DS Getting More 'Practical' Functionality, Wii Gift Channel Coming in December

Nintendo's DS handheld will soon be capable of expanded non-game functionality in a variety of "practical" situations, company president Satoru Iwata told the Wall Street Journal recently. Nintendo has tailored its DS into a tour guide for certain Japanese museums in the past, but Iwata's new plans imply a much more widespread usage of the device. Other than museums, Iwata listed train stations and amusement parks as possible locations that will make use of the DS' extended functionality, presumably to check train schedules and receive amusement park layouts and guides. Iwata also mentioned the recently revealed Wii gift channel would unsurprisingly be making its way to the console worldwide in December, arriving just before Christmas. The channel will allow gamers to buy Virtual Console titles and give them to friends as gifts.