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3DS owners get tired of searching for StreetPasses, build their own Nintendo Zone relays
Unless you live in a densely populated city, you probably struggle to make the most of the 3DS' StreetPass feature -- it's why Nintendo implemented a StreetPass Relay program earlier this month. Now, less than a week after the Mii-sharing setup launched, the gaming community has found a way to exploit it. Users on the GBATemp forums have discovered that spoofing the MAC address of a known Nintendo Zone router while broadcasting the correct SSID creates a homemade relay that pulls the latest StreetPass data from Nintendo's servers. This trick allows gamers to remotely share StreetPass data from the comfort of their own home. It's not a gateway to unlimited passes, however -- just like with local 3DS systems, the relay stations will only share data with an individual handheld once every eight hours, requiring die-hard "homepassers" to manually change their spoofed MAC for each additional StreetPass they want to collect. There is also some concern that Nintendo will notice this remote StreetPass setup and block the known MAC addresses (or worse, infringing handhelds) in an attempt to combat exploitation. Convoluted? Sure, but it's still pretty impressive. If you're feeling bold, check out the adjacent source links to get started; the community has created tutorials for Android, Linux, OSX and Windows, complete with a spreadsheet of viable MAC addresses.
Nintendo 3DS update brings you more Mii Plaza pals with StreetPass Relay
Though StreetPass has proven to be extremely popular, you're much less likely to directly cross a fellow Nintendo 3DS user stateside than in the console's home country of Japan. But thanks to a new update, you'll now be able to pick up Mii avatar buddies via StreetPass Relay. When a 3DS user crosses a Nintendo Zone hotspot, their data is automatically stored and passed on to another 3DS owner who hits the same relay point. You'll find them in North America at Best Buy, Simon malls, Future Shop and AT&T WiFi hotpots located in Starbucks, McDonald's and Barnes & Noble. That'll help you scoop up friends to play new Mii Plaza games Mii Force, Flower Town, Warrior's Way and Monster Manor. They sold to the tune of $4 million in their first month, meaning you should have more potential players than ever hanging around your gate.
StreetPass by proxy: Nintendo Zone locations to act as 3DS data relays
Own a Nintendo 3DS? You're probably all too familiar with the frustrations of the device's StreetPass feature -- in the United States, crossing paths with another 3DS in the wild just isn't all that likely. It's one of the disadvantages of living in a less densley populated country, but Nintendo is delivering a hotfix: sometime in the next few weeks Nintendo Zone locations at Best Buy, Starbucks, various AT&T hotspots, malls and other locations will begin saving and relaying 3DS StreetPass data, allowing gamers to interact by proxy. Once a system nabs one of these timeshifted StreetPasses, its own data will be uploaded to the Nintendo Zone hotspot to be shared with the next user, creating a chain of delayed passive interaction. Convoluted? A little, but how else are you going to complete your Puzzle Swap collection?
