What a time to be alive, gamers. We live in an era of unprecedented connectivity and interactivity across great distances. Most anyone with a Nintendo DS or Sony PSP can have fun with other gamers all over the world, through the use of a simple wireless connection. The handheld market is still one of the strongest things going in the gaming industry these days, with the Nintendo DS leading the charge in bringing entertainment to the masses' boring subway rides. I don’t know about you, but every time I’m on the bus these days, I see someone brandishing one of those darling little systems like a badge of honour. Nintendo must be proud of their little creation.

Speaking of our masters in glorious Nippon, they’ve decided that the Nintendo DS Lite, while being so popular, is not popular ENOUGH. Second only to Capcom in the Dead Horse Department, Nintendo will soon be releasing the Nintendo DSi across North America, come April 5 ^th . Bearing a sleeker design, the system also incorporates two built-in cameras, a music player, and the brand new DSi Shop. But, ah, here is where things become sketchy.

Nintendo has pulled an odd move here, and has actually created a whole separate DSiWare service. You have a DSiWare account which you fill with DSi Points, which you can use to purchase applications and games wirelessly from your DSi. This raises an interesting question; Why keep the DSiWare service separate from your Wii account and Wii Points? Many Wii owners also own a DS, and vice-versa. The loyal Nintendo fan will be more likely to purchase the DSi if he’s already guaranteed some level of connectivity to his other systems! Instead you now have to buy points cards for two separate systems, or have your credit card linked to two different accounts. I won’t lie, I had a TON of titles I had purchased over Nintendo's Virtual Console on the Wii… So why aren’t I as thrilled for the handheld equivalent?

It feels more transparent this time. The other handheld in the industry, Sony's PSP, actually features connectivity with the Sony's current home console, the Playstation 3. You can download PSP applications over your PS3 and simply load them on. Heck, even your PSP account is the same as your PS3 account, your digital ‘wallet’ full of money (well, Sony’s money, since you’ve already given it to them) is contiguous between the two! Users can access their PS3 wirelessly from anywhere using their PSP, and actually stream data from the PS3. Why does the DSi seem so lacking in comparison? Keeping the DSi and the Wii connected would allow more functionality for shopping AND gaming. Gamers should be able to keep their Friend Code from the Wii and connect it to their DS games, maintain one account on the Wii/DSiWare store and use points for either platform. Most Wii owners have had, at some point or another, extra points floating around at the bottom of our WiiWare account. I feel awkward having to buy more points for another system when I’ve already GIVEN Nintendo my money and have the points just sitting there on my Wii.

A simple, unified profile system does wonders for a systems community. Microsoft has Xbox Live, their infamous system for letting players keep in touch with each other, see what one another is up to, and how good they are at the games they play. It’s an amusing blend of Instant Messaging and Online Matchmaking that has become an integral part of the Xbox 360 experience. My 360 is currently without an Internet connection and it’s slowly driving me MAD because I can’t access any of my content or keep in touch with any of my friends online. Such a simple concept has brought gamers all over the world together, and isn’t that what Nintendo claims to be striving for? With all the different age groups who own the Wii and DS, a single profile system would be an amazing way to keep in touch with friends and family of all ages, all over the world. In fact, Nintendo, having recently brought Club Nintendo to North America, has a prime jumping-off point for online integration. A simple database of played games, owned systems and friend-codes could easily create a robust, friendly profile system. You could pop online and see if your dad is playing Mario Kart, or if your kids are playing Smash Bros. Brawl instead of studying. Club Nintendo already knows everything, even about the Nintendo Power subscription I had back in 1994. Skynet thrives in the Mushroom Kingdom, apparently.

Nintendo has always been very strange when it comes to online connectivity. From the Nintendo GameCube's almost hilariously poor online support, to the Wii's mind-boggling multiple friend-code systems. It always seems to be one step forward, two steps back. I’ve always been of the mind that if you’re going to do something, do it right the first time. However this is Nintendo’s handheld market, so we know, for sure, that there always WILL be a ‘next time’ for them.