Topic: 3DS System Update Brings Miiverse and Unified Account Between the 3DS and Wii U

[Steel Diver]

Get ready for Miiverse posts begging for likes on your 3DS. 

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/35962

A system update coming to the 3DS is bringing Nintendo Network IDs to the handheld.

With NNIDs on the 3DS, the system will now share the same eShop balance with the Wii U. Meaning, if you put $10 on one shop, it will also be available on the other. 

The system update is also bringing Miiverse to the 3DS. This system update does not have a specific release date but will be coming sometime in December.

[Adrock]

I'm sure there will be Negative Nancies saying, "Ugh, what took so long?" I'm just really happy that this happened. I can finally be Catsylvania on all of my future Nintendo things.

[BlackNMild2k1]

"This is one small step for gamers, one GIANT leap for Nintendo" - BlackNMild2k1 Nov 13, 2013

[Ian Sane]

We've talked about this for so long that I initially just glanced over the headline without paying attention to what it means.  Then I kind of did a double-take.

Good!  This is exactly how it should work!  And this kind of makes things current.  I figured they would get to this around the same time everyone else would move on to something else and just be perpetually behind.  Nintendo needs to make deliberate leaps regarding online gaming to catch up.

[EvilMario]

It's a fine addition, although it's sad that something that should be a standard feature has to be celebrated when it happens on Nintendo platforms.


And we're still a long ways off from what I really want, which is cross platform purchasing and playing of Virtual Console games. Buying something like Legend of Zelda twice just to play it on my 3DS and Wii U doesn't make much sense to me at this point.

[Leo13]

Wait, how do you know the YouTube app is coming later this month. I didn't catch them saying a time at all. I walked away wondering if it's already up or coming later.

[Khushrenada]

And we're still a long ways off from what I really want, which is cross platform purchasing and playing of Virtual Console games. Buying something like Legend of Zelda twice just to play it on my 3DS and Wii U doesn't make much sense to me at this point.

Unfortunately, that is a side effect of not having a unified account from the beginning. I think it is Nintendo not sure knowing how to handle that next thornier issue. If they do allow you to pay for the game once and then you can download it on to both systems, there will probably be a big uproar from people who have bought these games twice for different systems in the past. What do you do about those people? Give them refunds for all the stuff bought twice? Ignore them? And how many times will they expect to be able to redownload the same game?

Right now Apple allows you to download an item you bought to five different devices. After that, you have to pay for it again. I would think Nintendo would want to also impose this sort of limit to ensure future sales on future devices. However, does that mean the number will be 3 installations of a software before paying again? 2? 4?

Its a first step and a welcome first step but we still don't know where it is headed or if they will just stand pat now and see how this turns out.

[tendoboy1984]

According to GoNintendo, you can do cross-platform purchases with the new unified account. :-)

[BlackNMild2k1]

According to GoNintendo, you can do cross-platform purchases with the new unified account. :-)

So you're saying that if you put money in the account, then you can buy games on either system..!!

ummm, yeah, that would be the purpose of a unified account and mentioned in the OP.

now when you can cross-platform play (VC games at the very least), then you have something additional to get excited about.

[BlackNMild2k1]

According to GoNintendo, you can do cross-platform purchases with the new unified account. :-)

So you're saying that if you put money in the account, then you can buy games on either system..!!

ummm, yeah, that would be the purpose of a unified account and mentioned in the OP.

now when you can cross-platform play (VC games at the very least), then you have something additional to get excited about.

edit: unless you meant that you can buy 3DS games from your Wii U eShop, or vice versa, then that would be some new news.

[tendoboy1984]

So now that we can use our Nintendo Network ID's on the 3DS, does that mean unified friend lists also? No more friend codes, right?

[Ceric]

Hey its the update they been promising us since BEFORE THE WII U RELEASED.

[Adrock]

So now that we can use our Nintendo Network ID's on the 3DS, does that mean unified friend lists also? No more friend codes, right?

I read that's right. It should combine your friend lists. I didn't watch the Nintendo Direct yet so I'm not sure the article I read is accurate.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Hey its the update they been promising us since BEFORE THE WII U RELEASED.

Baby Steps. We'll get there.... eventually.

[NeoThunder]

So will it merge your friends list then?

[Stratos]

And we're still a long ways off from what I really want, which is cross platform purchasing and playing of Virtual Console games. Buying something like Legend of Zelda twice just to play it on my 3DS and Wii U doesn't make much sense to me at this point.

Unfortunately, that is a side effect of not having a unified account from the beginning. I think it is Nintendo not sure knowing how to handle that next thornier issue. If they do allow you to pay for the game once and then you can download it on to both systems, there will probably be a big uproar from people who have bought these games twice for different systems in the past. What do you do about those people? Give them refunds for all the stuff bought twice? Ignore them? And how many times will they expect to be able to redownload the same game?

Right now Apple allows you to download an item you bought to five different devices. After that, you have to pay for it again. I would think Nintendo would want to also impose this sort of limit to ensure future sales on future devices. However, does that mean the number will be 3 installations of a software before paying again? 2? 4?

Its a first step and a welcome first step but we still don't know where it is headed or if they will just stand pat now and see how this turns out.

It should be like Amazon or iTunes. You have a limited number of devices you can authorize and if you want to add a new device after that just de-authorize an old one on the list. No repaying for digital purchases ever.

[KITT 10K]

Wii U and 3DS unified accounts?! About damn time!

[BlackNMild2k1]

Now that the wallet for the Wii U & 3DS are unified, I wonder if Nintendo will bring over the $14 stuck on my Wii account that is technically on my Wii U. I would spend it if I could access it, but I'm not buying anything else for the Wii, especially not digitally.

[ShyGuy]

The ID is still tied to hardware, right?rights

[motang]

This is so awesome! Can't wait!   

[Griffinclaw]

The ID is still tied to hardware, right?rights

I think so. I hope not, but I think so. I just wish they would get around to letting me do a Wii U to Wii U transfer. I get sad staring at the Zelda edition I have, that's still sitting in the box. I haven't even registered the game/book codes it came with

[Razorkid]

The ID is still tied to hardware, right?rights

Not necessarily. For example, if you sell your WiiU you can erase your NNID from it and reuse it on another system.  You can also still access your miiverse stuff with your NNID online without a console.

[ShyGuy]

The ID is still tied to hardware, right?rights

Not necessarily. For example, if you sell your WiiU you can erase your NNID from it and reuse it on another system.  You can also still access your miiverse stuff with your NNID online without a console.

That's cool. Does it keep track of your eshop purchases as well?

[Griffinclaw]

The ID is still tied to hardware, right?rights

Not necessarily. For example, if you sell your WiiU you can erase your NNID from it and reuse it on another system.  You can also still access your miiverse stuff with your NNID online without a console.

That's cool. Does it keep track of your eshop purchases as well?

That's the part I wasn't sure about, sorry for my butting-in earlier. I think they're still tied to the hardware they're purchased on. If someone can prove me wrong, PLEASE do, lol.

[Mop it up]

This sounded nice at first, but after thinking about it some more it doesn't really do much. Stuff like VC games are still limited to the one platform, so it's just a shared money balance which, for me, doesn't really matter. Second, if the unified friend list is true, this is actually a bad thing if the limit is still 100. Then we could have only 100 friends between 3DS and Wii U instead of the 200 we have now. Not all the people I have added own both.

It is a step in the right direction, and it's good to see as I didn't think it would happen. But I hope things because more unified in the future.