Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection already online

With the official launch of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection just one week away, Nintendo has launched the Web site dedicated to its first comprehensive online enterprise.

Located at NintendoWifi.com, the site offers a host of information for DS owners who want to play online in numerous countries. It has an extensive section on how to log on to the service from home, as well asa list of routers that are compatible with the Wireless DS USB connector.

The Web site also has a section dedicated to help users find a Wi-Fi Connection hot spot outside the home. Apparently, many of these sites are already fully functional. When given the zip code "94105," the hot-spot locator displayed six sites in downtown San Francisco where the network is up and running.

Indeed, NintendoWifi.com proudly displays the words "Global Wi-Fi Gaming Service Fully Operational" on the upper right-hand side of every page. There are also active leaderboards listing the top players of Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, the first two games to use the Wi-Fi Connection.

Nintendo reps contacted by GameSpot said that the system was indeed online, and had been for weeks. However, they also confirmed that the only people playing online at the moment were authorized beta testers and game journalists reviewing American Sk8land and Mario Kart DS, which don't go on sale until next week.