CHIBA (Japan) - NINTENDO hopes to give its popular Wii game console another boost by offering support services to hook the machine to the Internet in Japan, the company president said on Wednesday.

A network connection will allow people not only to download games but also play games with others online, as well as gain other content and information from the Net.

Nintendo is hoping that will draw even more people to the Wii, leading not only to machine sales but game software sales. Nintendo will work with Japan's top telecommunications company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, to give support services to connect the Wii in people's homes to the Internet, and open a telephone service for technical support, President Satoru Iwata said.

He said details of the support services will be disclosed later.

Nintendo, the Kyoto-based manufacturer of Pokemon and Super Mario games, has scored a hit with its 25,000 yen (S$312), Wii, which comes with a wandlike remote controller for fishing, golfing and other easy-to-play games.

Since Wii went on sale late last year, Nintendo has shipped 9.3 million Wiis around the world, with supplies barely keeping up with demand. By the end of this fiscal year in March 2008, Wii global shipments are expected to have reached 22.3 million.

Wii sales have surpassed Sony's 5 million for the PlayStation 3, which went on sale late last year in Japan and the US and in March in Europe. Microsoft has sold 11.6 million Xbox 360 machines in the last two years. -- AP