Nintendo outlines network services for the US

By
Piers Harding-Rolls

March 04, 2011

Satoru Iwata, President and CEO of Nintendo, presented a keynote at the Games Developers' Conference and, alongside President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé, took the opportunity to give more details about networked services to the 3DS for US customers. The major announcement centred on a deal with Netflix to offer streamed movies and 3D trailers to Netflix customers on the 3DS, extending Nintendo's existing deal centred on the Wii home console. The company also announced the availability of a Nintendo curated short-form video service offering comedy and music videos.

With regards to location-based services and connectivity, the company highlighted its StreetPass capability, a local networking function, which sees 3DS' interacting with each other, sending new challenges and content to passing users. Nintendo also highlighted SpotPass, a 3DS Wi-Fi capability, which enables the device to connect automatically to wireless LAN and Wi-Fi hotspots out and about and have content updates pushed to devices even in sleepmode. The push content capability does not require the relevant game cartridge to be in the machine at the same time to receive updates.

With SpotPass in mind, and following extensive testing of Wi-Fi hotspot support in Japan with the DS, Nintendo announced a US-based nationwide deal with AT&T for free 3DS user access to over 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. Users accessing these hotspots will get access to free content updates, Nintendo's newly named eShop and also multiplayer gaming for compatible games.

At the keynote, Nintendo also announced the 3DS eShop. The eShop pulls together several streams of games content, which includes DSiWare titles (smaller games made for specific distribution to DSi and 3DS handhelds), Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console titles (previous Nintendo system games, originally available only for the Wii), 3D Classics (classic back catalogue Nintendo games remade in 3D) and Game Promotion (trailers, screen shots, game information). All of these services will be available following a global firmware update to the 3DS in late May, 2011.

With these announcements Nintendo hopes to leverage unique aspects of the display and connectivity available to 3DS users, while also put a more substantial effort behind the company's digital ambitions for both games and video content. Not only is the announced connectivity essential for various forms of distribution, but the company hopes its unique approach through automatic connection to networks and exchange of content with local users, will drive the sociality of the device and its users. This social functionality is a core aspect of convincing consumers to regularly use the 3DS out and about and the platform's ability to compete with other connected devices used on the move.

The re-branding and re-organisation of Nintendo's digital distribution channels into the eShop is a sensible move. With the proliferation of channels of distribution for different types of content, the content discovery and interface were confusing - pulling everything under one umbrella brand will improve the situation.

While we wait for the release of the 3DS in the West, the platform has got off to a very strong start in Japan, which saw its 400,000 unit allocation sold through to consumers during the launch weekend. Nintendo forecast shipments of 1.5m units to Japan by the end of its fiscal year (end of March, 2011). Based on these opening sales, this forecast looks very achievable.

Tags:

Countries: USA
Companies: Nintendo