Nintendo Video for 3DS launching in North America this summer

By Mike Flacy Updated July 12, 2011

Nintendo of America announced that an official video service is headed to the 3DS handheld gaming device later this summer for North American audiences. However, Nintendo Video is launching first in Europe and Japan on July 13. The service is expected to deliver both 2D and 3D content to the 3DS in the form of cartoon and comedy clips as well as music videos. Nintendo is unlikely to deliver content consistently and is relying on a second video service called Spot TV for original programming. Programming for Japanese audiences from Nippon and Fuji TV features shows around animals, news and celebrity wrestling. Video content and updates are automatically downloaded when a user is in range of a Wi-Fi access point.

The update to the video service also brings Netflix to the Nintendo 3DS. If subscribed to the Netflix Instant streaming service ($7.99 a month), 3DS owners simple download the Netflix application and authorize the device. Netflix allows for up to six devices to utilize the streaming service per account. It’s unlikely that Netflix will offer any content formatted to take advantage of the 3D effect though. Netflix streaming was originally announced for launch in May 2011 at the Game Developer’s Conference, but was pushed to late summer by Nintendo of America.

The Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system hasn’t performed as well as the company originally hoped. President Satoru Iwata directed blame at the weak launch titles in a response to a recent investor question. However, Nintendo also made it clear that there are no plans on bringing its vast library to mobile devices such as the iPhone or Android phones. Nintendo is revamping classic titles like Excitebike for the 3DS with an upgrade to 3D. The volume of classics receiving this treatment is low due to the difficulty in development. For instance, converting Excitebike to utilize the 3D screen took about twenty times the planned development period.

Topics

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Gaming

Nintendo’s eShop closures are a necessary, but messy move

A Nintendo Wii U gamepad flat on a table.

Nintendo last week announced its intentions to shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, the systems' digital storefronts, in March 2023. This decision was disappointing for hardcore fans who stuck with Nintendo during that rocky era and extremely worrying as many of the games available on the platforms won't be preserved.
More significant Wii U games and a handful of 3DS titles were ported to Switch, but many titles are still stuck on those systems and can’t be ported. Once the digital storefront shutdowns, digital-only titles will be gone forever, and physical copies of these titles will get more expensive and harder to experience. Fans and game preservationists have not been pleased by this decision, with the Video Game History Foundation giving the most candid response.
https://twitter.com/GameHistoryOrg/status/1494398068346654720
Following this announcement, Digital Trends spoke to an industry analyst and game preservationists to get a better idea of what exactly caused Nintendo to shut down these stores and to learn how it could do a better job at preserving its legacy.
Why is Nintendo shutting down the 3DS and Wii eShops?
Officially, Nintendo’s FAQ on the eShop closures says “this is part of the natural life cycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." The answer doesn’t get into specifics and might confuse those still playing games on the system or fans of games only available on Wii U or 3DS. Omdia Principal Analyst Matthew Bailey explains Nintendo’s user base argument in more detail, highlighting the massive gap between the number of people playing the Switch as opposed to the Wii U.
“While Omdia expects the number of Switch consoles in active use to exceed 90 million on a global basis this year, the Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022,” he explains. “Even when you include the more enduring 3DS family of consoles into the equation, the Switch still comfortably accounts for over 90% of Nintendo’s total active console install base.”
If one is going off just the numbers, it’s sensible that Nintendo would want to focus on the majority of its players. Bailey admits that “Switch users are already reaping the benefits of Nintendo’s singular first-party development focus on one platform.” Still, one might argue that Nintendo should just let the eShops remain up even if it isn’t actively updating or maintaining them.

Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t see that as possible due to cost and security issues. Game Over Thrity, a Twitter user with over 20 years of experience working on IT projects and infrastructure, shed some light on what might have influenced Nintendo’s decision-making in a thread.
“As these systems age, they require patches, security, special contracts, updates, and personnel that know how they were built (and maintained),” his Twitter thread explains. “As time goes on, there are security holes, servers, code, infrastructure, etc., that can’t be brought up to modern standards. It becomes a constant struggle between maintaining legacy systems, paying people to do so, and trying to keep up with global regulations. It’s not cheap by any means. They can’t just ‘leave the lights on’ and stop supporting them. What if someone hacked the payment processor?”
With every passing year, the Wii U and 3DS eShops likely became more expensive to maintain and an increased security risk for the video game publisher. Instead of investing the time and resources into pleasing a smaller amount of players, the easier option is to turn everything off entirely. While he isn’t affiliated with Nintendo, Game Over Thirty’s assessment aligns with what we’ve heard from Nintendo and Omdia.
"The Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022."

Gaming

Nintendo is ending Wii U and 3DS eShop service

nintendo shuts down wiiu 3ds eshop

Nintendo has announced the end of its eShop service for the Wii U console and 3DS handheld. The eShop will stay live on those devices until late March 2023, after which players will no longer be able to purchase games or download eShop apps and services for those devices.

After the closure, players will still be able to redownload games and DLC that they already own, use online play, and download software updates.

Gaming

Nintendo 2DS XL vs. Nintendo 3DS XL

new nintendo 2ds xl review 13703

Although the Nintendo Switch poses as a great portable console and reigns supreme in popularity, Nintendo isn't ready to let their handheld consoles fall to the side. Since the Switch's release, the 3DS has gotten a plethora of great games, including Metroid: Samus Returns, WarioWare Gold, Luigi's Mansion,Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, and Hey! Pikmin.

It wasn't a total surprise when Nintendo announced a new 3DS to add to their family of portable consoles. The Nintendo 2DS XL was announced just months after the initial release of the Switch. Additionally, Nintendo continued to provide support for its 3DS platform. Those of us who are in love with the Nintendo handheld consoles have a chance to continue to pick up these systems and find new games to explore.