ABC News reporter Nydia Han ignored facts about the Nintendo DS’s wireless capabilities in order to run a misleading report about the danger’s of the Nintendo DS’ Pictochat.
What’s not in the story is anything explained by the GamerDad this reporter consulted before going to air. On Monday morning, I received a call from Nydia Han of Channel 6 Action News, asking me about this exact story, the workings of the Nintendo DS, Pictochat and Wi-Fi. I was at first sort of dumbfounded by the idea of a child being contacted by someone through Pictochat because it’s not Internet enabled in any way. In order to talk to someone through this application, you must be within 30 to 100 feet of the person (or persons… it supports 16 person chat rooms) you’re talking to. When you’re in that range, you can either type or draw pictures that are sent line by line to the people in the chat room. The most important point is that you have to be in that range, meaning you could probably see whoever it is you’re talking to if you just got up and walked around looking for someone holding a Nintendo DS.