The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass voicechat rumour still just a rumour

Being the most keenly anticipated game for the DS since the excellent New Super Mario Bros can only mean one thing for Link's first outing on DS: rumours, rumours and more rumours.

So what can we expect from the Phantom Hourglass? The ability to play as Ganondorf in wi-fi multiplayer battles? Or maybe Link will get some new weapons, like a sawn off shot gun or a chainsaw? These sorts of rumours are hard to swallow, mostly because we just made them up. Some speculation however seems unwilling to die, no matter how vigorously it's beaten back with the fact stick.

Ever since Eiji Aonuma announced that the Phantom Hourglass would utilise the DS's microphone, speculation has been rife about the possible inclusion of voicechat. Recently Zelda Universe posted an article reporting on a recent piece from Japanese mag Famitsu confirming voicechat as a feature in the Phantom Hourglass. As it turns out, the translation was a bit hasty and there was no such confirmation from Famitsu, so for now at least voicechat is as likely as Link adopting the arsenal from Doom for his dungeon day trips.

Still, we wouldn't write off the possibility of voicechat completely. With the new DS headset launching soon, Nintendo will no doubt be looking to other titles to justify its existence beyond the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (the first games that will make use of the headset).

Not only that but voicechat would make sense in Phantom Hourglass's wi-fi multiplayer mode and as previous titles like The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures have shown, the Zelda series is not shy about embracing leftfield features.

We are still waiting on an official release date for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Click 'Track It!' to keep up-to-date with news on this surefire first-party gem.