Taking Mario online

Mere weeks ago, Nintendo announced that there have been more than one million unique logins for its Wi-Fi Connection service. It achieved that goal in less than four months. With such an astounding success, it's hard to believe Nintendo's stance on online gaming has, until very recently, been indifferent at best.

But the company's internet presence is poised to grow even more. Much like the Nintendo DS, the upcoming Revolution console will support Wi-Fi from the get-go. You'll be able to download classic titles and possibly much more, but what of certain online game genres that are rocketing in popularity (and typically require a number-crunching PC to play)?

"I hope [Massively Multiplayer Online games] are really explored on this system. That's a genre, from the home console standpoint, that really hasn't been explored very well," Reggie Fils-Aime, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, told CNN.

PC killer-app World of WarCraft alone has about six million subscribers and proves that 'net gaming is here forever. Could an online Zelda and kingdom of Hyrule be in the works? Would anyone even want to play as someone other than Link? If Final Fantasy and Resident Evil get cracks at creating online communities, there's no reason not to expect another of gaming's dominating franchises to get the same chance. But for now, all is quiet until May's Electronic Entertainment Expo.