Fans can order standard ballpark fare on the DS such as burgers, hotdogs, and peanuts. Most people have reported that their orders were delivered to their seats in 10-15 minutes, and DS owners can add tips to food and beverage purchases by touching the DS with their stylus. The order system even allows people to track the status of their orders in real time. What’s next, using the DS’s blow sensitivity to register your BAC? Speaking of alcohol, now on to the beer! Fans can order different brands of beer, as well as, hard lemonade and wine through the touch screen on their DS. Unfortunately, the Fan Network does not bean fans with a foul ball if they are drinking wine at a baseball game.

Nintendo’s J.C. Smith heads up the Nintendo Fan Network at Safeco field this season. Nintendo has not released how many fans play the trivia contests or how many people have purchased the “Fan Network” this season. However, Smith stated that growth has been steady and fan feedback has been positive. Smith stated, “The most important thing is that people think the service is fun.” Nintendo also released a special edition Mariners DS Lite to commemorate the Network’s launch. The (not so)special DS is white with a Mariners logo on the casing. C’mon guys, you could have at least made the stylus into a baseball bat or something. Nintendo also will not commit to releasing future plans for the Network. Smith noted, “At the end of the season, we’ll reassess and decide if we want to roll it out, and if so, where.” Baseball fans can only hope that the pilot Network is successful enough to incorporate different versions of the network to all MLB ballparks and across sport genres.

Different concepts of the interactivity at sporting events have been attempted in the past. However, hardware costs made the actualization of the networks unfeasible. Incorporating user owned hardware like the DS negates the excessive costs of previous network systems. This makes the concept more achievable and practical then previous incarnations. For now, fans across the country can only hope that the success of the Nintendo Fan Network at Safeco Field will come to their favorite ballpark. Personally, I don’t own a DS, but along with providing unique and interesting gameplay, the handheld will bring me a dog and a beer out in the bleachers at Wrigley without having to deal with lines of drunken Cub fans, count me in as a believer.

Contact this writer at: jeremy@myarcadeplanet.com