The first batch of streaming videos hit the eShop in Japan.
The eShop is a little over one week old worldwide, and in the Land of the Rising Sun, it is already home to numerous games and videos. Many regions across the globe have been promised various kinds of video content that will be readily available on their Nintendo 3DS. Netflix has been promised to users in North America. European users will be able to access content from Sky 3D and Eurosport. Nintendo has also made deals with Disney, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks to deliver 3D movies to Nintendo's new handheld. All of this, coupled with an exclusive Nintendo created video content channel, gives users around the world quite a few options to chose from. However, at the present time, every region around the globe is still waiting with bated breath for the deluge of videos to sweep them away in a torrent of entertainment. That is, every region except Japan.
In Japan, Nintendo has chosen to partner with Fuji Television and other broadcasters to deliver free 3D content to the Nintendo 3DS. As of now, Fuji Television has released over four hours of video with episodes of a popular television show called Game Center CX. For those unfamiliar with the program, Game Center CX records the host, Shinya Arino, as he plays through popular Japanese video games (many of which are Nintendo titles) typically as he works through a specific time limit. The videos currently available on the eShop in focus on Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Metroid, Super Mario Kart, Fire Emblem, Star Fox, Kunio-Kun, Splatterhouse, Volfied, and a section on the Wii Virtual Console. All of these videos stream in 2D, while there are a few special episodes covering 3D Classics Excitebike and Xevious that are available in 3D. Not only this, but the most recent update to the eShop added a special section featuring streaming 3D videos of released and unreleased 3DS titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Biohazard: The Mercenaries, Steel Diver, Pilotwings and more. This specific section is also a general hub for streaming 3D content, as the 3D videos from Game Center CX can be found here as well.
Video content is building up rapidly in the Japan eShop. 2D streaming video clips from games shown at E3 are available, as are downloadable 3D video clips for upcoming 3DS titles. This coupled with the videos of upcoming Wii titles has really helped the strength of eShop features in Japan. While other regions might yet to have this breadth of content, it is great to see Nintendo taking the eShop and online functionality more seriously with this generation of portables.