Coming soon to Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone: the Dwango-Zone for online multiplayer games. The two companies are in the final stages of beta-testing the service, Dwango reported today.

　　Dwango said that the service will be available initially in Houston, Dallas, Seattle, New York, and San Jose, Calif., with the 18 other cities in the Dwango network to be added in the near future. Members of the Internet Gaming Zone who play over the Dwango service will be charged 99 cents an hour.

　　Players using the Dwango service aren't really playing over the Internet. Dwango is touting the "drop and redial" technology developed by its parent company, Interactive Visual Systems Corporation, which redirects players from the Internet to Dwango's own servers in an effort to defeat the dreaded network latency problem. Once players form teams or launch their game, they're "dropped and redialed" into the Dwango servers. At the end of the game, their Internet connection is reestablished.

　　Dwango maintains network servers in 23 US cities and four foreign countries. Dwango is set for its premiere party tonight (Dec. 4) at 6pm MST.