Always-on internet access for next DS?

Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, has hinted that the next generation of DS handhelds may include 3G internet access as standard.

Alas this promising concept is little more than idle speculation at the moment, although Mr. Iwata is plainly very warm to the idea. He even thinks that unlimited high-speed access to the internet should be free for DS customers, as long as they’re willing to pay a little extra for the necessary hardware. Here’s where he’s coming from:

“I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost. Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month can be iPhone customers. That doesn’t fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products.”

“... In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future.”

Well, would you complain? Providing that the next DS at least matched the specification of its rivals and gave enough reasons for us to want to be online 24/7 we daresay we wouldn’t grumble too much. However there’s a limit – the DSi is already £149.99 and the larger-screened DSi XL will be more expensive besides. And that makes us wonder how high Nintendo could go with a 3G-equipped unit.

So how much would you be prepared to pay? Is 3G technology even a good idea for a Nintendo console?