Let’s take a look at the facts shall we? According to Nintendo 3DS’s built-in Activity Log, I took 7,307 steps with it in Sleep Mode on Monday. On Tuesday, that number was 7,221. On Wednesday, it was 3,862 steps – it had been raining heavily. Thursday, we were back up to a healthy 7,174 steps. On Friday, we were down to 4,164 steps (I took the better half out to lunch). When you factor in an average work commute of 4,000 steps per day, you can only draw one conclusion from this analysis. I’ve been taking my 3DS out for walks, more lunchtimes than not. There’s simply no other way of putting it.
In the past, new Nintendo console launches were a pretty big deal to me. I was the 7th person to own a Nintendo 64 in my hometown of Basingstoke. I only queued up a half hour before Electronics Boutique (remember them?) opened its doors on launch day, but the wait in that queue to get my hands on it seemed like an age. I remember counting those six people ahead of me in line, although their faces are long since faded from memory. My Dad was with me, of course, and was smiling encouragingly as I got excited about picking up my pre-order, indulging my excitable chatter about Super Mario 64; bits and pieces of gameplay that I’d gleaned from poring over ‘Total’ magazines for the past six months. We spent the entire day playing it. I even remember my Dad calling my Mum in to witness the first time Mario slides down one of those bonus chutes in Peach’s castle, snaffling up red coins in the process. Nintendo 64 was a big deal that weekend, and for months and months afterwards.
In the following years, I grew less excited about new hardware releases. Much of this can be attributed to going to university and discovering other things that brought pleasure that didn’t require a game controller. Let’s just leave it at that, and spare the details. I didn’t even get a Wii until perhaps a year after launch. Even an ex-girlfriend of mine – who suffered endless hours of torture as I inched my way through Ocarina Of Time night after night during our relationship – got a Wii before me, texting me in excitement at her first forays into motion control with a game of bowling on Wii Sports.
For all intents and purposes, it may well have been the same with last week’s UK release of the Nintendo 3DS. Professional curiosity had my interest piqued, but only because it was a new piece of hardware; the latest shiny, must-have gadget. My interest in the 3D imaging was lukewarm at best, and was only slightly heightened by playing a fellow journalist’s 3DS a few weeks before launch. But, I pre-ordered just the same. And, just over a week on, the stats don’t lie. The 3DS has changed my daily habits, and I’m developing a new addiction.
The wonder of StreetPass
3D effects be damned. Sure, they are pretty mesmeric for the first few hours, and periodically strike you again during particular sequences of play in some games, but the 3D images soon become second-nature. StreetPass is where the real magic of 3DS lies. For those in the dark about its function, StreetPass allows two 3DS consoles to communicate with each other when both are in Sleep Mode (power on, but with the lid closed) and are in close proximity to each other. This allows the transference of your Mii (the Nintendo version of your avatar) to the other person’s StreetPass Plaza, and can then be used to exchange puzzle pieces in Puzzle Swap to complete panels of famous Nintendo characters, and progress further with Nintendo’s built-in turn-based dungeon crawler, StreetPass Quest (Find Mii in the USA). Watching your plaza fill up with a multitude of cute, sometimes bizarre-looking, Miis is a unique and addictive thrill, and explains why I’ve been wandering into every game shop and mall in town during those lunch breaks.
Seeing the notification LED light up in a beautiful emerald green is plentiful reward for that extra walking, and it’s amazing how it makes you approach your strolls out in the town. Where once large groups of college kids would have been avoided, now it’s a chance to get close enough for a StreetPass hit. Thinking of picking up some second-hand games but don’t want to spend the cash? Go in anyway and hoover up the Miis from the staff behind the counter. I’ve been scrutinising every passerby on my travels, looking for a bag in which a 3DS could be safely tucked away, analysing each person for the likelihood that they are a closet gamer and Mii hoarder.
Receiving the same Mii on more than one occassion has benefits too – not only can you set a personal greeting and rate the Mii for any subsequent exchange, they also level-up in StreetPass Quest, doling out extra damage to the monsters in the dungeons and thus securing apparel for your Mii – such as a Mario cap or Pikmin hat – that much faster. Which means it feels like a wasted opportunity to not frequent those Mii hotspots each and every day. No other console has included such a social and healthy mechanic, and its innovative application in future titles could well be the 3DS’ greatest system-selling asset. Sure, it’s more subtle than the headline-grabbing 3D effects, but StreetPass brings a whole new level of social gaming and multiplayer longevity to the table.
Pedometers and Play Coins
The second reason to take lengthy strolls around town is Nintendo 3DS’ in-built currency system, where every 100 steps taken with the 3DS in Sleep Mode (measured by its pedometer) accrues you a single Play Coin. A maximum of 10 Play Coins can be earnt each day. You’ll find that these can be accrued in maybe a ten-minute walk, which, in my eyes, is a missed opportunity. Why not really encourage walking as a healthy daily activity by making the Play Coins harder to accrue? How about upping the steps required for a coin to 1000, say, so that it requires 10,000 steps to earn the full compliment, an amount commonly regarded as a magic number for staying healthy and active? Regardless, the inclusion of a exercise-driven currency is fantastic, providing game-centric rewards for real-world efforts, and promoting healthier lifestyles all round, much like Nintendo have been pushing with Wii Fit.
Should you be struggling accruing StreetPass hits in order to progress in Puzzle Swap and StreetPass Quest, you can spend your Play Coins to help out. Spending 2 of them will unlock a new puzzle piece for one of your panels (it’s random, though, so there is no guarantee you won’t unlock a duplicate piece) and will also pay for an NPC character to battle those pesky ghosts. They can also be used in games too – in Super Street Fighter IV 3D, spending a couple of coins gives you Figure Points, with which you unlock statuettes of the Street Fighter characters to engage in Top-Trumps-style StreetPass battles with other owners of the game.
A few problems…
Nothing’s perfect, as they say, and after such wonderful pros for the 3DS, its cons are even more disappointing than they would be. First of all, and perhaps most seriously, lengthy play sessions can sometimes cause me to visualise webpages in 3D, even hours after switching the console off. This doesn’t happen every time, but these nausea attacks have only started since playing the machine. I’m hoping they pass after awhile, but it is definitely a concern. Elsewhere, some of the buttons, particularly the Home, Select and Start buttons feel a little clunky and cheap and the less said about the stiff, unresponsive D-pad the better. The stylus positioning is also a little counter-intuitive. On the DS, it was conveniently located on the right-hand side of the handheld, allowing quick access, but on the 3DS it’s located at the back, meaning you have to turn the handheld over in your hands to get at it. It’s a minor quibble in comparison to other grievances, but is still irritating.
Put these problems to one side, however, and it’s very possible that 3DS could be a game-changer. Nintendo enjoyed blazing a trail with its Wii console, which went on to achieve phenomenal success until average software began its slow and inevitable decline. Its innovations with the 3DS, although more subtle than its Wii counterpart, could be even more successful. There’s no doubt that its 3D visuals are the marquee feature, and have been, and will continue to be, heavily marketed. But in StreetPass, Nintendo have unearthed an incredible new meta-game, which could add whole new levels of play to both its in-built software and also third-party games. It’s up to developers now to bring fresh and innovative uses for StreetPass to its games, and not just rehash existing franchises with a glossy 3D overhaul. With StreetPass and Play Coins being intrinsic to my enjoyment of the 3DS so far, you can be sure I’ll be continuing to take it for a walk every day. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
Come on boy, fancy a walk?
Should you already be a proud owner of a 3DS you can use the QR code below to add our editor Ash to your collection of Miis. Simply open Mii Maker, select ‘QR Code/Image Options’ and then ‘Scan QR Code’ from the menu options, and then align the code with the frame on the top screen of your 3DS. Want to share yours with us? Include a link to your QR code in the comments below. Enjoy!
6 Comments
I had the chance to try out my co-worker’s 3DS and had to switch off the depth effect after only a few minutes of play. As impressive as glasses-free 3D is, it upsets my eyes and brain.
The most interesting applications are the AR games and Street Pass, though there’s a disconnect with the AR games; they encourage me to bob and weave while the cameras require I remain still and focused on the card. Still, there’s nothing like seeing your desk pop open like a jack-in-the-box. Street Pass is amazing for all the reasons you listed above. I look forward to more titles integrating passive activities into gameplay.
It’s an impressive bit of kit and, if Nintendo supports third-party devs, could evolve into something truly remarkable. But for now, I think I’ll stick with my classic grey brick and Tetris.
I enjoyed fooling around with the AR games too, and was surprised how involved they were, which certainly wasn’t my impressions of that kind of tech. But, now that I’ve played them, I doubt very much that I’d return and play them again. A novelty, and no more.
Hi I came across this article because I searched for streetpass in Basingstoke. I have had zero luck getting any hits from streetpass. I have walked through town many times and hung out in game and gamestation but still nothing, everything is set up ready am I the only person in Basingstoke that has a 3ds?
Aww that’s a shame. That’s my hometown, so I’ll be sure to bring back my 3DS whenever I visit!
I imagine there will be a lot more 3DSes on the street later in the year when big titles like Zelda and Mario come out, and then a big surge after Christmas.
hi there what you now want me walk 10,000 steeps per coin i average 1,000 steeps per day theres no way i would want walk 10,000 miles for just single coine what if you average 10,000 steps and nintendo sends you a free e- shop coupone for a e-shop game free on nintendo then i would walk planet earth all 24,000 miles for free games i want nintendo release the coin cap soo i can get befects for walking more destance
Ha ha. No, 10,000 steps for 10 coins, not for 1. Although we like your idea about the free e-shop coupon for large distances walked. Would be an excellent incentive to get more exercise in!