Handhelds banned by Japanese airlines

  • By Emma_UK, GameSpot
  • Posted Oct 3, 2007 12:14 pm GMT

Passengers on Japanese airlines, including Japan Airlines and ANA, will no longer be able to use their DS, PSP, or even Gizmondo, on board due to "safety concerns."A law banning gaming systems with wireless capabilities came into force on Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Japan's...

Passengers on Japanese airlines, including Japan Airlines and ANA, will no longer be able to use their DS, PSP, or even Gizmondo, on board due to "safety concerns."

A law banning gaming systems with wireless capabilities came into force on Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Japan's transport ministry has concluded that the electromagnetic waves from the wireless networks can interfere with aircraft navigation systems, so it's no Nintendogs for passengers flying with Japanese airlines.

The new law also bans wireless computer mice, and headphones that have not been provided by the airlines, although the use of electric razors, calculators, and cassette players is permitted, readers may be relieved to know.

This is something of a turnaround for Japan Airlines in particular, as this time last year it was touting the free loan of Nintendo DS portables and games to all first- and executive-class passengers during flights.

147 Comments

  • mhder

    Posted Oct 18, 2007 4:11 pm GMT

    For all of you who thinks these things aren't serious, this is from the Mainichi News: In one case, an aircraft suddenly leaned while climbing on autopilot after radio wave from a mobile phone interfered in the aircraft's system. In another case of mobile phone radio wave interference, an airborne collision avoidance system issued a false warning.

  • KWHCoaster

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 8:53 pm GMT

    Gheez, even some of the people that own these things don't know how they work. Please read your owner's manuals.

    The DS/DSL and PSP don't have an option to turn WiFi off, they have the option to turn WiFI ON! WiFi is OFF by default to conserve battery power.

    DS/DSL - WiFi is OFF unless you start PictoChat or a multiplayer game.

    PSP - Even is the WiFI switch got knocked on, there no WiFi signal until you decide initiate a connection.

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 7:01 pm GMT

    It's kinda dumb to ban handhelds and not laptops. A laptop is even more dangerous. I think the Japanese people are smart enough to know that.

  • polishkid99

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 4:08 pm GMT

    lol..... who shaves on a plane? and with the hell is a gizmondo?

  • chickmagnet_1

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 2:14 pm GMT

    Well, I highly doubt that some of these things would severely interfere with the navigation systems of planes, but if they actually do, then I guess it is a good thing to ban them. As for the people who dissed "Cat in the Hat, Garfield, Bon Jovi and MC Hammer" my response is this "Are you freakin kidding me?!!!!!" Ok, I'll agree that White Chicks sucks, but as for those other things, no way. And I'm 28, so it's not like a kid is saying this.

  • musicaz70

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 8:56 am GMT

    Well, even here you can't play portables for (x) amount of time no mattter if it has WiFi. But I bet you $20 when they told people to turn off their PSP's they didn't because they were all to addicted to Crisis Core XD

  • KBABZ

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 6:56 am GMT

    B-bad, OmegaNemesis28, Flat_Line_____ and GeneralZhukov, I beleive on the Mythbusters note you forgot to add one thing. All cellphnones, and predictably Wi-fidevices, all work on various frequency settings. It is very hard to keep track of these as new phones are being made all the time and it'd be far to much of a hassle to go and check them all.

    HOWEVER, PSPs and DSs all work on preset Wi-fi frequencies, so to solve the problem all you really would have to do is to just test those particular frequencies on the plane model. If it stuffs up the plane, ban them on that model of plane. If it doesn't, let them on.

    Funnily enough I was on a JAL flight last year, and I was able to use my PSPs Wi-fi to go onto a forum and talk to my girlfriend in America whilst I was flying over her hometown in Denmark! It was an enjoyable flight until I was reminded that I hadn't charged the batteries. I'll definately be flying Air New Zealand when I'm older, LOTR and Pirates of the Carribean don't make a bad air entertainment at all.

    For those telling the nothing-to-do complainers about going for a break for a few hours, this is true, gaming ain't THAT important, however the agony of plane flights is that you're stuck in the same position for up to 11 HOURS, with the burr of the engines, and you can't move a lot. It sucks even more if you're in the middle aisle, with no window to look out of, and you're squashed between people. That situation just SCREAMS handheld gaming time. Bites for me as my PSP is my primary music device, my MP3-CD Player broke a while ago and I didn't want an iPod (PSP was more convenient).

  • Violetto

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 3:22 am GMT

    Safety concerns from electromagnetic waves off mobile phones and wireless systems is not a new thing, they always tell you to turn off your phone and not use anything with WiFi when you are on a plane but obviously they can't make sure that you do. I always see people using their mobiles on the plane when they are not supposed to, and I saw some kids multiplaying with their DS'. Its a good thing that the airlines don't want all their passengers to die

  • Jalannom

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 6:14 pm GMT

    Shh.. guys. You guys are giving Talibans ideas!!!!!

  • Jalannom

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 6:12 pm GMT

    "CIA has informed that Talibans are planning to sneak in with 543 PSPs, 432 DS and 345 Gizmondos in to the LAX. They are planning to have a set of shoes equipped with wireless PSP and electric shaver made with DS functions." We will hear the news about it any time now.

  • snailz

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 4:16 pm GMT

    yeah.. I'd rather not fly on the airplane that can be brought down by my DS, or a pair of headphones

  • andy3004

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 12:46 pm GMT

    @AceCometh

    It cracks me up when I read messages from people
    like you, about how they believe any crap the bureaucrats and the yellow-press feeds them.
    Go to countries like North Korea or Cuba, become
    a member of some obscure sect!!
    Normal people like us will be waiting for when
    you and all the other brain-dead idiots finally
    perish once and for all.
    I am sure, we would celebrate if all of you did so
    just now.

  • Andy639_basic

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 11:06 am GMT

    This is retarded. I perfectly understand why Wi-Fi play is not permitted on the planes, but why in the world ban the system outright? Most every DS and PSP game can be played without Wi-Fi, and systems older than those two don't have any Wi-Fi whatsoever.

  • kitsunegrunt

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 5:09 am GMT

    do the in flight movies on planes really suck that bad? i only ask because i have never been on a plane let alone an airport. i guess if i fly somewhere i should bring a long book.

  • Ted_Zanarukando

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 2:39 am GMT

    I usually do not travel by airplane. For one reason is the Marshall University plane crash, which happened before we were born.

  • Trogeton

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 10:26 pm GMT

    HAHAH... SUCKS TO BE THEM MAN actually I feel bad for them

  • mnmnanu

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:51 pm GMT

    well thats suck. i need to go there in November. what am i going to do now

  • nem1

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 8:31 pm GMT

    i didnt expect to here something like this from japan.. but i guess unexpected things just happen sometime

  • mariomusicmaker

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 6:25 pm GMT

    Phew, i can still make dirty words with my calculator on a flight im happy then.

  • Neoyamaneko

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:52 pm GMT

    Bite the bullet and get a portable DVD player for $100.

  • Mario21488

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 3:27 pm GMT

    Don't play console if you are using wireless, turn the wireless off and play normally until you get off the air plane.

  • dryden555

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 2:08 pm GMT

    if this were a real danger, bans would be happening everywhere and several years ago.

  • stochinblockin

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 1:52 pm GMT

    I said this at actiontrip.com. This decision is bogus. You have as much chance of interfering with airplane navigations with the ds or psp as you do with blowing yourself up using a cell phone at a gas pump. If planes were really that fragile, they would be going down every second with all the electromagnetic waves in the air.

  • fr33_loader

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 12:31 pm GMT

    Right at this moment, a cellphone is running inside a plane somewhere around the world. It could have been forgotten to be turned off, turned on accidentally, or turned on purposely. And how many plane crashes have you heard caused by cellphones turned on in midflight? And if this was such a big risk, this problem could not be averted by this new policy. All airplanes then must be overhauled and its cockpit properly shielded from this interference for safety reasons. They are putting the responsibility on kids trusting them that they wont turn on their DS's/PSPs/Phones instead of making changes on planes to make it safer. Whats next, hijackers using Nokias. "Land this plane now or I will turn this phone on!"

  • plaintruth123

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 12:04 pm GMT

    safety first,

  • zpxkjp

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 10:45 am GMT

    Its a real danger so we cant really moan.

  • aryax242

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:58 am GMT

    Doesnt bother me, feels good to unplug and read a book while flying anyways.

  • GeneralZhukov

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 8:37 am GMT

    A year or so ago Discovery Channel's myth busters actually did an episode on electronic devices on flights. They concluded that one cell phone wouldn't interfere with any flight instruments, however, if a lot of people began to use various electronic devices there may be a risk of a interference. So on one hand, it is prudent that they limit the number of Wi-Fi devices such as a DS that can be used on a flight but on the other, limiting headphones is ridiculous as wired headphones do not contribute to radio interference in the slightest.

  • prioritymail

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 8:27 am GMT

    Its only a matter of time till our airlines start adopting similar rules and regulations...

  • nfkevin34

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 7:58 am GMT

    The DS that JAL gave its first class customers had the WLAN function removed from the factory, as it was a promotion with Nintendo.... so there was absolutely no chance of WLAN interfering with something.

  • chrono_wind

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 7:55 am GMT

    Skaarj517

    you can turn the WiFi off on the psp....

    You can turn off Wi-Fi on ANYTHING, but that's not the point. The point is that there is a chance that anyone can simply turn on their Wi-Fi and start using it at any point, which is a risk to the studies. If people are eager to start using the systems for that purpose and secretly start playing games through wireless functions, then it will start some worry for those sneaky few.

    Question is..What about cell phones? Aren't they wireless? They might not get signal to begin with on airplanes, but are they not a potential risk either?

  • scouserfuller9

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 7:04 am GMT

    Damn me and my brother were planning a holiday to Japan and were gonna use our DS's wireless so we could cause the plane to crash! The two of us live such a stressful life. Wouldn't surprise me if this rule is on all airlines eventually though?

  • crashndash

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 6:42 am GMT

    i would laugh if they were selling psp's and ds's in duty free on the plane lmao

  • Expo_Smacko

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:33 am GMT

    Yeah, but I usually see people have there electronics on even when they say to turn them off. So how well would it work?

  • esben1000

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 3:40 am GMT

    Guess I'm not going to use my DS in the airplanes then...

  • R-Force

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 2:42 am GMT

    Well there's always Tamagotchi!

  • AceCometh

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 1:15 am GMT

    It cracks me up when I read messages that have been posted about how they'll fly with some other airline comany just to play their games. Do a crossword puzzle, watch the in flight movie!! Brain Age will be waiting for you when you get off the plane, I'm sure you can live without it for a few hours.

  • decoy1978

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 11:26 pm GMT

    LAX has the same policy regarding electronic equipment during take off.

  • Xenju

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 11:02 pm GMT

    that's mean i won't fly Japanese airline!

  • RXHELL

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:13 pm GMT

    You'd have to be pretty stupid to play a game over WiFi while on a freakn PLANE...

  • manifestus

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:48 pm GMT

    Chernnunos

    Airlines are just ridiculous. They make tons and tons of money off of the tickets alone, and want to force you to have to use their headphones for their lousy movies....like White Chicks and Cat in the Hat...
    ---------------------------------------------------
    And in response to what you said ... no. Most airlines are also doing horrible financially due to oil prices and corporate structure. And the tickets are actually pretty damn cheap compared to historic highs (taking inflation into account) ... so stop whining. Plus, the purpose of the airplane is to get you from one location to another. Anything that makes that less likely to happen (e.g. death being a key one here?) is something I'm definitely all for them taking whatever measures are necessary.

  • STEALTHGAMER22

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:28 pm GMT

    That F@1? INSANE KNOW WHAT ARE WE THE CIVILAN SUPPOSED TO DO ON A PLANE (WHAT READ A BOOK OR MAGAZINE) HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T BRING THAT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • X-RS

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:27 pm GMT

    guess i gotta buy and old gba or a wonderswan...

  • bobtheflounder

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:06 pm GMT

    I was ok with them banning the DS. I was ok when they banned the PSP. But who the heck do they think they are to ban the Gizmondo!? We MUST do something about this!!!!

  • mhder

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:52 pm GMT

    If it's for safety I can't see why you can complain. Are they really overreacting? I'd rather have my plane flying at 100%. I've seen how far americans have gone for terror etc. Remember not being able to take any liquids on planes? Medicine being taken away? Even before the liquid ban in the US etc, Japanese airports would scan your bottles for liquid content. They've always been ahead in terms of safety. Only when the UK liquid scare came into effect that the other countries started taking it seriously. I believe remote control toys are being checked at western airports now? So you might start to see this get talked about in the USA etc soon. You could turn the Wifi off but not everyone will comply, not everyone will understand if is on/off. All you people who are against it.. If there was a malfunction on the plane due to this, then you'd be the first to line up to sue the airline for not addressing it.

  • RoC1909

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:48 pm GMT

    @Sam_Lowery

    Great comment. If they ban handhelds, then they need to ban laptops and pretty much any other electronic item.

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