Nintendo Wi-Fi hits speed bump

Yesterday, Nintendo DS fans jumped for joy as the company launched its new Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, allowing gamers to play Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land against others across the Internet. Unfortunately, the launch did not go without a hitch.

On the Nintendowifi.com Web site, the service's status is described as "Global Wi-Fi Service is experiencing intermittent problems." Digging further into the site, the problems apparently are related to Mario Kart DS--Nintendo has pegged the game as experiencing online difficulties and Tony Hawk as problem-free.

The reason for and extent of the problems aren't detailed, but the Web site offers one solution:

"Our experience has shown that the majority of problems with wireless multiplayer gaming are caused by signal interference from other devices (wireless LAN, microwave ovens, cordless devices, computers). We recommend moving to another location or turn off the interfering devices."