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3DS

3DS to Implement 'Nintendo eShop'

by Nathan Mustafa - January 19, 2011, 7:02 am EST
Total comments: 34 Source: Nintendo of America

Nintendo has revamped their online store front.

Shopping for downloadable games has never been a smooth experience on Nintendo platforms. The new eShop appears to rectify many of our download woes. Sporting a smoother interface, the eShop will feature digital game downloads, game demos, and game videos.

At launch, 3DS owners will be able to choose between Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and 3DSWare games. In addition to games, Nintendo will include eShop Video. The user can select the desired topic or genre and be directed to a video. Players will be able to watch game videos in-store.

Nintendo eShop purchases use a "cash-based" system, similar to Sony's PlayStation Store, apparently doing away with the current Wii/DSi points-based system. You can purchase content with a credit card or by inputting a code from a retail-purchased card.

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Talkback

Spak-SpangJanuary 19, 2011

No gameboy advance games that is disappointing.  Maybe Nintendo will at least push for color in all original gameboy games.



MaryJaneJanuary 19, 2011

Yeah it is disappointing about GBA but maybe they're still working on that, and maybe we'll get GameGear games as well.

TJ SpykeJanuary 19, 2011

Quote from: Spak-Spang

No gameboy advance games that is disappointing.  Maybe Nintendo will at least push for color in all original gameboy games.

Requires too much effort for developers, and it would result in them charging more. I would rather play them in their original form if it means a lower price. At most I could see something like what Super Game Boy did for games.

What kind of video? Real stuff, or crappy stuff like on the Japanese Wii video service? Basically, are there normal movies and TV shows like you see on Zune Marketplace and PlayStation Store?

Chozo GhostJanuary 19, 2011

Some people might want to play the games in their original spinach color mode anyway, for nostalgia reasons. Everything is pushing for better graphics all the time, so sometimes it can be refreshing to take a step back and experience gaming as it used to be.

gbuellGrant Buell, Staff WriterJanuary 19, 2011

I have no desire for them to go back and add color to older GB games. I DO have a strong desire for GBA games though! I can only hope that will come eventually.

TJ SpykeJanuary 19, 2011

Maybe they will, they did that with Virtual Console on Wii. I hope so, I only have a DSi and don't want to buy another system just to play GBA games (plus I would like the convenience of having them installed on the system).

I think GBA games are inevitable. Nintendo's not usually one to pass up an opportunity to make money with no real effort.

I highly doubt there will be a "spinach" option for original Game Boy titles on 3DS. Those games were programmed in black-and-white; they only look green on the original GB system due to the screen technology. If you play them on any other model (Super Game Boy, GB Pocket, GB Color, GBA, etc.) they look black-and-white, not green-and-white.

ShyGuyJanuary 19, 2011

I think TJ is right. I bet they will have color palette choices like the SNES player.

Quote from: ShyGuy

I think TJ is right. I bet they will have color palette choices like the SNES player.

Many GameBoy games had built in palettes for the SNES. It would be safe to assume those show up.

Ian SaneJanuary 19, 2011

Game demos?  Nintendo having game demos?  Okay, what is the catch?  They must screw this up in some way.  Surely Nintendo has not LEARNED FROM THEIR MISTAKES!

For original Game Boy games, what I would like would be the old Super Game Boy borders and palettes.  I love my Game Boy Player for the Cube but it has one major flaw in that it does not support the Super Game Boy enhancements.  So for any game that has those enhancements I play it on the SNES instead.  The GB Player supports all the Game Boy games I want but it does not do so in the way I want so it really only gets used for GBC and GBA games and older GB games that don't have Super Game Boy support.

When Donkey Kong is on the eShop, we're all going to want the classic Super Game Boy border and palette.  I find it hard to mentally picture that game any other way.

And the Super Game Boy had the spinach green palette as an option.

BlackNMild2k1January 19, 2011

About the demos, was it demos for every new game? demos for all games? demos for select games? or is it entirely up to the dev/pub which of their games get to have demos??

CaterkillerMatthew Osborne, Contributing WriterJanuary 19, 2011

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

About the demos, was it demos for every new game? demos for all games? demos for select games? or is it entirely up to the dev/pub which of their games get to have demos??

I don't think it was completely clarified yet. Regardless it gives me lots of hope.

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)January 19, 2011

Sleek interface - definitely a nice improvement from the cumbersome DSi Shop. All the features of Nintendo Channel seem to have made their way into the shop channel itself.

As for GBA games, I think the demand for them will be sufficient that it'll be seriously considered down the line.

BlackNMild2k1January 19, 2011

Since this is related to the eShop, I'll just drop my question here.

Does anyone have any information regarding the DSi -> 3DS transfers and 3DS -> 3DS transfers?
Does it attach to an account? a system ID? how does it work? How Nintendo (and the 3DS) keeping track of these transfers?


edit:
Also NWR says

Quote:

At launch, 3DS owners will be able to choose between Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and 3DSWare games. In addition to games, Nintendo will include eShop Video. The user can select the desired topic or genre and be directed to a video. Players will be able to watch game videos in-store.

But Wired says:
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/01/3ds-download-store/

Quote:

Nintendo 3DS won’t be able to download games or access the Web when it launches, Nintendo said Wednesday.

Although the company has plans to add a digital games store, Internet browser and other functionality to its $250 3-D gaming handheld, these key features won’t be online when 3DS ships in the U.S. on March 27, Nintendo said in a statement following a press briefing in New York City.

Other functions that won’t be ready for launch include software that allows users to transfer their downloaded Nintendo DSiWare titles from DS to 3DS and the ability to play 3-D movies.

Nintendo did not say when the “eShop” would go online, although it did reiterate that standard DSiWare, new games for 3DS and Virtual Console games from Game Boy and Game Boy Color would be included in the shop when it does.

Anyone care to explain what the real deal is?


edit 2:
Is there a Day 1 firmware update that allows all this stuff on release day? or atleast eShop and Internet browsing?

TJ SpykeJanuary 19, 2011

From Nintendo's official press release:

The Nintendo eShop, through a system update, will offer access to downloadable games, including Nintendo DSiWare and ones specifically made for Nintendo 3DS. Also, just as the Virtual Console service on Wii makes retro games available for download, the Virtual Console games on Nintendo 3DS will be pulled from classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Players will be able to view game videos, download demos for select games and see how other consumers rated the games. The Nintendo eShop will use a cash-based system. Users can either input credit card information in the shop or purchase a Nintendo 3DS Prepaid Card at retail locations.

It doesn't say if that will be a launch day update though.

NinGurl69 *hugglesJanuary 19, 2011

EXCITE-SHOP GET

BlackNMild2k1January 19, 2011

Thanks for not answering the question TJSpyke.

I already knew that there was going to be a firmware update but that still doesn't say whether or not it will be on launch day or will it happen later.
NWR says @ launch, Wired says not @ launch. Who is right?

Kytim89January 19, 2011

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

Thanks for not answering the question TJSpyke.

I already knew that there was going to be a firmware update but that still doesn't say whether or not it will be on launch day or will it happen later.
NWR says @ launch, Wired says not @ launch. Who is right?


BnM, what is with your avatar?

Also, GBA on virtual console is a given and just a matter of time.

NinGurl69 *hugglesJanuary 19, 2011

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

Thanks for not answering the question TJSpyke.

I already knew that there was going to be a firmware update but that still doesn't say whether or not it will be on launch day or will it happen later.
NWR says @ launch, Wired says not @ launch. Who is right?

Nintendo text did not provide a date.  Anything else you read is mis-communication.

Ian SaneJanuary 19, 2011

How long after the Wii launched did the VC start up?  Was it right away or did it take a little while?

I think you can trust that it is going to be there and Nintendo is probably not going to sit on it for a long time.  No one is going to end up buying a 3DS with the eShop primarily motivating their purchase only to have the feature quietly cancelled on them.

The Wii Shop was available from day one. I'm pretty sure I downloaded and started up Super Mario 64 before I played any of the disc games I bought with my Wii.

ShyGuyJanuary 19, 2011

If I remember right, the Wii online was delayed by a couple days.

TJ SpykeJanuary 19, 2011

I downloaded a VC game the day the system came out. The TurboGrafx-16 games were delayed though, the first ones came out 2 days after launch. NES, SNES, N64, and GEN were right away though.

Realistically, the eShop will be available Day 1. Kohler is assuming a delay, which is not indicated either by the press release itself or by history. The Wii Shop Channel didn't work out of the box either, because Nintendo continued developing it right up until (and after) launch day. This is just a way for them to continue revising "soft features" like the eShop well after the production model has to be finalized for mass manufacturing.

AdrockJanuary 19, 2011

Quote from: insanolord

I think GBA games are inevitable. Nintendo's not usually one to pass up an opportunity to make money with no real effort.

Agreed. It's possible they're still working on an emulator. Considering Nintendo couldn't even get Ocarina of Time ready for launch, this isn't much of a surprise. Nintendo added additional consoles to VC so I would think the same may apply here. I wouldn't be surprised to see Game Gear, Wonderswan etc. games brought over at some point.

Is "Nintendo eShop" the official name? If so, I dig it. The name unifies the shop which I would assume carries over to Wii 2.

Mop it upJanuary 19, 2011

The eShop sounds like a cross between the Wii Shop Channel and the Nintendo Channel. I always thought it was a little strange you had to own a Wii to download demos to a DS, and was a little surprised they didn't put those demos in the DSi Shop.

My guess is GBA is harder to do since the processor in the 3DS isn't drastically faster.  However, it's the same architecture, so this may mean that they'll have to find a way to run the GBA games natively, similar to how it was done on the DS/Lite, but without physical cartridges.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJanuary 19, 2011

Nintendo should upgrade the DSiShop and the WiiShop channels while they're at it.

BlackNMild2k1January 19, 2011

I'm sure that GBA isn't there from day 1 because Nintendo needs something to get everyone all worked up about later on.

For now they want you to check out all the GB/GBC games and then soon they will add in some GameGear, TG16 & Lynx games. Then maybe some Game.com, Wonderswan & NeoGeoPocket, and then maybe some GBA to go with the NeoGeoPocket Color

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

I'm sure that GBA isn't there from day 1 because Nintendo needs something to get everyone all worked up about later on.

For now they want you to check out all the GB/GBC games and then soon they will add in some GameGear, TG16 & Lynx games. Then maybe some Game.com, Wonderswan & NeoGeoPocket, and then maybe some GBA to go with the NeoGeoPocket Color

Sadly, the one game.com game I would want (Batman and Robin) wouldn't be coming.

MaryJaneJanuary 19, 2011

Is anyone else getting the feeling that Nintendo is rushing the 3DS release? I know they actually wanted to get it out sooner, but how much weaker would the (1st party) launch lineup be, how many more features would be implemented with firmware updates?

Right now, Reggie is right in saying that the 3DS is a one of a kind experience, but by the holiday season it likely won't be, which could be the reason for the rush.

Something else of somewhat interest is that Sony showed a number of autostereoscopic devices at CES, and with 6 months of praise for the 3DS, it may be possible that Sony is also going to have glasses-free 3D for the PSP2.

Ian SaneJanuary 20, 2011

If Sony is due to release a 3D PSP2 then maybe Nintendo knows that and rushing the 3DS release makes all the more sense to be the first to the market.  Is Sony is going to match this then this Christmas is already a battle.  Might as well get a head start while they can.

I'm really hoping that part of the reason to rush the 3DS to a March date is to provide a sufficient gap between it and a Wii 2 launch late in the year.  They did it with the GBA and Gamecube back in 2001.

KDR_11kJanuary 20, 2011

Using direct currency means the cards will be labeled with their value and stores can't get away with charging 25€ for a 20€ card.

Quote from: Jonnyboy117

I highly doubt there will be a "spinach" option for original Game Boy titles on 3DS. Those games were programmed in black-and-white; they only look green on the original GB system due to the screen technology. If you play them on any other model (Super Game Boy, GB Pocket, GB Color, GBA, etc.) they look black-and-white, not green-and-white.

The GB pocket is the only one of those with a fixed color scheme, the others let you choose one.

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