According to the Nintendo Fan Network kiosk employees, the system is in fact limited to only 2000 units. Nintendo spent a grand total of zero dollars marketing the limited release and did not issue an official press release announcing it. Rather, Nintendo, whose legendary founder Yamauchi owns the Mariners, has apparently decided to use Seattle and its Mariners fans as a test market for a new service called the Nintendo Fan Network. And the LE Mariners NDS appears to merely be a Trojan horse meant to entice unsuspecting baseball fans into purchasing the NDS and subscribing to the Nintendo Fan Network. So if Seattlites gobble up all 2000 LE Mariners DS Lites does that mean that Nintendo might consider releasing a Red Sox or even a Yankees version?

In short, maybe. The answer likely hinges on whether or not the Nintendo Fan Network is a success.

So what exactly is the Nintendo Fan Network? As we first reported back in April, the Nintendo Fan Network is a service provided to the user via the NDS and allows fans to enjoy the baseball game especially when the baseball game itself really isn't even enjoyable.

Once logged onto the network, you can order food delivered to your seat (even in the nosebleed section), compete against other fans in baseball trivia, check scores from other games, watch a live video feed of the Mariners' game, interact with the silly scoreboard games such as Hat Trick between innings, and more. The PG crew experienced all the network had to offer (until all our batteries died), and our collective impressions were definitely positive. We were even able to get reception in the bunker-like bar located underneath the left field scoreboard.

Now for the negative. While fun to use, at $5 a game, the Nintendo Fan Network is expensive. Moreover, if you want to order food, your credit card is charged an automatic 17% gratuity and the delivery time is a pedestrian 10 to 15 minutes even in the premium box seats. OUCH! Moreover, it can be difficult to simultaneously enjoy both the game and the network - case in point, trying to answer all 250 trivia questions in one sitting can take you well into the fourth inning. Finally, as there is apparently only one antenna servicing the entire stadium, you frequently lose the signal. Fortunately, the system saves your progress and automatically logs you back onto the network.

All in all, is it worth the $5 per game price tag? No. While it's fun to experience once the price tag is hard to justify for the frequent stadium goer. If this service is really going to catch on, it needs to be offered for free to all NDS users - Nintendo could then rely on advertising revenue and a percentage of food sales to pay for the service. Moreover, a free service would create just another reason for gamers and non-gamers of all generations to purchase the system.

That said, the launch of the Nintendo Fan Network is certainly an interesting feather in Nintendo's cap as they try to push the NDS as a device to make society more interactive - in a digital sense. They've already succeeded in Japan with this strategy. Only time will tell how receptive Americans will be to Nintendo's emergence in traditionally non-gaming venues such as ballparks and museums.