McDonald's customers in the US will have a very good reason to bring their DS' with them...

Nintendo of America today announced a deal with Wi-Fi provider Wayport to enable DS Wi-Fi gaming hotspots at over 6,000 McDonald's locations across the nation. With this support, DS owners can simply walk into any Wayport-serviced McDonald's and instantaneously have access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, absolutely free (not counting any fast food purchases.)

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, had this to say:

"This agreement with Wayport will bring countless people together to play games in a single, simultaneous wireless community. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is simple to use. Beginning with free access at participating McDonald's, we have removed one of the major barriers that have kept people from going online to play games."

Wayport CEO Dave Vucina followed up with:

"By enabling Nintendo DS customers to access Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection via our Wi-Fi World network and business model at McDonald's, we are continuing to drive more customers to the restaurants we serve and increase the relevancy of Wi-Fi to a broader customer base. Nintendo is a pioneer in providing a new way for their customers to play the games they want to while away from home or the office, and McDonald's is the perfect venue based on their ubiquity and accessibility."

More details about this promising partnership are due to be posted to www.NintendoWiFi.com. Hopefully Nintendo of Europe has a similar announcement to make in the coming days. Phase One of the DS Wi-Fi Connection pulls in on November 14th with the advent of Mario Kart DS... stay tuned.