Posted on 04/11/2006 7:14:47 PM PDT by Calpernia
Who has bought Nintendogs and how much do you know about the bark mode?
I just gave my child Nintendo DS today for a birthday present. This is a handheld game unit with a special game cartridge called Nintendogs.
This evening, I've learned it has a special feature called bark mode. When this is enabled. Anyone in our neighborhood, if they are also playing with a Nintendog game, can send their dog into my child's handheld for the dogs to play together.
When this play date occurs, the child's name and birthdate are acquired. Now I'm reading more about it and I'm learning audio clips can come in with the dog.
I'm searching chat sites about this feature and I see a message board I'm not familiar with claiming some kind of downloads can be transmitted too.
Who has this handheld? Who is familiar with this? Can dogs/users be blocked? What kind of audio clips can be transmitted? I don't see any privacy features either to block personal data, is there one? Can the position of the person sending the dog track your location???
Anyone?
THANKS!
I don't know what any of this means, but I think we'd best not get the kids Nintendogs.
Sounds a little to close to a GPS for pedophiles to me.
according to http://www.nintendogs.com/ the range on that is 100 ft..
I don't think I would run out and panic about pedophile gps just yet.
That is my initial thoughts
Are you familiar with this unit or are you just reading about it now (I'm reading about it now also).
A little..
Can I block people from entering my child's handheld?
How much information can be transmitted?
What is tracking people to my child's handheld? The gaming software or the handheld?
Oh, no! Do these nintendogs bite?
We need to ask the nieces this weekend. They'll have the lowdown on this.
Doesn't sound good.
Please, please, please! Post back here what you find out!
THANK YOU!!!
The other person has to be really close, within the immediate area. When they link up, you can add the other person to your friend list. You do get their profile, and it will alert you to their birthdays and so on. You have to agree to add them, though. You cannot detect location like a GPS.
It's not just the Nintendogs game, the DS will wirelessly communicate with other DS games within a range of 100 feet or so- but bark mode will scan the area for other users in bark mode, even when the DS is closed- but the game has to be started.
Oh ovrtaxt! You are familiar! Thank you!
What audio clips can be sent? Can this be used like a delayed chat?
I'm not sure what the 'closeness' of this unit is. My child got this game last night and already a dog came into the handheld. There are no children within 2 blocks of our home.
Now, I have no idea who has my child's profile.
Can the people that I add to the allow list be the only ones permitted in the handheld? Or, does any dog that bops on in get my child's profile?
And how about the Gameboy camera? If my child puts that attachment onto the handheld, will pictures be transmitted?
Did your kid get the game new or used? If it's used, the cartridge has the previous user's setup in it, and there may be more than one dog. A new game should only start out with one dog that you get from the kennel.
There is a way to clear the game to a fresh start if it's used- I think you press all the buttons at once- except the power button.
You can use the 'white record' function to record a voice message, and other people can listen to them in bark mode.
Now, look in the friends list. If there are no profiles there, you have not given out any info. When you interact with another DS, the profiles are automatically traded both ways. There is no permission asked or denied, apparently- it just happens.
I don't know anything about the camera issue, and pics.
Check this site:
http://www12.familywatchdog.us/
BTW, my 11 year old son told me all this- I had no idea!
The game is new. And yes, there is one new profile of someone that owns a huskey.
I'm going to assume this huskey owner is an adult since there are no children within a two block radius of my house.
So this adult can talk to my son? Is there a block feature?
I'm not sure I like this at all :(
You should have their name, etc. Were you out somewhere with the DS? Any teenagers around? Maybe someone had guests over? There are all kinds of explanations, and they had to have been within 100 feet- (that's the max range stated on the websites, but my kids say it's more like 6 feet!)
So unless you're in a high rise, it was probably the next door neighbors.
First, don't put in the child's real name and birthdate.
Second... don't your kids have ~real~ dogs? Why not play with them? ;~D
We are not in a high rise. And no teenagers around. The Nintendogs website said the range can vary on weather conditions.
>>>it was probably the next door neighbors.
There are a few homes that would *not* give me comfort that could be in range.
If I had any idea what bark mode was before we had the 'oops', their real profiles would not have been in the handhelds. I have reset them thanks to ovrtaxt. But the ability to send voice messages and not being able to block the user really, REALLY worries me :(
These new virtual dogs kept my kids from feeding our real one and they didn't want to go for a walk with her today!
Hopefully it is an obsession for the newness of the game.
Thanks for the tip on the profile ;)
Do you know your neighbors at all? Sound like the other 'dog' owner is relatively nearby.
I'm not a parent, and I know this fear of predators thing is drilled into every parent these days, but I guess I think it's sad that another player in the game is immediately assumed to be some kind of pervert.
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