Train your face: A camera's included in a quirky new Nintendo DS game

(Credit: Wired)

If training your brain with the Nintendo DS just isn't enough, you'll soon be able to train your face with it, too. Wired recently reported that Nintendo has announced Otona No DS Kao Training, or Face Training for the Nintendo DS. It's designed to teach you exercises to help increase the elasticity of your facial muscles. While that alone sounds pretty interesting, it isn't the most important part of the news.

Face Training will come with a digital camera module you fit into the DS' Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. The camera tracks your face while you perform the game's prescribed exercises. While the camera seems to be intended specifically for this game, it offers a lot of potential for other uses. With the DS' Wi-Fi Internet capabilities, a camera accessory could easily turn the little handheld into a digital camera or even a Webcam that can send photos directly to your computer via e-mail. Of course, this is all speculation, and the little camera might be fated only to help you tighten up your face.

Either way, you'll have to go to Japan to pick it up any time soon. Face Training ships August 2, but only in Japan. Nintendo hasn't made any announcements about a U.S. or Europe release.

[Rod Roddy]

One trick pony!

[Rod Roddy]

One trick pony

As much as we'd like to see this camera used for other uses, if you study the picture long enough you'll notice that the odd placement(at the bottom of the unit)reveals that this is primarily for this face excercise game. A webcab would have had the camera on the top screen almost like a laptop webcam.