumbo ride?

Having been at the park before, an interactive gps-type setup would be a godsend. Ugh.. my ankles hurt thinking about that place...

Quite personally Id want something on the DS to track the wee ones when they go bolting off faster than greased lightning.

Man helping watch relatives kids at a theme park is insane. Even more so when its during the peak seasons.

I heard Dollywood (www.dollywood.com) was doing the same thing with the PSP, but then they realized no one at Dollywood actually knew what a PSP was.

I think it's a great idea. I hate having to keep track of that damn paper map that gets creases and wrinkles in it as the day wears on. Plus, now there's something to do while I'm waiting in the interminable lines. The only downside is water rides. I guess I'll have to bring a ziplock bag with me. Still, I think it would be worth it.

Thats awesome. Considering I go to Walt Disney World like 4 times a year. Me and my wife love it there. Great idea. Plus we both are fans of the DS! Sign me up

Hmm...Don't get me wrong. I totally LOVE the idea. I do wonder how they would get M$ and Sony to sign off on it though.

I was one of the lucky winners in the 'Year of a Million Dreams' Sweepstakes this past year at Disneyland and was able to stay in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse for an evening. My issue... The kids room only had a PS2 with 'Disney Games'. Ya Know Kingdom hearts, CARS and the like.

I'd be interested to see what happens...

~Doug

It'd be nice if you could register your Fastpass via WiFi. I'd pack up and be there by tonight!

As a major Disney World geek and one who carries his DS everywhere, I am giddy with excitement. This rumor came up a while back on Disney forums where many dismissed it. It will be worth it for wait time info alone. I hope it's up and running when we return.

... When I read the article, I was under the impression that the DS interactive maps were going to be used in a kiosk-like manner. Yes, I also thought you could probably download the maps to your own DS, but most prominently I thought the plan would end up more kiosk-y. And you know what? They never state how it's going to work, and furthermore, it is more likely that it WILL just be a "map-kiosk" of 7 or 8 DSs hooked up to a cardboard cutout. That way their visitors won't need any extra equipment.

@duderdude2: Ah. It seems I was somehow able to read the rest of the article and miss that exact line. My bad. Thanks for pointing that out.

Perhaps as an addendum to the ability to check line waits, I know at Universal Studios that you can actually reserve a time to go on a ride at certain kiosks in the park. If you could do that from the DS, then that'd be pretty neat. Sounds like that's what Kid_Kitten had in mind.

This is very cool and its what theme parks should be doing to bring in more guests. I would like to see similar ideas expanded to other parks like Six Flags as well. Theme parks need to get on the technology bandwagon. However, this service needs to be free instead of a pay service. I also think they should expand this to more devices since not everyone has a DS. They also need to have secure places where you can stash your DS while you go on a ride.

Great idea. It'd be cool if it had some functionality besides a map--like a Todo list so you remember to hit up the Tiki Room after you grab those Indiana Jones fastpasses.

I've seen a demo of this at a WDW cast technology expo (about 5mo ago). The map I played with was based on the MK and determied your location by proximity to WiFi routers (If I remember correctly, been a while). It would alert you to nearby rides with short lines, or tell you how to get from A to B, and more stuff I am forgetting... For avid "Theme Parkers" it may be neat to try for fun but not truly useful, for the first time WDW visitor it would be an amazing tool as the place can be overwhelming. Overall I thought it looked pretty good and worked well for a Demo.

disneyland and disneysea arent really that big, the map is fine, and it would be more practical on cell phones, not dses.

Anything that increases the amount of interactivity at a theme park is always a good way to attract a diverse audience. You should still be able to get the brochure map as a souvenir if you don't have a DS. I loved collecting the maps when I was a kid. I can just imagine how it would be though, thousands of people looking down at their DS while waiting in line or walking around. And think about the DS lost in found, it would be DS madness! If you get a complimentary DS strap on to help prevent it from getting stolen or something that would be an added plus. Now if that cute girl was handing them out, I am there in an instant.

@Ashkihyena:
Yeah...just make sure you stick it in a locker before going on any water rides. Wet DS FTL.

@Kirbytheslayer: Proud Norwegian Defense Force Supporter:
Does anyone know if this DLC is still active, or did they shut it down after the summer season ended? Specifically, does anyone know if it's still active in Disneyland CA?

@duderdude2:
That's actually the coolest concept function. There are rides that everyone wants to go on, and the lines can be horrible if you don't shuck out even more money for the special passes (ugh). Being able to check exactly when the crowd begins to taper off would be a huge help, especially as the big night-time attractions get closer (best times to ride the really popular rides are as soon as the park opens, and when the Parade of Lights kicks off, because that's when there will be a guaranteed dropoff in crowd levels).

@Zadaz:
Bathroom locators would be very helpful for anyone with small kids, but another prime function they could include for groups with multiple DS units would be family-locators. Assign each DS a friend code when it uploads the program, and if you punch in the friend codes of every other DS in your party, you'll be able to track them anywhere in the part, in case you get separated at some point (no more wailing kids in the middle of the park, or ulcerated parents trying to locate them). Then again, there might be concerns over the likelihood that child predators could tap into this function and track kids anywhere in the park.

@trelantana:
If they set up DS kiosks for Have-Nots, they'll surely do it like the TRU kiosks where one DS is used as the server, and the other is used as the free trial interface. That way anyone with a DS can tap in directly, and anyone without can still benefit from the technology. Nintendo stands to benefit from this if people start getting DS envy in the parks, so I'm sure they'd be willing to cough up a few extra free systems for this purpose.

@Witzbold: Ha! Yeah I prefer going by myself. I want to go on the Mission: Space ride really bad (despite its lethal track record), I hope there isn't any problem with fitting into it. One time I went on Space Mountain and the car started going before I could get my long-ass legs tucked into the car. Freaked me out before a nice blonde disney chick came by and helped me wedge them in.

Nice to know the DS might end up being even more useful there than just to play tetris with and occasional flashlight use. I wonder if this means we'll see crazy Disney Pink Minnie and/or Red&Black Mickey DS bundles in the shops there as well. Its not like $200 (DS with games and disney shwag) is even that much to drop on something at Disney, then you add this function in and yeah....Can we say Nintendo topping 100mil on the DS before the end of the decade kids? I knew you could!

Sounds brilliant. Don't see how it could be a BAD feature. (Interactive Map + Ride time information?).

Kid-tracker(tm) would be even better. (fantastic for finding lost ds'es that your child misplaced too - though both problems at once could be an issue :)

But I agree, perhaps a web-accessible map would also be a bonus for iphone/other wifi with browser interactive devices - perhaps allow the KidTracker to work from other devices too?.

- You could stop the Predator tapping in (by say; overhearing the kids/parents swap friend codes and tapping in the kids one to follow them) by making it a mutual service; you can only track a friend code if it is tracking you also. That way both parents and kids can track each other. And IM while seperated in the park too! wow...I hope they do it right. (because nothing annoys me more than using new technology really really badly like always seems to happen)