An Experience Every Day With 3DS
by Benjamin Yoder, posted on 28 June 2011 / 1,772 Views
Despite its predecessor's success, Nintendo 3DS is off to a rough start. From a software perspective, there really isn't much going on. And when the platform does get some quality content, it is generally a port of some sort. Like the software, sales are rough as the system continues to float just under all the other platforms on a weekly basis. Ocarina of Time 3D has given the platform a bit of a bump on both fronts, but now we're moving right back into a software drought. Despite this, I've come out quite satisfied with the Nintendo 3DS, which is all thanks to two features.
I play software over a variety of consoles, old and new. Often my systems see a lot of use for a short period of time before getting shelved away for weeks, months, or even years until I need to pull them out again. While my PlayStation 3 has seen some significant use recently with more recent titles like L.A. Noire and some classics like Xenogears, I still find myself using my Nintendo 3DS more consistently than any other platform. No, I'm not plowing through the entire launch line-up or even playing DS games on it. It's all because of street and spot pass.
No matter what I do each day, even if I'm busy, I try to take the time to bust out my Nintendo 3DS. Obviously, Street Pass Quest and Puzzle Swap are the big hit street pass titles. Not only do you get a small RPG to play, but you also get the whole collect-athon feeling going as you collect hats and puzzle pieces. Sure, the rewards are small only giving a real “oh, that's cool” kind of satisfaction, but that's the point. You make a small investment of time, and you come out with a small reward to keep you going.
Even street pass has its limitations of how often you can pick it up. You have to either walk at least two hundred steps or pass by a fellow 3DS owner. If you accidentally leave your 3DS home that day, you come home to nothing. But spot pass sort of acts like a fail-safe for this. With spot pass, even if your 3DS doesn't leave your house, you can open your 3DS everyday with something to do. The more recent Pokédex 3D requires you to collect Pokémon to fill out your Pokédex. There are a few ways to exchange Pokémon, but Spot Pass gives you a free Pokémon every day as long as your 3DS is within a wireless connection range. So everyday, I boot up my 3DS, get my Pokémon, watch it do its little celebratory dance, then turn it off. That experience, of course, stacks on top any other spot pass supported titles, like new costumes in Dead or Alive: Dimensions or special trophies in Super Street Fighter IV.
It sounds small, but it starts adding up. Looking at my 3DS' play timer, I only have handful of hours dropped into these applications. But having something there each day has kept the 3DS in the forefront of my mind and in a spot in my pockets, despite a lack of software releases. The whole concept reminds me of Nintendo's plans for Wii Connect 24. But instead of “something new everyday,” it has become “something to do everyday.” While your cartridge slot hungers for new software, your 3DS still gives the illusion of added value through small daily items and games you can play each day.
It's kind of awful saying “the illusion” of added value, but that's really what it is. I feel like I use my 3DS more than any other platform, despite only playing a few titles over the last three months. But with the lack of software, street pass and spot pass feel like the most valuable experiences on the platform at this point, even if you're actually not spending all that much time with it. It'd be great to see if Nintendo could incorporate this into the Wii U in some way, or expand the idea with further software on the Nintendo 3DS. But as much as I love street pass and spot pass, Nintendo, just get some software out there so my 3DS doesn't become the street pass device.
