I wouldn't want to carry my DS Phat around Disney World. It's heavy for the amount of walking I'd be doing.

DS lite, maybe.

[forums.wdwmagic.com]

There's no way I could carry that thing around all day JUST in my pocket, but when you're on vacation, I'm sure somone has a small bag or purse to hold it. I say it's Warm, if not HOT.

So is this on a physical cart or is it a Download Play sort of thing? That's one question I haven't seen the answer to on any of the stories about this thing.

Isn't trying to navigate a theme park with those wacky cartoon maps half of the fun?

@TalKeaton:

From what I've read, you don't (and can't) use your own DS. One is provided by the park.

I live about an hour away from Disney, and I'm about to buy an annual pass for my gf and myself -- I totally hope this gets launched soon! I'd totally use it.

@CyN1caL: I think that is only for the test phase -- they'll probably have download stations when they're done with it.

It looks like Adventures in Disney World or whatever from the NES.

i think it's a really good idea. i go to disneyland all the time and this could be a way to help tourists that don't speak english get around the park with ease.

@jayntampa:

That would be groovy.

I'll probably go to Disney in August this year, so it would be nice to try out.

@superradjoe: That's the first thing I thought as well.

This has to be (assuming its a real system that eventually gets set up in the parks) a download or a very cheap cart add-on, because missing the opportunity to sell more DSes, with bundled Disney Junk, would just be criminal for all concerned ;)

Disney did DS-integration last year with the Pirates of the Caribean game. [kotaku.com]
So Disneyland actually has download stations already left over from last year... add a few more and you've got a crazy GPS triangulation system.

@CyN1caL: why would they do that? financially, that doesn't seem logical.

kingdom hearts ds or gtfo

now i know they're gonna charge you for this, they have to, but if they were smart (like me;)), they would give it away for free to anyone who would take one.

why?

because what's going to encourage you to do more, spend more, find all the restaurants and stores better than a proper intuitive guide? not even mickey.

@metahgyear: They needed to do it for the test so they could control everything, so right now, they are actually using it, but only through DS' that they provide you when you enter the park.

The link Dresarius provided has a ton of info -- most importantly, this image of the actual instruction booklet: [www.wdwmagic.com]

I can't wait for this. I visit Disneyland with friends and family at leat 3 times a year (we're local so we get discounts).

As for how it tracks your location, its quite simple really, wifi hotspots. The DS has a limited range on it's Wifi, therefore hotspots will have to be placed throughout the park to maintain connectivity. To pinpoint your location, the application merely needs to query the hotspot's ID which in turn is cross referenced to a park location.

Apple already does this with its "Locate Me" feature in the Google Maps app. The only difference is on top of wifi hotspots, it also uses cellular towers for triangulation.

Why are they using a cartridge for this? Would it of been easier to make it a downloable thing?

Other than that, he best thing about this is the queue times.

Did you notice that when you get into a queue for certain rides (Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder) that games unlock for you to play while you're waiting??? It looks like they did some pretty sweet stuff with this. It'll be primo if you can make dinner reservations at EPCOT with it :D

This looks like it could be a yet another neat little tool to use while at Walt Disney World. As a frequent visitor, this looks great.

@Surlaw-the-Mai: I have to fully agree with you. I'm going to miss all the actual physical paper maps. I felt like I was Indiana Jones, plotting my way to the hidden treasure... but instead of simply treasure, it was Space Mountain. Which is still pretty badass.

Hot - I definitely would rent one of these at WDW. I'm usually in Orlando on business once per year and usually manage to get some Disney time in. Since I'm a Power Ride Junkie (meaning I try to pack in as many rides on as many attractions as possible in a single visit) having access to line wait times and FastPass info from anywhere in the park would worth whatever they are charging.

GPS would require extra hardware.

I don't know if it can tell exactly where you are, but if it can, it would be a simple matter of having the DS figure out relative signal strengths of the different WiFi access points and compare them to where the map says they should be.

I'd say it's definitely hot. I would love to try it out. Phanny Packs FTW.

I don't see this being a cart, they add new rides, change show times, etc. They'd have to be updating the carts all the time, it would be outdated every other year.

Oh man, this would be perfect. Give it to the younger kids while in line and they can play ride related games, check up on when and where you should be to get Captain Hook's autograph, knowing where the parade routes are in order to avoid them... Sounds like a brilliant plan to me.

Yes, I'm glad they didn't try to build an application that can be viewed on a readily available piece of technology such as a cell phone or ipod. Oh wait, I am over the age of 13 and can readily deduce my location by looking up and/or using a real map that can be easily folded in my pocket and then dumped like Paris Hilton after one day of debauchery.

Probably would use the WiFi to locate you relative to those points. Wasn't there some experiment at the Seattle Mariners baseball games where you could order food through the DS last year? That would be great at any amusements park.

A buddy of mine did his masters thesis about a year or so ago on determining position in a relatively small area by triangulation with 802.11 access points.

He did it base on the received signal strength because it didn't require any specialize access points, but as a result it was extremely unreliable.

However, if the access points are broadcasting time synchronization information, they could essentially be used in a similar fashion as GPS satellites, and you should conceivably be able to get accuracy down to within a few meters (10 maybe, which should be enough in a park that size).

The other thing they could be doing is putting small, embeddable, low-power GPS receivers (like Trimble's LassenIQ series) into a larger cartridge.

If Jam Sessions can put a speaker into a cartridge, and DSTV can put a TV receiver into on, why not have cartridges with GPS modules?

It would be good if it could include current que times and tell you if a ride is closed prior to walking all the way to it

I can't wait to train my brain on splash mountain.

Nope. Reminds me of Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure for GameCube. Anybody remember that game? Good.

This is it for DS.

Don't buy it.

@thereturnoftheufo: I think you missed the point on this one...

Of course it gives you directions to the nearest ATM. I wouldn't be surprised if that was all it did.

As a fan of both Nintendo and Disney, I think this is an awesome idea with a lot of potential. There's obviously a lot of crossover in the Disney and Nintendo demographics (kids AND adults), so it's not a stretch to assume that a lot of people visiting the Disney properties have access to a DS. Of course, I normally wouldn't bring it into the park for fear of theft, damage (water rides? Better bring some Zip-Locs), or the simple hassle of schlepping it, but a program like this is more than enough reason to take it along.

For several years they've been implementing location-triggered stuff like this, like the Magical Moments pins that would do custom light effects when you got in proximity to certain rides or landmarks, and more recently the talking plush Mickey and Winnie the Pooh that would tell you about aspects of the park, play games, warn of wait times and ride shut downs, etc. Different technologies, but similar concepts. This also has a lot in common with the DS software you can download at Seattle Mariners games.

I just wish they'd come out with some sort of park experience software for those of us that don't actually get to get down there as often as we would like.

@NoBullet: It's on a cartridge so they can charge you to rent/buy it. Once again, all Disney wants is your money. Which is fine be me since I own stock in them.

Nice.

And if it functions as a GPS, itinerary/checklist, wait-time-indicator, tour guide, shop/ride/POI-locator, then I'll say: "Very nice".

I highly doubt that it will be GPS enabled.

1) Disney's Imagineers are pre-disposed against GPS because of its technical limitations.

2) They have existing products / prototypes of other LBS's that use RFID or WiFi triangulation.

[www.avantgaming.com]

I actually worked at WDW for a while on the college program, and even though Magic Kingdom is the oldest of the four parks, it has a lot of hi-tech in it.

Look up My Pal Mickey. He was a little doll a while back, and you'd carry him around the parks. There were IR sensors hidden everywhere, so that Pal Mickey knew where he was.

Ex, you'd walk by Splash Mountain, and Mickey would say something like "We're near Splash Mountain, don't get me wet! The ride currently has an X minute long wait."

So I do not doubt they'd have a strong web of wireless signals for the program to run off.

I'm willing to bet it's a specific system, either GPS over the place, or some form of "DS Download Booths" hidden cleverly. Maybe not classic Disney clever, more like as clever as the Disney guys are nowadays. Seriously, has anyone noticed you never see the really old hidden stuff, but the new hidden stuff is placed just out of view?

Anyways, there was a Mickey Mouse doll I saw a few years back when I was down in Florida. It could give you tips, help you out, and direct you through the park as well as the voice acting and predietermined triggers could, or so I heard. Maybe it uses that, or a modified/expanded version. Either way, a similar system is already in place.

There doesn't need to be a GPS involved at all here folks...

Lets just say that Tomorrowland has a wifi hotspot at each ride and one at the dining area. Now, just fire up the DS and have it query your location. Upon doing so, you're reconnecting to an available hotspot, of which has an ID that simply states what Wifi node it is. A quick check with a database backstage reveals that ID:123 is StarTours.

An even more simplistic method is when your DS searches out a local wifi access point, the location information is passed then and there, and the software simply displays what it gets passed along after a connection has made, kinda like handshaking.

You all are giving WED too much credit for their creativity, but lets be honest they're not what they used to be, AT ALL, in fact they suck by Disney's original standards set by his animators who were the first imagineers. That said you need to think, cheap, fast, effective and above all, maintenance free. How do you accomplish this, a 40 dollar router with custom firmware installed... /sigh

@daschupa: If I remember correctly, this was originally designed for Disneyland Tokyo, where DS ownership is much more common. I guess they're doing it for all the parks now though.
I don't really know much about ipods (creative ftw) but cell phones really wouldn't have enough screen space. With the DS, there's two decently sized screens. From the ipod's i've seen, they don't have as much screen space as even one DS screen.
Man, if you could do meal priority seating on this it'd be awesome. It'd save traipsing across MK hours before lunch just to score a reservation. I'd totally use this.
Now, if only they'd release some disney-themed DS lites.

This will go together well with my annual pass...and besides, I always have my DS with me even at Disneyland anyway. It makes waiting in lines for rides actually tolerable...occasionally, you can do some single card multi-player with random people which is always fun :o

<Dr. Evil Voice>
I shall call it...DSney.
</Dr. Evil Voice>

HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!