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Buy Super Smash Bros trophies with 3DS play coins
The previous two games in the Super Smash Bros. series featured collectible trophies. Back in our day, these were sometimes difficult to obtain thanks to steep challenges, but we persevered and our digital trophy cases were a little shinier for it. Nintendo is alleviating some of the stress induced by these tougher challenges by allowing players to purchase trophies for the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. with in-game and in-system currency. According to Miiverse posts by Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai, the game's trophy shop offers players the chance to buy the collectible items using in-game gold or 3DS Play Coins. "If you're having a hard time getting certain trophies, why not just buy them," Sakurai wrote, noting that trophies "sometimes go on sale, too." 3DS Play Coins are earned while players travel with their systems in sleep mode, with the 3DS acting as a pedometer of sorts. While Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a whopping 544 trophies, Sakurai also teased that the upcoming "3DS version alone may have more than Brawl." Super Smash Bros. will reach the 3DS on October 3, followed by the Wii U version (which we rather enjoyed at E3) this winter. [Image: Nintendo]
Lazy genius builds device to generate 3DS Play Coins
It was inevitable: faced with the desire to farm 3DS Play Coins without all that bothersome movement, a Japanese 3DS user rigged up an electrical 3DS jostling device to simulate walking. It's elegant in its simplicity, unless you compare it to just walking.
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean coming to 3DS with exclusive StreetPass feature
You'll be able to guide a swaying pile of rum-soaked plastic bricks through supernatural high-seas adventure in 3D this May. Disney and WB revealed that Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game will be released on Nintendo 3DS in May, alongside versions for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, PC, Mac, and DS -- and alongside the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie, of course. The 3DS version includes a few exclusive features, like support for the system's pedometer-acquired "Play Coins," and a StreetPass feature, "Pirate Duels," that automatically engages virtual Lego pirates against one another when two 3DS systems come within communication range -- with even more Play Coins awarded to the winner.%Gallery-116769%
Reggie explains motivation for 3DS 'Play Coins'
The 3DS's "Activity Log" uses the built-in pedometer to track your steps, awarding players "Play Coins" for certain distances. Those Play Coins can then be used for unspecified unlocks within supported games. According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, this was included for two related reasons. First, he told MTV Multiplayer, "Nintendo has always been at the forefront of active gaming." He cited the Pokewalker, Personal Trainer: Walking, and, of course, that whole Wii thing. Second, "it's just another reason to encourage people to get up and walk around. Why? Because we want them to be carrying their Nintendo 3DS, going through StreetPass, SpotPass types of activity." Apple managed to get people to carry their iPhones around everywhere by making the iPhone a phone -- one of the major advantages enjoyed by that platform. Nintendo has chosen to basically bribe users with virtual coins in order to get people into the habit of making the 3DS part of their everyday equipment. Hear Reggie's explanation for yourself in the video after the break.
