Nintendo 3DS system update finally arrives

By Rick Marshall Updated December 7, 2011

The long-awaited firmware update for Nintendo 3DS has officially arrived, bringing with it a host of expected — and even better, unexpected — new features.

The anticipated update to the 3DS camera does indeed give you the ability to record 3D video and create stop-motion film projects, but it’s the update to the StreetPass social environment that comes with a few pleasant surprises.

The Mii Plaza in StreetPass now features a series of “accomplishments” (the equivalent of Xbox “achievements” or PlayStation “trophies,” it seems) that can be unlocked according to the number and location of other Miis you interact with. A music player has also been added to the Mii Plaza, as well as new games (including Find Mii 2 and new additions to Puzzle Swap) and the ability to transport Miis from the internet to your Mii Plaza.

Along with new features for the camera and StreetPass, the latest update also adds a “Nintendo Zone” app that allows for some special features linked to “participating” wi-fi hotspots.

There are likely to be a few more features that accompany the new update, so make sure to let us know what else you discover as you Mii-ander (*wince*) around the new 3DS environment.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Gaming

Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimd the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Gaming

The best Fire Emblem games, ranked from best to worst

best fire emblem games marth

The Fire Emblem series remained obscure to North American audiences until 2001, when the characters Roy and Marth carved up the competition in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ever since, the tactical role-playing series has been a worldwide phenomenon, mixing deep storytelling and tough-as-nails combat that tests the limits of every player's patience and strategic skill.

Over the years, Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems have released games on everything from the Game Boy Advance to mobile phones, and most of them have retained what made the series great. We ranked all tactical role-playing Fire Emblem games released in North America, and a clear winner emerged.

Gaming

The Nintendo 3DS’ best (and weirdest) cult hit is coming to Apple Arcade

Horses race in Pocket Card Jockey.

Apple Arcade is kicking off 2023 by adding three new titles in January. Most notable among them is Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, a mobile port of one of the Nintendo 3DS cult hits set to launch on January 20.

The original Pocket Card Jockey, released in 2013 in Japan and 2016 in North America, is one of the 3DS' oddest titles. Developed by Pokémon studio Game Freak, it's a horse-racing RPG that revolves around solitaire. Players raise and breed horses and then race them by playing fast-paced rounds of solitaire. It's an extremely bizarre concept, but an incredibly fun one that made it one of the handheld's most charming hidden gems.