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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

April 25th 3DS Thoughts

With today's 3DS firmware update and several other announcements, it's further encouragement that the 3DS and eShop is continuing to move in a positive direction.  I don't often have the time or energy for a post, so let's quickly get to it before that changes:

Home Menu Folders:

This is something people have been wanting for a long time on the Wii and I can't honestly blame them.  (hint: it's not too late Nintendo)  My 3DS screen was getting quite cluttered especially with all the demo and video titles.  Overall this is a great implementation with the minor quibble that it automatically names the folder then you have to go back to edit.

How's mine now?  I'm too lazy to post a screenshot, so here's the basic idea:

  • Cartridge Launcher (don't think you can move it), eShop, Settings
  • Mutant Mudds and Swapnote for easy access.
  • Folders: Demos, Videos, System (all the other 3ds "stuff") and finally a generic one to collect the rest of my eShop games.
I can see this leading to an overly-clean/folderized layout, but is that such a bad thing?  I really like this feature and the ability to keep things on one screen.  Having the option of customizing the icon size per folder is also cool.

eShop:

There doesn't seem to be anything major, but I do like the dual-row layout and the fact that it sets us up for DLC and patching.  I guess the recommendations section may be helpful, though I can't say I ever use that sort of thing much.  One cool thing is that they featured Jools Watsham in a "Pro Pick" feature.  

The other item I didn't see mentioned much is the new QR code scan under Settings.  I guess is this their first step into faster purchasing, but I'd rather just buy via computer.  Then again, maybe they're going to use it for something else.

3D Updates:

Apparently CaveStory is getting an update to replace the DSiWare version which adds 3D and many features/content that were already in other versions such as WiiWare and CaveStory+ on Steam.  Since I've held off on every other version to date I'm pretty excited about this news.  Ok, sure, they already have the code and art assets so it's not a huge leap and adding 3D is probably going to create some buzz and drive sales.  From a strictly selfish standpoint I'm fine with that and will be purchasing.

Another interesting update is for Might Switch Force which apparently adds some content, adds a retry feature and improves 3D.  All in all very cool and while I've held off on this game so far, it's certainly on my radar.  Possibly a bit higher now.

That's all I've noticed at the moment and will be updating this post if I find anything else.

What are you thoughts on the firmware and game updates?

4 comments:

  1. I still haven't updated mine - hoping to tonight, but I love the idea of folders.  But then, when it comes to my pc and folders, I tend to be hyper-organized as well, so I'm looking forward to this feature.

    I've heard that Mighty Switch Force is supposed to be pretty solid, but I haven't gotten it yet, and since I have Cave  Story on my PC (I think I got it through a Humble Bundle now that I think about it?) I haven't really worried about getting it for my 3DS.  I have a few games on my 3DS radar that I plan to eventually get, but am making myself beat some more other games first.  The downloadable titles I'm most interested in are Zen Pinball, Pushmo and Mutant Muds

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  2. ...and with all the crazy content that they will be releasing for the 3DS (wink, nudge nintendo), we'll definitely need these folders. I also heard there was a limit of 60 folders, though we probably all agree that's pretty big.

    At first I was a bit put off by the mechanic of Mighty Switch Force and while I'm probably way off base (certainly not WayForward), a demo would help.

    In thinking about CaveStory I'm wondering if this eShop 3D title will kill off any interest in the 3D retail version or if it's different enough to stand on it's own. I hear it's a departure from the standard CaveStory kind of feel/formula.

    I should probably actually complete a few things myself before purchasing much more.

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  3. I do love the folders. I have a lot of games on my 3DS (all the virtual console games! and Ambassador games!) and being able to clean up the front page makes everything more usable to me.

    I don't like the eShop update, though. It's far too cluttered for my liking. Win some, lose some!

    Also, you might want to add a headline to your posts - Blogger's change to the new layout makes is hard to remember to do, I know ;)

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  4. I bet the folders have really helped. I don't have nearly that much and it was getting cluttered. It's especially nice to get that stuff you never/infrequently use out of your way.

    Thanks for the blogger tip. I originally typed in a title, but I guess it didn't save.

    As for the eShop we'll see how the design fares. I agree they certainly filled the screen real estate, though I didn't use the search box at the bottom or pay much attention to the scrolling terms.

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