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Nintendo 3DS system update is live, grab your free copy of Excitebike now
True to its word, Nintendo has released a system update for anxious 3DS owners. The free update over WiFi delivers an internet browser and the eShop digital store to your multidimensional handheld. As a bonus, Ninty's offering the 3D-remastered NES game, Excitebike, for free until Tuesday with additional cash-money content coming to the store on Thursdays. We'll be hearing more from Nintendo, much more we hope, on Tuesday morning where we'll be bringing you live coverage of its next generation console announcements from E3. Join us, won't you? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
PSA: The Nintendo eShop is live
Hey, just a reminder: The eShop is now available on 3DS. We were going to write something clever about it, but we're too tired. So there. ... What? You don't know how to get the update? OK, fine: 1. Click "System Settings" 2. Click "Other Settings" 3. Tap the right arrow three times until you're on the last screen 4. Click "System Update" Got it? Great. We're going to bed.
Nintendo aims for flexible storefront with 3DS eShop, parity with other digital distribution platforms
If you've used a DSi or a DSi XL, you already have a good idea of what to expect from the eShop. Nintendo's sticking with its "shelf" layout approach, allowing the company to provide certain tiers of up to 20 listed items at a time. Want nothing but Mario-themed content? Simply slide over to the big graphic featuring Nintendo's mascot, tap it, then sift through all of the content. Nintendo's been lagging behind quite a bit in the digital storefront sector, offering a barebones, clunky and oftentimes very static experience on the DSi and Wii. With the 3DS, Nintendo has obviously learned a lot and seeks to offer something comparable to the sales platforms seen on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Amazon -- packaging content together, constantly mixing up what's presented and allowing users to rate items is amongst the most obvious forms of immitation seen in the eShop.
Japan's prepaid 3DS eShop cards are lovely
Along with the new denomination (basically, cash instead of "points") the 3DS eShop will use new prepaid cards. The designs for the Japanese cards have been revealed, and they're so cool, featuring Kirby, Famicom, Mario, and Zelda designs. Only time will tell if the American cards will be available in awesome, Nintendo-themed variants. Actually, we can tell too. They won't. Just a guess. These are available now in Japan, and can be used for Wii or DSi Points, or 3DS eShop currency when that service launches.
3DS eShop launch lineups announced for Japan and Europe
The initial lineup of 3DS eShop software was just announced for North America -- at least the Virtual Console part and the free Excitebike, anyway. The lineups for other regions are slightly different -- and have been announced in slightly more detail. The Game Boy Virtual Console titles coming to Japan include Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Kirby's Dreamland, Baseball, Phantasm (called Avenging Spirit in the west), Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugo (a samurai-themed River City Ransom spinoff). Original 3DS software in Japan launching June 7 includes Excitebike 3D, Mystery PI, 3D Block Breaking, and a 3D Classics version of Xevious. The launch eShop content for Europe, detailed in a press release, includes the remade Excitebike, as well as the Game Boy games Alleyway, Super Mario Land, and Tennis, with more coming every Thursday.
These DSiWare games can't be transferred to 3DS
When Nintendo announced the ability to transfer DSiWare to the 3DS, and the addition of DSiWare software to the 3DS eShop, it qualified the list. Most DSiWare. "A few exceptions," Nintendo's Charlie Scibetta told Joystiq. Nintendo has now posted a list of the DSiWare games and apps that won't be available for transfer to a 3DS -- and, though it isn't explicitly said, we expect these games won't be available from the 3DS eShop as well. The list includes the DSiWare Art Academy apps, all the Domo games, some sudoku stuff, and ... aw, Flipnote Studio. No reasons are provided for these omissions, though in the case of the Nintendo DSi Browser, it seems obvious. The Domo character rights could be limited by platform, we suppose. [Thanks, Julian]
3DS browser lacks Flash, can view 3D photos
In an update to its Japanese website, Nintendo detailed the web browser coming to 3DS next week as part of a fairly large firmware update. Unfortunately, the browser will support neither Flash nor PDFs, dashing your hopes of getting some work done on your game device. What it will do is let you save JPG images from the web to an SD card, upload pictures from the camera, and display 3D pictures in MPO format from within the browser. You can set parental controls for the browser using the 3DS settings, along with the i-Filter software for further restrictions.
Excitebike 3D free for 30 days after eShop launch, Pokedex 3D free forever
When the eShop launches on June 6, it won't just be our Japanese friends ripping up the track: Excitebike 3D Classic, a remake of the NES title, will be right there for free on the North American store. Act fast, though, as you'll be paying $5.99 to download it after the first 30 days of availability have elapsed. If you don't mind parting with some cash, you'll also be able to buy Game Boy ports Super Mario Land, Alleyway and Radar Mission on day one. The update will also add the ability for DSi and DSi XL owners to transfer "most" of their DSiWare purchases to the system (we're looking for clarification on what titles will be left behind). But let's get to the really important news: Nintendo's eShop will also arrive alongside PokéDex 3D, a virtual compendium of pokemon from the Black/White games. It's available as a free download (not timed) and lets you summon vast amounts of information on the critters, as well as full 3D models. It also has Street Pass functionality (unlock random pokémon by exchanging data) and QR support. The QR feature is actually pretty neat: you can take a picture of your friend, set it as a background layer, then snap a pic of a QR code to introduce a pokémon. Now you won't have to photoshop all your poké-snaps! %Gallery-125058% %Gallery-125059%
Nintendo 3DS eShop to launch on June 6 with internet browser and free Excite Bike
Why wait until June 7th when you can instead get your update on June 6th? That's the question Nintendo has answered this morning, telling us that the coveted eShop update for the 3DS will come a day earlier than previously anticipated. This will finally give gamers the ability to download some titles straight to their system, but more importantly will give everyone a free copy of Excitebike, the NES classic, naturally re-mastered so that the 2-D side-scrolling racer will have a little bit of depth. Super Mario Land and a few other downloadable titles will come along help launch the show, with Nintendo pledging to add new content every Thursday thereafter. But wait, there's more! Pokemon fans will be able to use their AR card to check out those they've already caught in 3D, and if you've purchased any DSiWare games you'll be able to download those to your 3DS. Last, but certainly not least, will be a full internet browser that you can spin up without exiting a game, which might make keeping tabs on that Ocarina of Time walkthrough a little easier. It has, after all, been a long time since last we vanquished Ganondorf and his Gerudo chums. Again, all this is set to go live in the evening of June 6th (which could still be June 7th where you are), so now might be a good time to invest in that bigger SD card you've had your eye on.
Sony Ericsson's Canadian online store hacked, more than 2,000 customers' data taken
The hackers just won't give poor Sony a break, will they? Following the infamous PSN breach last month and an attack on the company's Greek online music service earlier this week, Sony Ericsson has now seen another intrusion that extracted personal data of more than 2,000 Canadian Eshop customers. Fortunately, the company claims that passwords taken were encrypted and no credit card details were lost, but this is still worrisome nevertheless. Right now, the Eshop service has been taken off line -- for the sake of Sir Howard and his Japanese chums, let's just hope that this will be the last Sony breach we hear about. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nintendo launching 3DS eShop on June 7, sharing some E3 love with everyone
We know where we're going to be on June 7th: surfing across the sea of concrete better known as Los Angeles, looking at lots of games and wishing we'd packed more comfortable shoes. That's E3 time and, while you very well may be at home living vicariously, thanks to Nintendo you'll be able to get a bit of what's happening out there right in your handheld over here -- if you bought a 3DS. On June 7th Nintendo will release its long-promised update, which will finally bring the ability to download titles directly to the system through the eShop. The Japanese update will be launching a day earlier and is said to feature Virtual Console emulation as well as a 3D movie player, giving us hope that the promised Netflix support will be there for us. What else will we be hoping for at E3? Probably a foot massage. Any takers? Update: Nintendo has now also officially announced that the update will hit Europe on June 7th, bringing with it eShop access and a web browser. [Thanks, Jan]
3DS eShop update delayed to June 7 in Japan [update: June 6 in North America]
The 3DS firmware update adding the eShop, DSiWare transfer, web browser, and other features, was originally scheduled to be released in "late May." A note on Nintendo of Japan's website reveals that it's going to be released so late in May that it'll actually be June by the time it arrives. June 7 is now the official date for the firmware update, in Japan at least. That happens to coincide with Nintendo's E3 presentation, so we're now expecting that to be the worldwide release date, so Nintendo can make a dramatic reveal on stage. We're checking with Nintendo, in any case. Update: The update will come to North America "the evening of June 6 Pacific time," according to Nintendo's website. Thanks to Donald for spotting that. [Thanks, Manuel!]
Prepaid 3DS eShop cards showing up at select Best Buy stores in US
You may not be able to purchase anything on Nintendo's 3DS eShop until the update goes live at some point later this month, but Best Buy is more than happy to start selling you virtual monies for when it does. As spotted by Reddit user "phillipsteak" at his local Best Buy in Merced, California, $20 eShop cards are already out there, readying themselves for virtual deployment. We confirmed the cards with the California Best Buy, where reps said only $20 denominations were currently in stock and listed in the store's inventory. Jumping coasts, a Connecticut-area Best Buy similarly confirmed having $20 eShop cards in stock, as well as confirming no other types were listed, while locations in West Virginia and Oklahoma had no knowledge of the cards. If you happen to be at your local brick-and-mortar tonight and you see one, feel free to snap a shot and send it over with your name and location! Update: We've got another image of the cards spotted in New York City, this time at a Best Buy in downtown Manhattan. Thanks Zethyr!
Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version's Barrett introduced in new media
New screens and brief videos of Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version outline the abilities of the new playable character, Barrett. Like his ability to star in a Mega Man game despite not being Mega Man. Barrett has the new ability to run up walls, as well as a combination of long-range (i.e. gun) and close-range attacks at his disposal -- unlike Mega Man, whose general close-quarters strategy is just point-blank shooting. Barrett also has the power to own a flying motorcycle. Check our gallery for the screens, and find the videos after the break.%Gallery-122924%
Excitebike 3D Classic to be offered free with 3DS eShop update
When Nintendo finally flips the switch on the 3DS eShop, it's got a pretty solid plan for enticing users into the service. During an investor briefing, president Satoru Iwata announced that Nintendo plans to offer a free downloadable version of Excitebike through the eShop, for a limited time starting at launch. It won't just be Excitebike -- it'll be 3D Excitebike. This freebie will be 3DS owners' first experience with the "3D Classics" line, in which classic games are updated with new 3D effects. So when some anonymous racer knocks you off your bike, it'll be more ... exciting. Iwata didn't specify a region for this release, so there is a possibility that it might be restricted to Japan.
Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version launching with 3DS eShop
Capcom has officially taken the wraps off Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version, revealing pretty much what we guessed it would be: an early, downloadable chunk of the 3DS game. Though Legends 3 itself doesn't have a release date yet, the Prototype Version will be out when the 3DS eShop launches in late May. The Prototype Version introduces a new playable character, Barrett, and offers a few missions from " a game still early in the development process." Once those missions are complete, players will have access to a debug mode and areas of the game that have yet to be completed. Check out a trailer after the break, which shows not only the first footage of the Prototype Version but the first actual footage we've seen of Legends 3.
Nintendo 3DS clocks up 400,000 US sales in opening week, nearly matches month-long total for DS
Now we're talking. After Nintendo slyly told us that the 3DS set a day-one US sales record for its handheld division, it has now been more forthright and actually disclosed some cold hard numbers. 400,000 3DS units were shifted in the month of March, says Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime, which amounts to just one working week's worth of sales when you consider the portable console launched on March 27th. That was still enough time for it to threaten the DS' overall March tally of 460,000, however, and extrapolated over a full 30 days would total a whopping 2.4 million transactions. Of course, sales rarely sustain such a roaring pace after launch, but Reggie foresees good things for the 3DS with a marquee Legend of Zelda game, the launch of the E-Shop, and Netflix integration all coming over the summer. So the future's bright, we just wish it didn't have to be turquoise.
Almost all DSiWare games available at 3DS eShop launch, transfer limits clarified
We know that Nintendo is planning "3D Classics" for the 3DS eShop -- retro games with 3D effects added. We also know that unaltered retro games will be available in the Virtual Console, and that DSiWare will be available as well when the service is launched in May. But what about downloadable 3DS games -- a "3DSWare" equivalent to the DSi's DSiWare? We may be waiting a while for that. Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo's senior director of corporate communications, told Joystiq that not only was Nintendo not ready to announce any downloadable 3DS games, there isn't even a name for that service at the moment. "We have Virtual Console games," Scibetta said. "Anything that's rendered in 3D, converted into 3D, is called 3D Classics, but we don't have any other terminology yet." He assured Joystiq that downloadable games would be made available "under the eShop banner." That the terminology is still up in the air suggests that this part of the plan has yet to be finalized -- or just that Nintendo isn't ready to talk about the finalized plan. The good news is that you'll have access to a lot of DSiWare when the eShop launches. Of the existing DSiWare lineup, "pretty much the whole thing" will be available right at launch. "There might be a few exceptions, but the majority of the games will come over." A few games are being left off the 3DS's eShop for undisclosed reasons. Scibetta also offered a bit of clarification about the limits on the DSiWare software transfer feature, also coming as part of that late-May update. "It's not the number of transferred games -- it would be the same game, the number of times you could transfer it from device to device," Scibetta said. "So if you build up a large category of DSiWare games, you won't be penalized. Just how many times you can move that same group of games, there'll be a limit on."
3DS Virtual Console getting Game Gear and TurboGraphx-16 games, coming late May
In addition to select, hand-picked Game Boy and Game Boy Color classics, the 3DS's Virtual Console will also play host to titles from two slightly surprising sources: The Sega Game Gear and TurboGraphx-16 handhelds. No specific entries from the two devices were named during Reggie Fils-Aime's presentation at Nintendo's GDC keynote today -- though we've got our fingers crossed for the speedy arrival of Sonic Chaos. Fils-Aime also confirmed the late May arrival of the Virtual Console via a system update, which wiill also introduce a handful of the device's other online features, including: DSiWare (and the ability to transfer DSiWare games from a DSi or DSi XL), the web browser and eShop. It's likely to be the same update that will add Netflix and some 3D video features, too.
3DS eShop update actually available in May worldwide
Nintendo of Europe previously said that the 3DS firmware update containing the web browser and eShop functionality would be released as a day one patch -- which would suggest March 25, for Europe. But in the latest investor briefing released today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata offered a different timeline. "The first system update is scheduled for late May," he said, "at almost the same time around the world." Iwata specified that this first update would add the eShop, web browser, and the DSi and 3DS software transfer function (which uses the eShop). Maybe Nintendo of Europe meant to say "day sixty-one"? The eShop, he clarified, will offer not only DSiWare, downloadable 3DS software and Game Boy Virtual Console titles, but "trailers and demo versions like Nintendo Channel on Wii," as well as "3D Classics" -- updated retro games like the version of Xevious shown at E3.
