Metroid Prime: Hunters to support voice chat

It's been known for a while now that Nintendo's upcoming DS first-person shooter Metroid Prime: Hunters was going to make use of the system's Wi-Fi adapter for online intergalactic bounty hunter fragfests. But many gamers assumed that's all the adapter would be used for.

During a presentation at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas today, Nintendo announced that not only will players be able to hop online with Hunters and blast each other to Zebes and back, they'll also be able to taunt each other about it, too. Just not during gameplay. When it releases in March, Metroid Prime: Hunters will use VoIP and the DS's built-in microphone to allow users to chat with each other in the pre- and post-game lobbies.

While the system has had the basic requirements for voice chat (microphone, speakers, Internet connection) for a while now, Hunters will be the first DS game to put them all together to support voice chat. No other games were announced as supporting the voice chat functionality.

For more on Nintendo's presence at the DICE summit, read GameSpot's report on Nintendo executive vice president of sales and marketing Reggie Fils-Aime's speech.