The UK office of game console maker Nintendo reported that its wireless gaming network has reached three million connections in the UK alone, from an estimated 500,000 actual users. David Yarnton, Nintendo UK’s general manager, said this is mostly attributable to popular multi-user games such as Mario Kart and the recently released Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Among Nintendo’s hardware offerings, only its portable DS gaming console is capable of accessing wireless networks by default, both through private and public wireless hotspots. However, the company’s upcoming Revolution console is also designed to use its wireless and online gaming service.

Nintendo UK also disclosed that it will install up to a thousand new WiFi hotspots within the country in the next few months for use with the online service. Target locations for installation are pubs, cafes, and public transport stations.

The Nintendo DS is yet another gadget in the growing list of non-computer devices that use WiFi as a platform for communication (for instance, another device using WiFi for multi-user play and online connectivity is the popular Sony PlayStation Portable). These are touted to be not only gaming devices, but multimedia- and Internet-enabled devices as well, which can be used to surf the World Wide Web, download and play movies, and even communicate with others via WiFi. Nintendo’s planned installation of a thousand hotspots is thus a welcome development not only for gamers, but for WiFi users, in general.