That 3DS update I mentioned? Well it’s finally download on a 3DS near you! Or it can be, if you go download it. Go into settings, then find system update. Do prepare to let it sit awhile, as mine is about a third done and has been chugging away for 15 minutes. This update brings with it:
- 3D Video, and 3D Stop Motion animation
- Improved QR code functionality (whatever that means)
- Transfer game files between Nintendo 3DS systems
- New puzzles and extra Find Mii Dungeon
- eShop will be expanded to include demos for retail and eShop games. (Yay!)
- You’ll be able to download software while your system is in Sleep Mode
- The eShop will now support Download Codes and will enable users to save payment information to their system
- A new program for your 3DS – ”Nintendo Zone” active when you’re at a Nintendo 3DS hotspot location. Provides free access to exclusive content, streaming 3D videos (such as gametrailers, tv ads) trivia games, and retail promotions
I’ll update this post when I check it all out.
UPDATE: So you need to agree to a new EULA when you open up ‘Nintendo Zone’, which is a painless process. Of course I’m at home, so Nintendo Zone couldn’t find a ‘Zone’ to connect to. eShop is ‘undergoing maintenance’ and won’t let me on (Adding the demo and other functionalities no doubt)
3D Video – you can take 10-minute clips, it has a ‘low light’ mode and some manual film controls and effects (Sepia, B&W, Negative, Solarize) It has Interval, Stop Motion and Montage shooting modes. Interval lets you pick an amount of time (from 0.5s to 60s) between which it will take 3D photos that it will stitch together, great for time-lapse stuff. Stop-Motion has a great overlay of the last frame so you can see what as moved, and montage lets you string clips together as you’re filming, again with an overlay. Now none of those modes allows audio as well, but that’s not a big deal. Video can only be saved on an SD card, so the ‘photo save location’ has nothing to do with video. The video mode also has an adjustable focus, which is nice.
The video quality isn’t great, which is a shame given the tools you’re given. Though I’m sure people much better at filming things than I am will be able to get some fun results out of it.
Mii Plaza – You can now get Miis from Spot Pass! No longer will you have to hunt for others to get new Miis for your puzzle panels, which you can now view in a ‘Slide Show’ mode. There is also a music player to listen to the various Mii Plaza tunes you like, and can see the ones you’ve unlocked.
There’s a new StreetPass map feature, that tells me I’ve met Miis from 5 provinces, 33 states (including Alaska), Australia, England and Anguilla. Really? Anguilla? The territory with 13,000 people living in it? Beat that guys!
I got a few nice fanfares and ‘Congratulations’ for meeting 100 Miis, having 100 Miis in my plaza, meeting Mii characters from 30 different regions, meeting Mii characters from 5 different countries, making it through a room in ‘Find Mii’ and others. These are all now listed in a new ‘accomplishments’ section. I had completed 25 of 78 when I opened it up.
All in all some interesting additions, I’ll post more when the eShop is back up
